EternalForeigner

I kept hoping/wondering if this was anything they’d accommodate but wanted to see if there was anything against that that I might be missing.

A friend is planning to apply for a U.S. tourist visa though they plan renew their passport at the same time an interview might be made available. He lives in Canada and just got permanent residence there but his passport isn’t visa-free for the U.S. and in Canada right now appointment wait times for tourist visas are egregiously long, 700/800+ days. He might visit his home country briefly as appointments at U.S. diplomatic missions there have much shorter wait times, but his passport is close to expiring. His time will be limited and so he’s planning to fill out the application and try to make an appointment before he travels to his home country, but the application will have his current passport info, and wants to renew his passport as soon he gets there before the appointment. If he goes back there and renews his passport after filling the application and scheduling an interview appointment, but before the actual appointment takes place, would that be all right for the purpose of the application and interview or would it have conflicting info? I wanted to see if anyone filled an application and scheduled an appointment only to bring a renewed passport to the actual interview and if that went well or not.

The applicant ended up getting issued a tourist visa without an interview and it took one day after the embassy received the visa. There were some concerns about an interviewing possibly being required or any other possible complication given that the applicant has an I-130 petition in their name but apparently that didn’t factor in this case.

Did you ever end up getting that fixed? From what I've seen online was that some were able to make an appointment to get a stamp.

My parents just got their immigrant visas (IR-5) and the annotation says: "UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR" so they're clearly still doing endorsment stamps.

Thanks. After submitting the DS-160 and going through the USTRAVELDOCS site for the fee payment and interview scheduling, there was a general questionnaire (some of which are specific for those who reside in Bahrain) that determined the application was eligible for a renewal without an interview, though of course they maintained we might be contact for an interview at any time and that we wouldn't be allowed to schedule an appointment as it stands. And the questions included: Is the applicant applying to renew a B1/B2 visa that has not been expired for more than 48 months? Do you and everyone applying with you have a prior 5-year (or full-validity for your nationality), B1/B2 US visa? Is your visa, and the visa of everyone applying with you, still valid or has it expired within the past 48 months?

My understanding is that this means the application has to be lodged before 48 months have passed since the last visa expired, not that the application would be made within 48 months of the visa expiring. I don't imagine a lot of people would apply for a new visa if it's the same category and there are at least 48 months of validity in it. I'd be happy for some clarification, especially from those who've said they went through the interview waiver process. This would be in Bahrain not Saudi.

Does that determination happen before an actual interview takes place? I’m asking because I’m not sure how an interview waiver manifests itself. Especially since the wait times also say “interview waiver applicants” so I reckon that means even they still need to make appointments?

The person we’re applying for (a tourist visa renewal) has a history of both B2 and F visas and their last visa is expired less than 48 months and has no prior refusal or anything else listed up there. So I thought they’d be eligible in this case.

What’s a D3?

I appreciate the response!

I read that there are certain eligibility criteria for tourist visa interview waivers as per the State Dept guidance here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/important-update-on-waivers-of-the-interview-requirement-for-certaing-nonimmigrant-visa-applicants.html Is there any part of the DS-160 that asks about the interview waiver’s criteria or is it something that will be determined automatically after the application is submitted?

This isn’t specific to this subforum but it relates to a family member though the question is for any similar situation: if a new immigrant gets their MRIV immigrant visa, can they be processed for official admission into the U.S. and get an I-551 stamp at U.S. reclearance airports such as Abu Dhabi, Dublin or the many Canadian airports? Or does it have to happen at an airport in the U.S. itself?