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WARNING: LONG waits for visa renewal in Saudi Arabia
Message from the Consular Section, U.S. Embassy-Riyadh (issued: Fall 2006) Dear Colleagues, At the request of the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy-Riyadh, I post the following message. This press release is also available on the U.S. Embassy-Riyadh website at: http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/ STUDENTS ADVISED THAT HOLIDAY VISA RE-ISSUANCE CAN TAKE TWO MONTHS Many students from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia studying in the United States may wish to return to Saudi Arabia during the December/January Eid holiday. While the United States Embassy in Riyadh makes every effort to expedite the issuance of returning student visas, many cases require additional processing. This can increase the wait time by up to two months. It is impossible for the Embassy to bypass this step. For this reason we suggest that students remain in the United States during their Spring break. Students who have returned to Saudi Arabia over breaks in past years have often been delayed in returning to their studies. Since the Embassy cannot guarantee quick visa re-issuance to students returning home during the short Spring break, we would like to discourage them from doing so. The Embassy is making every effort to accommodate students with their visas, and encourages students who need to renew visas to use our on-line system to book their visa interview appointments for next summer for a small fee at http://ksa.us-visaservices.com Applying early this summer rather than this Spring should allow sufficient time for processing in order for students to return to their studies in the fall in a timely manner. regards, Karen M. Fellabaum Education Advisor American Embassy-Riyadh PO Box 94310 Riyadh 11693 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tel: 966 1 488 3800 x4505 http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/ http://www.EducationUSA.state.gov |
