COVID-19 Consulate Re-openings - Listed by Country - What Phase is the Country In?

[Just Paul 4,595]

Here is a good site to check to see what the status of each country is in with regards to the STAGES the US Department of State has for the Consulates:

 

https://www.immigrationlaw.com/u-s-consulate-closures-due-to-covid-19/

 

It is updated as changes occur!

 

Word of Warning - I have talked to the site and they are only showing updates that are via the Consulate's and Foreign countries website.   Example: the announcement of Jamaica processing immigrant visas was placed on the consulate's facebook site and not updated on the consulate's website and is not reflected on this link.

 

Best wishes ~ Paul

Edited June 25, 2020 by Paul & Mary

[SETETA 204]

Thanks so much. Hope it changes soon for alot of embassies. 

 

[8bithearts 104]

Hi and thanks for this I'm sure its going to prove very useful.

 

Just a question about the UK entry, it seems to be referring to visas to come to the UK rather than anything about the US embassy in the UK or am I totally confused?   A good sign I would suppose anyway that the UK visa services are opening up.

[OrihimeandIchigo 216]

Thanks for posting this 😊

[Just Paul 4,595]

12 minutes ago, 8bithearts said:

Hi and thanks for this I'm sure its going to prove very useful.

 

Just a question about the UK entry, it seems to be referring to visas to come to the UK rather than anything about the US embassy in the UK or am I totally confused?   A good sign I would suppose anyway that the UK visa services are opening up.

They are showing both ways.  Many, in reality most, US consulates are not showing progress towards re-opening. Travel and services have to be restored.  Consulate staff has to come back to the country.  The key phrase the State Department is using is Phase 3.  

[OrihimeandIchigo 216]

1 minute ago, Paul & Mary said:

They are showing both ways.  Many, in reality most, US consulates are not showing progress towards re-opening. Travel and services have to be restored.  Consulate staff has to come back to the country.  The key phrase the State Department is using is Phase 3.  

So you think travel bans must be over for it to resume routine visa interviews? This makes me nervous. 

[Just Paul 4,595]

8 minutes ago, OrihimeandIchigo said:

So you think travel bans must be over for it to resume routine visa interviews? This makes me nervous. 

I think it is more of an issue with the foreign country allowing travel and not the US travel bans.  The US travel bans didn't apply to the spousal categories. It does apply to the K1s and people have reported here that consulates said that they are not interviewing K1s due to the ban.  In reality it is more likely because  the consulates not providing full visa services.    If you look at the post on VJ about Jamaica, there are still restrictions for visitors but the consulate is now interviewing the held immigrant visa interviews.

Edited June 25, 2020 by Paul & Mary

[8bithearts 104]

20 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:

They are showing both ways.  Many, in reality most, US consulates are not showing progress towards re-opening. Travel and services have to be restored.  Consulate staff has to come back to the country.  The key phrase the State Department is using is Phase 3.  

Ok so the further easing of lockdown measures in the UK from the 4th July will help this, most services being restored.  Travel into the Uk is still subject to the 14 day quarantine ban, I would think that is going to be for a while, especially from the USA looking at how their covid cases are going.  I am ever hopeful every day, I was hoping that they would start to be scheduling appts with an eye looking at resuming some services on 4th (well the day after I imagine US citizens don't work this day).  I know its more complicated but its quite annoying knowing pubs, zoos, hairdressers, cafes, theme parks and shops are all open on the 4th with restrictions but the embassy stays shut.

 

All we can do is wait and I am thankful that my CR1 category is apparently mission critical.

[8bithearts 104]

I know you didn't write this but this section is worded so badly the information is actually wrong

 

"Select travelers are now exempt from the border rules, including some COVID-19 regulations such as the mandate to self-isolate for two weeks upon arrival. Additionally, they are not required to provide their travel details upon arrival. Registered healthcare professionals or caregivers who are traveling to the U.K. to provide essential healthcare services for any reason must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Individuals who live in the U.K. but work in another country, or who live in another country and work in the U.K. and travel between the two places at least once each week must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.

 

 Those are the exemptions and DONT have to quarantine for 14 days it reads as if they do,

 

 

These are exempt

 

Who is exempt from the UK’s quarantine rules?

　

A number of people do not have to self-isolate upon arrival in the UK. Those exempt include the following:

　

Road haulage workers or road passenger transport workers – including people driving goods vehicles.

　

Seamen, pilots, inspectors and ship surveyors either travelling to the UK for work or being repatriated.

　

Air crew, shuttle staff, operational and rail maintenance workers in the UK for work.

　

Crown servants or government contractors required to do essential work within two weeks of their arrival.

　

Extradition escorts, including people entering the UK to take someone into custody.

　

Essential and emergency workers, and specialist technical workers whose skills are required for essential or emergency services.

　

People doing critical work at space sites or aerospace engineers.

People working in essential infrastructure industries such as telecoms and technology.

　

Postal operators travelling to the UK for work.

　

Seasonal agricultural or farm workers.

　

Healthcare professionals working within a fortnight of entering the UK.

　

People receiving healthcare, or accompanying someone receiving healthcare, or organ donors or people transporting human cells or tissue for medical purposes.

　

People who work in the UK but live abroad, or vice versa, and travels between the two countries at least once a week.

　

People passing through the UK while going to another destination, without setting foot in the UK.

 

(as a side note wondering if embassy staff would be exempt...)

[Taboye 1]

2 hours ago, Paul & Mary said:

Here is a good site to check to see what the status of each country is in with regards to the STAGES the US Department of State has for the Consulates:

 

https://www.immigrationlaw.com/u-s-consulate-closures-due-to-covid-19/

 

It is updated as changes occur!

 

Word of Warning - I have talked to the site and they are only showing updates that are via the Consulate's and Foreign countries website.   Example: the announcement of Jamaica processing immigrant visas was placed on the consulate's facebook site and not updated on the consulate's website and is not reflected on this link.

 

Best wishes ~ Paul

Hi Paul, thx for the info above. You seem to Have a lots of helpful informations. Any idea when the embassies will star scheduling spousal visa interview??  Mine is at NVC center with everything completed but no interview date. I have asked for expedite as I have valid reason but they said due to the closer of they embassy that can’t do it. I am just stuck and waiting of course like everyone else but it’s even worse when you have urgent situations. 

[Ujjwal Bhasin 3]

5 hours ago, Paul & Mary said:

Here is a good site to check to see what the status of each country is in with regards to the STAGES the US Department of State has for the Consulates:

 

https://www.immigrationlaw.com/u-s-consulate-closures-due-to-covid-19/

 

It is updated as changes occur!

 

Word of Warning - I have talked to the site and they are only showing updates that are via the Consulate's and Foreign countries website.   Example: the announcement of Jamaica processing immigrant visas was placed on the consulate's facebook site and not updated on the consulate's website and is not reflected on this link.

 

Best wishes ~ Paul

Thanks, looks like none of the embassies are providing regular services. I believe phase 3 would not come soon, hoping july could bring some hope.

[Leyla100 1]

6 hours ago, Paul & Mary said:

Here is a good site to check to see what the status of each country is in with regards to the STAGES the US Department of State has for the Consulates:

 

https://www.immigrationlaw.com/u-s-consulate-closures-due-to-covid-19/

 

It is updated as changes occur!

 

Word of Warning - I have talked to the site and they are only showing updates that are via the Consulate's and Foreign countries website.   Example: the announcement of Jamaica processing immigrant visas was placed on the consulate's facebook site and not updated on the consulate's website and is not reflected on this link.

 

Best wishes ~ Paul

Lets be honesty till this diseases goes away or vaccine is found I don’t think everything will be back to normal 

[SteveInBostonI130 3,477]

Seems the information on that website is not kept up to date.   

 

For example, Ukraine has opened it's borders to international travel, with a restriction on mandatory observed or self quarantine (with use of an app) from certain high infection countries only.  But that requirement has been amended by allowing visitors to take a covid test instead, as long as the result is negative.

 

As another example, the website shows New Zealand allowing certain people being allowed to enter, but does not detail any information about US embassy services (which they are now resuming all routine US citizen services by appointment, but visa services are still suspended).

 

I would recommend people to check the information at the embassy website directly.

[jacketconfident 13]

6 hours ago, Paul & Mary said:

Here is a good site to check to see what the status of each country is in with regards to the STAGES the US Department of State has for the Consulates:

 

https://www.immigrationlaw.com/u-s-consulate-closures-due-to-covid-19/

 

It is updated as changes occur!

 

Word of Warning - I have talked to the site and they are only showing updates that are via the Consulate's and Foreign countries website.   Example: the announcement of Jamaica processing immigrant visas was placed on the consulate's facebook site and not updated on the consulate's website and is not reflected on this link.

 

Best wishes ~ Paul

Thanks for this link, Paul.

 

Many of the statements collected on that site appear to refer to local government phase schemes. Others may be referring to the DoS's own reopening plan, which goes by the cringe-worthy name "Diplomacy Strong": https://www.axios.com/pompeo-coronavirus-state-department-reopening-ec5dc86d-6393-4614-b05f-68d3b5f6ec10.html. Certainly, for embassies and consulates, one would expect that both local and State Department plans are relevant: consular operations can resume only to the extent that they are permitted by both. 

 

Note that Diplomacy Strong envisages 14-day compliance check periods before moving up a Phase, where the principal metric seems to be continued decrease in coronavirus cases. That would entail that, even if a country has completely wiped out the virus and has no local restrictions, it would be at least a month from the date of entering Diplomacy Strong Phase I until the start of Phase III.

 

My questions:

 

1) Is it really the case that, for even limited visa processing to resume, the consular post must be in Phase III of Diplomacy Strong? 

2) In order to start a Phase under Diplomacy Strong, do all the Xs in the relevant column need to be checked? (See the inset document in the link above and the page on overseas facilities.) 

 

My concern is about consular posts in Canada (Montreal) and Mexico if the answers to both questions are yes. That would be bad news for visa applicants in those countries, given that (a) "Land Borders" would need to be checked to enter Phase III and (b) the Canadian (and for all I know, Mexican) border is not likely to reopen this summer: https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/rebuild/article243666227.html. That would mean months of wait before the consulates even open their doors.

 

Caveats: It's not clear what it would take to check off "Land Borders". (The borders are still there, last I checked!) How open do they have to be? Also, there is some reason to think that not all Phase III requirements need be met for limited visa services to resume: the embassy in Jamaica and a handful of other consular posts have started rescheduling interviews even though the Department of State's global Level 4 travel advisory remains in place. This is true even though "Department of State Travel Advisory" is also one of the Phase III requirements. 

[Trutta 103]

The whole thing is strange,  to say the least. We have less than 200 cases here, zero deaths, and no new cases for months. Everything is open as normal except some tourist businesses that have no customers. The consulate should be open.