If you are a family member applying separately from the principal applicant, please clearly indicate the full name of the principal applicant when submitting your materials and communicating with the Consular section. Note for families: To speed up processing, we encourage families to apply as a group and submit their documents together.If you require the return of your passport WITHOUT a visa, please see our Nonimmigrant Visa Navigator for instructions.We are unable to expedite the processing of individual interview waiver cases and they are adjudicated in the order they are received. If the Consular Section determines you must appear for an interview, this processing time may be extended. The processing time for interview waiver cases is two to ten weeks from the time that the Embassy has received all documents. If you qualify for interview waiver, you will be placed in a “virtual queue.” Once the Consular Section is ready to process your case, you will receive a second email with instructions for sending your passport and required documents via courier.You cannot apply for a visa nor renew a visa while in the United States. Please note that you must be in Chile when submitting your documents by mail.
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If you are required to appear for an interview, expect extended processing times. If you do not qualify for interview waiver processing, you will need to appear for an in-person interview.Applicants that are not Chilean citizens but have permanent residency in Chile are also eligible for the interview waiver provided that they were previously issued a visa in Santiago.If you already have a full-validity visa last issued in Santiago, which is still valid, or which expired less than 48 months ago, you may be eligible to renew your visa without an interview (by mail).Interview Waiver visa services have resumed: Eligibility to apply as an interview waiver case is determined based on the answers provided online during the appointment scheduling process.Emergency Appointments: For all visa classes, and particularly for student visa applicants, if you have an urgent need to travel, please refer to the following guidance on how to request an expedited appointment:.
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If you are unable to book a new appointment, please check the website frequently for additional interview dates. Availability of appointments is limited: Due to limited staffing and high demand, appointments for some categories have long wait times but we are continuously adding new appointments.Nonimmigrant visa fees have been extended: The State Department has extended the validity of nonimmigrant visa payments (known as MRV fees) until September 30, 2023, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee.
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Any applicant with symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, or fever should reschedule their interview immediately. To support social distancing, applicants should not arrive more than 5 minutes before their scheduled appointment time. The health and safety of both our visa applicants and workforce remain our highest priority. Given local conditions, limited resources, and other ongoing challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic, visa appointments are subject to change with little or no notice. While the Embassy aims to process cases as soon as practicable, there will be increased wait times for completing visa services due to substantial backlogs.