US visa applicants in the UAE are facing extremely long delays. Interviews for B1 or B2 (business and tourism) visas take 449 days at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and 455 days in Dubai.
Sean Murphy, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi, stated that there’s been “tremendous demand” for travel after coronavirus travel restrictions were lifted. He noted that both the Consulate General in Dubai and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi are struggling to meet this demand.
To avoid delays, Sean has advised travelers to apply in advance. Although the US missions in the UAE have accelerated the visa process to some extent, it’ll take some time to catch up with the backlog.
The US missions in the UAE have also hired an additional workforce to address the delays. However, the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the US Department of State shows that the wait time for non-immigrant visitor visas in UAE is still over a year.
Via Gulf News
