Latest news with #visaAppointments
South China Morning Post
15 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong students still unable to get US visa bookings: consultancy firms
Hong Kong tertiary students looking to study in the United States remain unable to secure visa appointments with the country's local consulate, despite bookings becoming available in Beijing and other jurisdictions. Three education consultancies contacted by the Post said that they still could not book appointment slots for their clients as of Monday morning, further fuelling confusion among students amid Washington's sudden policy shifts in recent days. Samuel Chan Sze-ming, managing partner at Britannia StudyLink, a company specialising in placements at elite schools, said that he remained unable to secure visa appointments at the US consulate in Hong Kong on Monday. But other centres he operated in Thailand and Vietnam were able to make the bookings with the respective diplomatic missions in those countries, Chan said. Kitty Wu, director of Hong Kong-based Litz USA Student Service, also said that she had been trying to make bookings for her clients with the local consulate since last Thursday without success. Will Kwong, managing director of consultancy AAS Education, said that one of his colleagues had been able to schedule an appointment for a mainland Chinese student through the US embassy in Beijing. 'It seems appointment slots are unstable,' Kwong said. 'Some can access it while others can't.'
The National
07-05-2025
- Business
- The National
US embassy services unavailable for two weeks in the UAE
The US embassy and consulate in the UAE will not offer new visa appointments and fee payment services for two weeks in May. The planned downtime is to allow the transition to a new visa service provider, the US Mission to the UAE announced on Wednesday. Residents wanting an emergency appointment between May 15 and May 29 are advised to visit the US Department of State's visa appointments website for more information. The news comes as US President Donald Trump prepares to visit the Emirates next week. He will travel to the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia on his first formal overseas visit since taking office in January. The trip will take place from May 13-16. Mr Trump is expected to present a friendly face to the important regional allies, in contrast to his tough rhetoric towards the EU, Ukraine and other countries. The trip will 'obviously be dollar deal-focused', a State Department official told The National this month. 'We have Saudi, UAE and potentially Qatar announcements as well.' In September, ties between Washington and the Emirates were strengthened when the Ministry of Interior signed an agreement with the US Department of Homeland Security that will allow the UAE inclusion in the Global Entry Programme. The programme, which screens the security background of applicants before travel, will allow Global Entry participants to immediately check in at a Global Entry kiosk at a US customs facility or when they arrive at another US port of entry. It will therefore allow UAE citizens to avoid long queues and forms on arrival as the process will be automated. All participants in the programme must still have a valid US visa to enter the country.
The National
07-05-2025
- Business
- The National
US Embassy services will be down for two weeks in the UAE
The US Embassy and Consulate in the UAE will not offer new visa appointments and fee payment services for two weeks in May. The planned downtime is to allow the transition to a new visa service provider, the US Mission to the UAE announced on Wednesday. Residents wanting an emergency appointment between May 15 and May 29 are advised to visit the US Department of State's visa appointments website for more information. The news comes as US President Donald Trump prepares to visit the Emirates next week. He will travel to the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia on his first formal overseas visit since taking office in January. The trip will take place from May 13-16. Mr Trump is expected to present a friendly face to the important regional allies, in contrast to his tough rhetoric towards the EU, Ukraine and other countries. The trip will 'obviously be dollar deal-focused', a State Department official told The National this month. 'We have Saudi, UAE and potentially Qatar announcements as well.' In September, ties between Washington and the Emirates were strengthened when the Ministry of Interior signed an agreement with the US Department of Homeland Security that will allow the UAE inclusion in the Global Entry Programme. The programme, which screens the security background of applicants before travel, will allow Global Entry participants to immediately check in at a Global Entry kiosk at a US customs facility or when they arrive at another US port of entry. It will therefore allow UAE citizens to avoid long queues and forms on arrival as the process will be automated. All participants in the programme must still have a valid US visa to enter the country.
