U.S. embassy says Haitians can now apply for visas – but appointments are for 2026
The U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince is opening up a large number of non-immigrant visa appointments for Haitian nationals, warning that anyone who paid a U.S. visa fee prior to Oct. 1, 2022, will need to book an appointment online before the end of this month or face having to repay.
But Haitians shouldn’t expect appointments to begin anytime soon. Because regular visa services remain suspended due to Haiti’s ongoing escalation in gang violence, the first available openings aren’t until 2026.
“If you have a receipt that’s expiring, you need to make your appointment now, so that you don’t end up having to pay another fee again later,” said a State Department spokesperson. “We don’t want anyone to lose their money who still wants to schedule an appointment.”
Embassy officials do not know when normal visa services will resume and they do not want people to lose the opportunity to salvage the payments they already made, which may have had their expiration dates extended beyond a year.
Visa processing fees, which recently increased to $185 from $160, are normally valid for just one year. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Department issued extensions at embassies around the world, allowing applicants to extend the validity of their payment until they could finally book an appointment. In Haiti, the situation was exacerbated by the violence crisis, which led to the embassy curtailing and then suspending appointments.
As a result, there are people in Haiti and elsewhere holding proof of payment receipts that are more than a year old, and as of Oct. 1, will no longer be valid. Haitians are being asked to make their way to the nearest computer or agency, where they often go to get help with renewing their U.S. visas, to secure an appointment, which will protect the payment they already made.
As of Sept. 30, all COVID-19 extensions will no longer be valid and all visa fee payments will have a year’s expiration.
Individuals with receipts that will be a year old in October or November are also being urged to book an appointment date.
In late July, the State Department withdrew all non-emergency personnel from Haiti. The embassy suspended all processing of non-immigrant visas to travel to the United States.
While the 2026 appointments are far off, they may be moved up once the embassy reopens for routine services. But it is hard to say, officials note, given the number of Haitians who may no longer be in the country due to the U.S.’s humanitarian parole program. The program, lauched in January has led to more than 53,000 Haitians coming to the United States, the Department of Homeland Security says.
This also means that officials have no idea the size of the visa backlog.
Can’t wait until 2026? While a holder of U.S. non-immigrant visas cannot renew their visa in the United States, they can seek an appointment in a country where there is a U.S. embassy and they are able to legally visit.
This story was originally published September 22, 2023 at 10:51 AM.
