The United States (US) has suspended routine visa services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until further notice, citing the prevailing security situation, the US Embassy announced.
According to an official statement, all consular appointments scheduled at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi from July 13 to 15 have been cancelled. Applicants with appointments during this period have been advised not to visit the embassy.
The embassy said passport services and emergency consular assistance would continue to be provided via email where necessary, while consular operations at the US Consulate in Dubai are also expected to face disruptions due to security measures.
The US embassy further confirmed that non-emergency US government personnel had been relocated from the UAE as a precautionary step.
The embassy said affected applicants would be contacted directly to reschedule their appointments once normal consular operations resume.
On the other hand, the United States (US) announced that it will resume visa services at its consulates in Lahore and Karachi from July 20, offering relief to thousands of Pakistanis who have faced months of delays in securing visa appointments.
According to the US Embassy, the two consulates will restart regular consular operations after a four-month suspension.
They will begin processing non-immigrant visas, including visitor, student and business visas, as well as restoring routine consular services for US citizens.
The operations were suspended in March after non-essential staff were withdrawn from the two consulates due to security concerns linked to violent protests in parts of Pakistan.
The closure resulted in lengthy delays and uncertainty for visa applicants awaiting interview appointments.
The embassy said the reopening of the Lahore and Karachi consulates is expected to ease the backlog of applications and gradually improve the availability of visa appointments.
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