Ask the Consul
The questions and answers below were part of a series appearing in Al-Watan. Writers submitted questions to the newspaper and the Consul answered in a regular column.
ASK THE CONSUL – Questions and Answers (May 31, 2009)
1. What are the reasons behind not renewing visas for some Saudi students?
All continuing students applying to renew their visas must demonstrate they are full time students in good standing. We require seeing their school transcripts to determine if they have remained in status as full-time students. If a student fails to maintain a full load of classes and to make progress in his course of study, he will risk having his application denied. Some students are also delayed by administrative processing which is required. Most administrative processing is completed within 30 days, but some cases take longer. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict.
2. I’m black and survived from a racial discrimination inside the embassy, is there any skin discrimination in issuing the visas?
Absolutely not; everyone is treated equally and each application is evaluated on its merits. Applicants must demonstrate strong social, family, and economic ties to their country of residence in order to qualify for a visa. We do not discriminate against race, age, color, or gender. If you believe you were mistreated at the Embassy please write a letter to the Consul General providing the full details so we can look into it.
3. I’m a police officer and I got approval to get my Masters degree after one year and a half, should I apply now for a visa?
We recommend that all applicants going to study in the U.S. start the application process 5-6 months in advance. This will allow for any administrative processing to be completed in time for the student’s travel. That being said, we cannot issue the visa more than 120 days before the date listed on your I-20 and you cannot travel more than 30 days before the start of your classes.
4. Is there any possibility to put a mechanism to control getting the visas for the students and starting the studying semester?
The best advice we can give you is to start the application process early. We have a large number of students applying for visas this summer, and we have given them very high priority for appointments early in the summer so they will have time to for administrative processing if it turns out to be necessary. We encourage students to apply months before their planned travel so that there is enough time to process their applications. We now issue five year visas to students, which will allow most students to complete their course of studies without having to reapply for a visa.
5. Why are photos (which are taken in the U.S.) not accepted although it is according to the requested specifications mentioned in the embassy website? If it is really unacceptable, can you please mention this point in the website?
Regardless of where they are taken, the photos for a U.S. visa application must meet the standards described on our web site at: http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/non-immigrant_visas/photos2.html.
ASK THE CONSUL – Questions and Answers (April 25, 2009)
1.) I want to travel to the US this summer. When should I apply for a visa?
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. There is currently a seven week wait for tourist visa appointments at the Embassy in Riyadh. The good news is that 50% of all visa issuances in Saudi Arabia are processed in one week or less, 82% within 30 days, and over 90% within 60 days. So if you apply now, you are likely to have your visa in time for your summer travel, which is our goal.
2.) I have a visa appointment next week and I’m confused about the visa photo requirements. What are the exact requirements?
It is very important to bring the correct photo on the day of your interview. Photos must be 5x5 cm in size, and must have been taken within the past 6 months. The photo background must be white, and the picture must be taken from a straight frontal view, showing full face, jaw line, and ears. Headgear worn for religious purposes is acceptable provided that the face is uncovered and the hairline and jaw line are visible. Please note that we cannot accept photos that have been digitally altered—this includes the editing done at most local photo shops. If you bring in a photo that has been altered we will have to send you out to get a new picture, which takes a lot of extra time for you and the Consul. Your photo should look exactly like you!
3.) What’s a common mistake that applicants make in the process of applying for a visa at the US Embassy?
This is a great question. One common mistake that people make is that they do not fill out all of the fields on the application. For example, one question on the application asks for the “name and telephone number of the person you are visiting in the US.” If you are going for vacation, maybe you are not visiting anyone. But you can put “not applicable,” or “hotel” rather than leaving the field blank. Be as specific as possible so that the Consul has more information with which to make a decision. It’s better to give too much information than not enough—otherwise it may appear that you are hiding something about your purpose for travel. Also, don’t be nervous! Most people would be surprised to hear that more than 90% of Saudis who apply for visas are approved for issuance. So just relax and be yourself during the interview.
ASK THE CONSUL – Questions and Answers (May 02, 2009)
1.) I’m a student in the US, and my visa will expire in a month and a half. I’m afraid about the delay in renewing my visa. What is the exact procedure and can I apply for the renewal from the US?
You don’t need to worry—our processing time has improved for all visa applicants and especially for students. Although you cannot renew your visa in the U.S., your visa is valid as long as you are still a full-time student and remain in the U.S.
If you want to leave the U.S. after the expiration date of your visa, you will need to renew your visa outside of the U.S. in order to return. Your best option is to apply at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh where appointment wait times are less than wait times in our Consulate Generals in Dhahran and Jeddah. Students who have the most success with the visa process apply for their new visa while their old visa is still valid so that they can return to the U.S. on their old visa in case there will be a delay in visa processing. If your visa is expired or will expire by the time you return to Saudi Arabia, you should plan to schedule your appointment at least one month—two or three months would be better—before you need to return to the U.S. in case your application will require additional processing.
All visa appointments must be made at the following website: http://ksa.us-visaservices.com. After you already have an appointment, you may return to the website and request an “emergency appointment,” telling us briefly what the emergency is and giving us two or three interview dates that would suit you. Please specify in your request when you will be in Saudi Arabia, and we will try hard to accommodate your schedule. Please visit the website for more information regarding the earliest available appointment times and application requirements.
2.) I got an appointment through the internet, and I want to postpone it. Should I apply for a new appointment?
You have two options. The easiest option is to request an “emergency appointment” by logging in again to the appointments website (http://ksa.us-visaservices.com) using your original “confirmation number” and “PIN.” Please specify in your request when you would like your appointment, giving us two or three dates that would suit you, and we will try hard to accommodate your schedule. If you have forgotten your confirmation number or PIN, or they no longer work, your second option is to make another appointment online.
3.) Can I visit the Embassy and have someone help me fill out the application?
We try to help everyone who has questions regarding the application on the day of their appointment. Sometimes one or two questions are confusing, and we are happy to help you. However, your DS-156 must be completed online, and we can therefore not accept applications that are mostly incomplete or filled out by hand. Some shops throughout the Kingdom that sell passport photos also offer to help applicants complete the application forms for a fee. If you do that, make sure the person who completes your form signs it as the preparer of the document.
4.) How can I apply for a visa for my wife? Does it take a long time?
Congratulations on your marriage! Your wife will need an “F-2” visa, and she needs to make an appointment online at the following website: http://ksa.us-visaservices.com. In addition to the normal application requirements (DS-156 visa application form, photograph, visa fee paid at SAMBA), she will need an I-20 issued by your university. Please talk to your university to arrange for her to receive the necessary I-20.
ASK THE CONSUL – Questions and Answers (May 17, 2009)
1.) I am a Saudi student and my student visa will expire in July, while I am still in the United States. How can I renew my visa? Can I stay in the U.S. using the current visa?
The Department of Homeland Security grants foreign students “duration of status,” which means that they can stay in the United States as long as they are full-time students making progress in their course of study. So as long as you are already in the United States and remain in continuous student status, you may stay there even after your visa expires. When you leave the U.S., if your visa has expired you will then require a new student visa in order to return to your studies. If it is possible, it is good to plan your visit to Saudi Arabia within the last couple of months before your visa expires and apply for a new visa while you are here. If the new one cannot be issued quickly, then you may still return to your studies on your current soon-to-expire visa. When the new one is ready for issuance, the Embassy will contact you. Please note that if you are planning to renew your visa this summer, you should make your appointment as soon as possible. Appointments for the summer are going fast.
2.) If a man is studying in the U.S. on a student visa along with his first wife, and they are both on scholarships, how can his second wife get a visa to study there? Can they all get visas at the same time?
As you are undoubtedly aware, the U.S. does not recognize simultaneous multiple marriages, so the man and his first wife (only legal wife, according to U.S. law) could both get student visas for their studies as scholarship students. The second wife (not recognized as a legal spouse in the U.S.), if she also is an accepted student at an American university, would have to apply for a student visa on her own.
3.) Students’ family members wish to visit them in the US, is it possible to obtain a US visa from Jeddah instead of traveling all the way to Riyadh?
We are pleased to confirm that the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah recently began processing visas again, but they are operating on an extremely limited basis at this time. They are primarily focusing on students, medical emergencies and some high priority business travel. We plan to re-establish full visa services in Jeddah when the new consulate building there opens in 2010.
4. I have heard that the Embassy no longer takes visa applicants one a first-come, first-served basis and is allowing people into the consular section according to their appointment time. Is that true?
Yes, it is true. The Embassy is indeed now letting visa applicants in only according to their appointment times. You should not arrive at the Embassy more than 30 minute prior to your appointment time. The purpose of the staggered appointment times is to create a steady flow of applicants with a minimum of waiting. When everyone shows up first thing in the morning then that just means a lot of people have to wait much longer for their interviews.
5. I intend to travel to the U.S. in the summer to study language, then return to the Kingdom and apply to U.S. universities to get acceptance. Are there any special procedures for this case, or will my application be for one visa which can be used in both cases, language study and an academic program at a university?
We routinely issue five-year, multiple entry visas to Saudi students. This means that most students will be able to use the same visa for English language classes and then academic study, even if they change schools, as long as the SEVIS number is active. When you come back to the Kingdom and apply to a new university, if they are able to use the same SEVIS number you already have, you must make sure they reactivate it. If the new university issues you a new SEVIS number, you must pay the SEVIS fee to activate that number. Then you may use both your new I-20 along with your valid visa to study in the U.S.
6. My current student visa will expire in five months and I want to apply for another one. Must I get a new I-20 to renew the visa?
Visa holders of any category may start the process to renew it up to six months before the expiration date. This is an excellent way to guard against possible delays in administrative processing. If your visa is valid, you may use it, even if the processing of your new visa is not yet completed. If you need to travel before your new visa is issued, you may do so and then send us your passport from the U.S. when processing is finished and we are ready to issue the visa.
To apply for a new student visa, you must have a valid I-120. You can use a new I-20 or the one used on your last trip to the U.S. (as long as it has been signed and dated by your school official). If you have a current I-20, endorsed by your school official, the official's signature validates the I-20 up to one year from the day it was signed.
7. I’m a scholarship student from the King Abdullah program going on a medical fellowship, so I need a J-1 visa. My appointment at the embassy is on June 23, but my study will start on the first of July, only one week later. Can I get the visa within one week? If not, what can you advise in this case?
More than half of our applicants receive their visa within one week, but some cases require administrative processing, which cannot be determined in advance and can be unpredictable in length. Because of this, it may be advisable for you log back in to the appointment web site and request an 'emergency appointment'. You must explain briefly what your emergency is, including the timing or dates, and give two or three dates that would suit you for interview. You should receive a response within 24-48 hours. PLEASE NOTE: We get hundreds of emergency requests but can approve only a few of them due to high demand. In the event that we are unable to expedite your appointment, you would need to contact your university and ask them to delay the start date of your program.
ASK THE CONSUL – Questions and Answers (May 24, 2009)
1.) After getting my student visa and studying for a period of time, I changed schools and now have a new I-20 and a new SEVIS number. My current visa is still valid, so do I need a new visa for my new school?
As long as you are a continuing student and have a valid visa, you can continue to use that visa at your new school, along with your new I-20. Be sure to confirm with the new school that your new SEVIS number has been activated.
2) I have a valid U.S. visa, but I have to renew my passport. Can you transfer my visa to my new passport or will I need to come in and apply for a new visa?
Although your visa cannot be transferred from one passport to another, you do not have to apply for a new one. You can use both your old passport - with the valid visa - along with the new passport when traveling to the U.S. When you get your new passport, you must get the old canceled one back. Make sure that the visa does not get holes punched in it or marks made on it when the old passport is canceled.
3.) Does the Embassy need my old passport when I come to get a visa? The passport authority usually takes the old one when they issue a new one.
A: We often need to see all of an applicant’s previous passports during the interview, so bringing them can help avoid delays in processing the visa. Although some applicants have told us that the passport authority kept their prior passport, the overwhelming majority of applicants are still in possession of their previous passports.
4.) I want to apply to get a visa, but I have travel plans very soon after my appointment. May I send my passport back later or must you keep it after I finish my interview?
During your interview with a consular officer, you can request to have your passport back for travel. When you come back from your trip, you must send us the passport via FedEx at your earliest convenience.
5.) I am a Saudi student and my student visa will expire in July, while I am still in the United States. How can I renew my visa? Can I stay in the U.S. using the current visa?
The Department of Homeland Security grants foreign students “duration of status,” which means that they can stay in the United States as long as they are full-time students making progress in their course of study. So as long as you are already in the United States and remain in continuous student status, you may stay there even after your visa expires. When you leave the U.S., if your visa has expired you will then require a new student visa in order to return to your studies. If it is possible, it is good to plan your visit to Saudi Arabia within the last couple of months before your visa expires and apply for a new visa while you are here. If the new one cannot be issued quickly, then you may still return to your studies on your current soon-to-expire visa. When the new one is ready for issuance, the Embassy will contact you. Please note that if you are planning to renew your visa this summer, you should make your appointment as soon as possible. Appointments for the summer are going fast.
6.) If a man is studying in the U.S. on a student visa along with his first wife, and they are both on scholarships, how can his second wife get a visa to study there? Can they all get visas at the same time?
As you are undoubtedly aware, the U.S. does not recognize simultaneous multiple marriages, so the man and his first wife (only legal wife, according to U.S. law) could both get student visas for their studies as scholarship students. The second wife (not recognized as a legal spouse in the U.S.), if she also is an accepted student at an American university, would have to apply for a student visa on her own.
7.)Students’ family members wish to visit them in the US, is it possible to obtain a US visa from Jeddah instead of traveling all the way to Riyadh?
We are pleased to confirm that the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah recently began processing visas again, but they are operating on an extremely limited basis at this time. They are primarily focusing on students, medical emergencies and some high priority business travel. We plan to re-establish full visa services in Jeddah when the new consulate building there opens in 2010.
8.) I want to travel to the US this summer. When should I apply for a visa?
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. There is currently a seven week wait for tourist visa appointments at the Embassy in Riyadh. The good news is that 50% of all visa issuances in Saudi Arabia are processed in one week or less, 82% within 30 days, and over 90% within 60 days. So if you apply now, you are likely to have your visa in time for your summer travel, which is our goal.
9.) I have a visa appointment next week and I’m confused about the visa photo requirements. What are the exact requirements?
It is very important to bring the correct photo on the day of your interview. Photos must be 5x5 cm in size, and must have been taken within the past 6 months. The photo background must be white, and the picture must be taken from a straight frontal view, showing full face, jaw line, and ears. Headgear worn for religious purposes is acceptable provided that the face is uncovered and the hairline and jaw line are visible. Please note that we cannot accept photos that have been digitally altered—this includes the editing done at most local photo shops. If you bring in a photo that has been altered we will have to send you out to get a new picture, which takes a lot of extra time for you and the Consul. Your photo should look exactly like you!
10.) What’s a common mistake that applicants make in the process of applying for a visa at the US Embassy?
This is a great question. One common mistake that people make is that they do not fill out all of the fields on the application. For example, one question on the application asks for the “name and telephone number of the person you are visiting in the US.” If you are going for vacation, maybe you are not visiting anyone. But you can put “not applicable,” or “hotel” rather than leaving the field blank. Be as specific as possible so that the Consul has more information with which to make a decision. It’s better to give too much information than not enough—otherwise it may appear that you are hiding something about your purpose for travel. Also, don’t be nervous! Most people would be surprised to hear that more than 90% of Saudis who apply for visas are approved for issuance. So just relax and be yourself during the interview.