Re: New Non-Immigrant Visa Form Required of All Male Applicants between Ages 16 and 45; Impact of New Security Procedures on Visa Application & Revalidation Procedures; Special Processing Requirements (SPR) on Visa Issuance for Men from Listed Countries; Visa Processing for “Third Country Nationals” in Canada or Mexico; Longer Waits for Revalidation of Visas By Mail

NEW NON-IMMIGRANT VISA FORM FOR MALE APPLICANTS AGES 16 TO 45

On January 12, 2002, the U.S. Department of State announced that a newly created supplemental application form (DS-157) will be required of all male applicants for non-immigrant visas who are between the ages of 16 and 45, regardless of nationality. This form is required in addition to the standard form (D.S.-156) that is used for non-immigrant visa applications. (Note also that the D.S.-156 is a new version of the basic non-immigrant visa application form, and replaces the older version known as O.F.-156). The new DS-157 form, which should be available shortly on the Department of State website at www.travel.state.gov/visa_services.html , is intended to elicit information pertinent to security clearance issues in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. If deemed warranted, the consulates may request a “Security Advisory Opinion” from the State Department in Washington, DC. Consulates have the discretion of requiring the new DS-157 form of other applicants, e.g., females or males of other ages. (The form is also available at: http://madras.sphynx.com/wwwhniv.html ).

 
Special Processing Requirements

The U.S. Department of State has imposed Special Processing Requirements ("SPR") on the process of issuing visas to persons from certain nationalities post September 11, for security reasons. Under the SPR, males between the ages of 16 to 45, who are nationals of certain countries, are now subject to a 20-day security check wait before their visas are issued. This procedure is not unprecedented. (For example, certain Iranians have been subject to a Visas Eagle check, which is now only valid on a per visa entry basis and takes 30 days.).

Although the State Department has not officially acknowledged for which countries the new procedures have been implemented, the 20 day check allegedly applies to the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. There have been some reports of females being subjected to these requirements, and no doubt the consulates will have the discretion to impose the security check procedures on any applicant whenever deemed warranted. The list of affected nationalities could also change.

In sum: These security measures may impact the ability of any non-immigrant visa applicant, including applicants for employment-based visas, to quickly obtain visas to enter the U.S.