Russian Citizens Are Required To Travel At Poland Or Kazakhstan For U.s. Visa Interviews Under New Rules

Published on September 8, 2025

In a caller development, nan U.S. State Department announced that Russian citizens applying for tourist, student, aliases temporary activity visas will now person to spell to Poland aliases Kazakhstan for visa interviews. This is portion of a larger accommodation successful visa exertion processes, wherever candidates now request to book interviews successful nan state of their nationality aliases place of residence. Nevertheless, successful 16 nations, including Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Afghanistan, regular visa services person been temporarily closed down, and applicants are compelled to spell location other for their visa interview.

Impact of U.S. Embassy Changes successful Russia

This alteration stems from nan U.S. Embassy successful Russia halting non-diplomatic services successful 2021, including nan processing of non-immigrant visas. This suspension followed a Russian authorities ban connected nan hiring of section staff, which severely impacted nan expertise of nan U.S. embassy to supply visa services. As a result, Russian citizens person had to research alternative visa processing locations for their applications.

Visa Applications for Russians: Poland and Kazakhstan arsenic New Destinations

Under nan caller rules, Russians who are legal residents of different countries whitethorn proceed applying for U.S. visas successful their state of residence. However, those without ineligible residency successful different state will request to recreation to either nan U.S. Embassy successful Warsaw, Poland aliases nan U.S. Embassy successful Astana (Almaty), Kazakhstan to complete their visa interviews. This alteration has been a important displacement for Russian applicants, arsenic they antecedently had easier entree to visa processing wrong their ain country.

Challenges successful Accessing Visa Appointments successful Poland

One complication of this alteration is nan trouble for Russian citizens successful booking visa appointments successful Poland. Poland presently only issues visas to Russian citizens on a humanitarian basis, which intends Russian applicants whitethorn find it astir intolerable to schedule an assignment successful Warsaw unless they are already surviving wrong nan European Union. This caller limitation has created further hurdles for Russian citizens, arsenic nan request for U.S. visa interviews is high, and nan readiness of appointments whitethorn beryllium highly limited.

Increased Wait Times and Delayed Appointments

The U.S. State Department has warned that applicants who are required to use extracurricular their state of nationality aliases residence should expect longer waiting times for interviews. This alteration is expected to lead to significant delays successful nan visa exertion process, particularly for those who request to recreation to Poland aliases Kazakhstan. Those affected by this alteration should beryllium prepared for perchance agelong waiting periods earlier securing an assignment for their visa interview.

New Guidelines for Immigrant Visas Starting November 1

In summation to non-immigrant visas, Russian and Belarusian applicants seeking immigrant visas will beryllium required to question and reply astatine nan U.S. Embassy successful Warsaw starting connected November 1, 2025. This alteration is expected to effect family-based migration cases, specified arsenic those involving Russian parents of U.S. citizens. However, these applicants will besides person nan action to be interviews astatine nan U.S. Embassy successful Almaty, Kazakhstan, aliases Tashkent, Uzbekistan, providing much elasticity for immigrant visa applicants.

Alternative Options for Russian Parents of U.S. Citizens

For Russian citizens who are parents of U.S. citizens, an further action for visa interviews has been introduced. These applicants whitethorn now take to be their interviews successful Almaty, Kazakhstan, aliases Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This provides a captious replacement for families looking to reunite pinch their loved ones successful nan United States, making nan migration process somewhat much accessible contempt nan broader changes to nan visa question and reply system.

Long-Term Outlook for Russian Visa Applicants

The changes successful nan U.S. visa process for Russian citizens bespeak nan ongoing geopolitical challenges and adjustments to world relations. While nan business remains fluid, nan displacement to requiring visa interviews successful Poland aliases Kazakhstan whitethorn proceed to impact nan easiness pinch which Russian citizens tin get U.S. visas. Those looking to use should stay diligent and alert of nan imaginable delays and complications successful securing interviews and processing their applications.

Navigating nan New U.S. Visa Requirements for Russian Citizens

The implementation of caller U.S. visa guidelines that require Russian nationals to sojourn Poland aliases Kazakhstan for interviews marks a awesome displacement successful nan process. Although nan alteration will simplify operations and conform to caller governmental realities, it has added other hurdles for Russian applicants, including little entree to appointments successful Poland. In spite of specified hindrances, nan discretion for immigrant visa applicants successful choosing betwixt Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan provides immoderate relief. Applicants are advised to strategize, stay alert of imaginable delays, and reappraisal disposable options to get visa appointments.