Loren Locke quoted in Roll Call about limited operations at US consulates
Some visa applicants may be able to get an expedited appointment, but those circumstances are limited. A foreign-born doctor helping COVID-19 patients may be granted an expedited appointment to return to the U.S. after traveling abroad, but a foreign citizen who works at a U.S. tech company and could work remotely would likely be denied, lawyers said.
“It doesn’t matter how critical your reason was to leave. It’s how important it is that you go back that a consular officer actually looks at,” said Loren Locke, a former consular officer. “‘I wanted to go home, and now I want to go back to my job.’ That’s not an emergency.”