US Consulates in Russia resume issuing visas - but with restrictions
All American consulates in Russia, including those in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok, have resumed issuing visas, as conveyed by the US Embassy in Moscow, reports Gazeta.Ru.
For the time being, the three consulates will issue visas with one restriction: visas will be provided only to those citizens who do not need to pass an interview.
"On September 1, 2017, the US Embassy in Moscow resumed a limited number of interviews for non-immigrant visas. The process of issuing US visas in cases where the applicants do not require interviews is being carried out both at the US Embassy in Russia and at the US Consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok," said Embassy spokeswoman Maria Olson.
Those who have previously received an American visa and are applying for a new visa of the same type do not need to be interviewed. There is one additional condition: no more than a year should have passed from the expiration of the previous visa to the US.
In August, the US diplomatic mission announced a temporary suspension of consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok. The reason was a sharp reduction in staff. In late July, Russian authorities demanded that the US State Department reduce the number of diplomatic missions in Russia from 1210 to 455 people.
In September, the US Embassy offered Russian citizens the opportunity to receive American visas in Kyiv. Such applicants are not required to be residents of Ukraine, but must be physically located in the country.
Residents of the Russian-annexed Crimea must also apply for an American visa through Kyiv.