Processing US visa applications in Saudi Arabia resumes as travel ban lifted

RIYADH: The US diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia announced that they have resumed processing existing visa applications and schedule appointments for new ones after a US federal court order effectively suspending the travel ban for citizens of Muslim-majority countries imposed by President Trump.

“The US Department of State had, under the executive order, provisionally revoked all valid visas of nationals of those seven countries, with limited exceptions. That provisional revocation is now lifted, and those visas are now valid for travel to the United States if the holder is otherwise eligible,” said Johann Schmonsees, a spokesman for the US



embassy here, on Tuesday.

Schmonsees said that “individuals whose visas are expired, or were canceled, must apply for a new visa at a US embassy or consulate, absent a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) decision to grant parole or waive the visa requirement at the port of entry.” 

The applicants can submit their applications at the Riyadh-based US embassy or at the Jeddah-based US Consulate.

A statement posted by the US embassy on its website said that “we are working closely with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and we will provide further updates as soon as information is available”.