U.S. Temporarily Suspends Russia Non-Immigrant Visas

NBC: U.S. Suspends Russia Nonimmigrant Visas in Tit-For-Tat Fallout

The United States said Monday it has been forced to suspend nonimmigrant visas in Russia because President Vladimir Putin ordered it to cut hundreds of diplomatic staff.

The U.S. Mission to Russia said it was forced to cancel all appointments in Moscow between Wednesday and Sept. 1 because of reduced staffing levels.

Outside of the Russian capital, at the consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok, visa operations would remain suspended indefinitely, the U.S. Mission said in a statement.

In the capital, the mission said "visa operations will resume on a greatly reduced scale."

The decision would come as a blow to Russian tourists, nearly 250,000 of whom visited the U.S. last year, according to The Associated Press.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Temporarily Suspending Russia Non-Immigrant Visas

U.S. Sharply Curtails Visa Services in Russia -- NYT
US halts non-immigrant visas in Russia as diplomatic standoff deepens -- Washington Post
U.S. scales back Russian visa operations after Putin cuts embassy staff -- Reuters
U.S. Institutes Visa Restrictions At Its Missions Across Russia, Blames Kremlin Order -- RFE
US Embassy in Russia suspends issuing nonimmigrant visas -- ABC News/AP
U.S. Cuts Visa Service After Russia Orders Staff Reduced -- Bloomberg
U.S. Embassy in Russia temporarily suspends nonimmigrant visas -- Washington Times
US embassy in Russia temporarily halts issue of non-immigrant visas -- RT
Moscow Calls U.S. Visa Move Attempt to Stir up Unrest in Russia -- US News and World Report/Reuters
Lavrov: Russia Won’t Follow ‘Stupid’ U.S. Example After Visa Freeze -- Moscow Times
Russian Citizens Could Wait Nearly 3 Months for US Visa Appointments - DoS -- Sputnik