Secretary Blinken, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has temporarily expanded the ability of consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for individuals applying for a nonimmigrant visa in the same classification. Previously, only those applicants whose nonimmigrant visa expired within 24 months were eligible for an interview waiver. The Secretary has temporarily extended the expiration period to 48 months. This policy is in effect until December 31, 2021. This change will allow consular officers to continue processing certain nonimmigrant visa applications while limiting the number of applicants who must appear at a consular section, thereby reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission to other applicants and consular staff. Travelers are encouraged to review the website of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for detailed information on what services are currently available as well as eligibility information and instructions on applying for a visa without an interview.

President Biden rescinded Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10014, entitled “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak,” on February 24, 2021. Immigrant visa applicants who had been affected by this proclamation should review the instructions here.

Presidential Proclamation 10052, which temporarily suspended the entry of certain H-1B, H-2B, J (for certain categories within the Exchange Visitor Program), and L nonimmigrants, expired on March 31, 2021. Visa applicants who have not yet been interviewed or scheduled for an interview will have their applications prioritized and processed in accordance with existing phased resumption of visa services guidance. Visa applicants who were previously refused visas due to the restrictions of Presidential Proclamation 10052 may reapply by submitting a new application including a new fee.

On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed a Presidential Proclamation titled “Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States.” This proclamation ends the travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983 that had suspended entry into the United States of certain nationals, based on visa type, from Burma, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, and Yemen. Click here for additional information.

Effective January 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will require all air passengers entering the United States to present a negative COVID-19 test (a viral detection test for SARS-CoV- 2 approved or authorized by the relevant national authority), taken within 72 hours of departure. Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers before boarding. Airlines must deny boarding of passengers if they do not provide documentation of a negative test or recovery. This requirement is separate from the visa application process. All Presidential Proclamations restricting travel due to COVID-19 remain in place, and continue to apply to subject potential travelers regardless of their test results or vaccination status. Travelers holding a National Interest Exception also remain subject to all applicable pre-departure testing requirements. For more information on waivers to the testing requirement please click here.

As of November 16, the United States Embassy in Ukraine is unable to offer routine nonimmigrant visa appointments, including K visas. We continue to offer a very limited number of appointments for certain mission-critical visa categories, including C1/Ds, as well as humanitarian emergencies. We will resume routine visa services as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time. The MRV fee is valid and may be used to schedule an interview appointment in the country where it was purchased until September 30, 2022. If you have an urgent matter and need to travel immediately, please follow the guidance provided at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ua/ua-niv-expeditedappointment.asp (for B1/B2, students, and petition-based visas) or email KyivIV@state.gov(for K visas) to request an emergency appointment.

The U.S. Mission to Ukraine understands that many visa applicants have paid the visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment. We are working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible. In the meantime, rest assured that the U.S. Mission will extend the validity of your payment (known as the MRV fee) until September 30, 2022, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee. Please continue to monitor this site for information on when we will return to routine visa operations.

Entry of foreign nationals who were physically present within the following list of countries within 14 days prior to their entry or attempted entry into the United States is suspended, per Presidential Proclamations 9984, 9992, 9993, 9996, and 10041, the Presidential Proclamation issued on January 25:

-South Africa;

-Brazil;

-The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, excluding overseas territories outside of Europe;

-The Republic of Ireland;

-The 26 countries that comprise the Schengen Area (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland)

-The Islamic Republic of Iran; and

-The People’s Republic of China, not including the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

There are certain exceptions to the suspension of entry, including exceptions for U.S. lawful permanent residents and certain family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, among other exceptions listed in the proclamations. If you reside in, have traveled recently to, or intend to transit or travel to the above list of countries prior to your planned trip to the United States, we recommend you postpone your visa interview appointment until 14 days subsequent to your departure from the subject country(ries). Additionally, if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, or believe you may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, you are strongly encouraged to postpone your appointment by at least 14 days.

If you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program partner but unable to travel to the United States under that program, you should apply for a nonimmigrant visa at least three months in advance of your desired travel. If you do not have imminent travel plans, you should pay the nonimmigrant visa application fee, fill out the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application form at ceac.state.gov/genniv/, and schedule a visa appointment. If your travel is imminent, you may request an expedited visa appointment. Please include in your request the date and purpose of your travel, as well as a copy of any U.S. Customs and Border Protection message you may have received regarding your ESTA status. More information about restrictions to travel under the Visa Waiver Program, including the requirement for an electronic passport, is available here.

Dear applicants, please note that there is no facility at the Embassy to store prohibited items. In the past, applicants were allowed to check and store certain small items including cell phones with Embassy security staff. As of February 1, 2016, this will no longer be allowed, and you must make arrangements to store these items before entering.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine is the consular office for visa applications submitted by residents of Ukraine, including Crimea, which is the territory of Ukraine. As such, applicants from Crimea should be interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, must pay their MRV fees for visa applications only at Raiffeisen Bank Aval branches and must select a TMM Express passport pickup location inside Ukraine, as document pass back services to and from Crimea have been suspended indefinitely due to Russian activities in that portion of Ukraine's territory.