Q: Is the U.S. Embassy open?
A: The embassy has remained open throughout the pandemic. Our first priority continues to be American citizen services. In September 2020, we resumed scheduling nonimmigrant and immigrant visa interview appointments. Appointments for some categories of routine visas, including visitor visas for vacation travel (B1/B2) are still limited at this time.
Q: How do I schedule an appointment to get my immigrant visa?
A: In September 2020, we resumed scheduling immigrant visa interview appointments. While Presidential Proclamations and COVID-19 health and safety measures remain in effect, we are still not able to process all categories of visas.
Visa interview appointments are scheduled in advance by the National Visa Center (NVC). The embassy does not schedule individual cases for the initial visa appointment, nor do we receive expedite requests for immigrant visa initial interviews. You must contact NVC using their Public Inquiry Form at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html. The appointment scheduling process is designed to provide fair consideration to all applicants, including those who have waited many years for their cases to become current.
Q: How do I schedule an appointment if my previous immigrant visa appointment was cancelled due to Presidential Proclamation 10014?
Applicants whose appointments were cancelled due to COVID-19 service restrictions, including the Presidential Proclamation 10014 (most IR5, F2A, FX, F1, F3 and F4 immigrant visas), will be able to reschedule their appointments after the Proclamation expires through their registered account at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gy/iv/. If you have not yet registered your case information, you should do so now.
Q: May I schedule a last minute appointment if someone cancels?
A: DO NOT TRAVEL TO GUYANA UNTIL YOU HAVE A CONFIRMED APPOINTMENT. The embassy does not schedule individual cases for the initial visa appointment, nor do we receive expedite requests for immigrant visa initial interviews. If you arrive in Guyana without an appointment, you risk having a long wait, or even having to leave Guyana and return later.
Q: I missed my interview because I had COVID symptoms. Is there a way to reschedule?
A: Yes, please reschedule through our customer service website or call center.
If you missed your previous interview appointment scheduled in March, April or May 2020 and/or missed your rescheduled appointment, you can request a new appointment by logging into your case at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/, or by calling our Customer Service Center 1-877-246-6788 (local) or 703-988-5765 (U.S). The Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee validity dates have been extended to December 31, 2021.
There is no fee to obtain or change an appointment date. Do not pay fees to third parties.
And thank you for following the COVID-19 guidelines and not coming to the embassy when you were feeling unwell. Embassy staff are working hard to protect the health of the applicants and appreciate your continued support.
Q: I interviewed and received my immigrant visa before the pandemic, but I did not travel due to airspace closures. What can I do now?
A: You can request a follow-up appointment to replace your expired visa through our Service Center website at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/, or by calling 1-877-246-6788 (local) or 703-988-5765 (U.S).
You won’t usually need a new visa interview, but you will need to present the following items on the day of your appointment:
New Medical report (Contact the panel physician to schedule your appointment.)
If more than one year old, please obtain a new Police Clearance
New 2×2 inch photograph
Visa fee to be paid to Embassy cashier
Most recent tax transcript, if not already submitted. Go to irs.gov.
If for any reason you are unable to make this appointment date, you can request a later date through the Visa Service Center – Service Center at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/, or by calling 1-877-246-6788 (local) or 703-988-5765 (U.S).
There is no fee to obtain or change an appointment date. Do not pay fees to third parties.
Q: My cousin received an expedited appointment. How do I sign up for one?
A: Cases are scheduled in order of their priority date, to provide fair consideration to all applicants, including those who have waited many years for their cases to become current.
Immigrant visa interview appointments are scheduled in advance by the National Visa Center (NVC). The embassy does not schedule individual cases for the initial visa appointment, nor does the embassy receive expedite requests for immigrant visa initial interviews. You must contact https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-information/how-to-make-an-expedite-request if you wish to request an expedited immigrant visa appointment. If NVC approves an expedited interview for your visa case, NVC will forward the case file for scheduling, to an embassy. You can also request NVC to have your case sent to a different embassy during the expedite process.
Expedite requests are rarely granted, because it is unfair to allow some persons to skip the long line of people waiting sometimes years for their interviews.
“Ask the Consul” is a monthly column from the U.S. Embassy answering questions about U.S. immigration law and visa issues. Detailed information about visas and travel can be viewed at https://gy.usembassy.gov/, https://ais.usvisa-info.com/ and https://travel.state.gov/. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prepare their own documents and avoid third-party advice. U.S. Consular rules change frequently, and non-US government advisors often provide inadequate or inaccurate information. Please contact our Visa Information Service Center on toll free numbers: 1-877-246-6788 or 703-988-5765 if you have general visa questions.
