The US Mission to the United Arab Emirates has suspended routine consular services in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, cancelling every appointment scheduled between 13 and 15 July. A security alert issued overnight instructs American citizens and visa applicants to avoid the compounds and await individual rescheduling emails. Emergency passport assistance remains available via the online Citizen Services Navigator, but routine visa processing is paused indefinitely. The missions have operated on an ordered-departure footing since April, with non-essential US staff relocated; the latest step tightens access further as Washington reassesses regional threat levels. The freeze will strand hundreds of UAE-based travellers, students and corporate assignees who were booked for US visa interviews in the coming days—peak application season ahead of the North-American academic year and autumn conference circuit. Immigration advisers say applicants with imminent travel dates should explore third-country appointments—Muscat and Manama have same-month availability—or consider ESTA-eligible passports where applicable. Employers transferring staff to the United States may need to push back start dates or switch to remote-onboarding strategies while backlogs clear. The embassy emphasised that applicants will not lose their MRV fee payments but warned it could take “several weeks” to secure new slots once normal operations resume. Mobility teams should track further State Department advisories and counsel travellers to keep documentation valid in case short-notice rescheduling windows open.
Source: Gulf News
