Reduced Visa

From Yahoo:

"US to pause issuing non-immigrant visas in Russia: embassy"

Washington will halt the issuing of all non-immigrant visas in Russia for nine days from Wednesday and will thereafter reduce visa operations, the US embassy in Moscow said Monday, citing the "Russian government-imposed cap" on its staff levels. "All non-immigrant visa operations across Russia will be suspended on August 23. Operations will resume in Moscow on September 1; visa operations at the US consulates will remain suspended indefinitely," an embassy statement said.   It said all scheduled appointments for visa applicants would be cancelled. Russia last month slashed the US diplomatic staff in the country by 755 employees to 455 -- the same number Moscow has in the United States -- in a retaliatory move against new sanctions passed by the US congress. "Russia's decision to reduce the United States' diplomatic presence here calls into question Russia's seriousness about pursuing better relations," the embassy statement said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov argued that "the real reason" for curbing visa operations is not lack of staff however but "an attempt to provoke discontent among Russian citizens over the actions of the Russian government." Asked at a news conference about Moscow's potential reaction to the move, Lavrov added that Russia "will not be taking out our anger on American citizens." The United States has three consulates in Russia, in Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg in the Urals and Vladivostok in the far east. Now those wanting to visit the US face travelling to Moscow for the application process. The US embassy in Moscow will also cease issuing visas to citizens of Belarus -- which does not have a US embassy -- and they will now be redirected to Kiev, Warsaw and Vilnius. "Capacity for interviews in the future will be greatly reduced because we have had to greatly reduce our staffing levels to comply with the Russian government's requirement," it said. "We will operate at reduced capacity for as long as our staffing levels are reduced," it said. Washington issued about 190,000 visas to Russians in 2016, according to the US State Department figures

^ While this new policy will hurt ordinary Russians it is necessary because of what the Russian Government did to the US Embassy and Consulates inside Russia. Russia says it is making the number of employees the US Embassy can have inside Russia the same as what the Russian Embassy in the US has and so there shouldn't be any disruptions. There are clearly more Russian citizens who want a visa to visit, study or live in the US than American citizens who want a visa to visit, study or live in Russia. That's the difference. I have bene to the Russian Embassy in DC and as long as you pay them more money they give you a visa and quickly. The American Embassy in Moscow doesn't work that way. This was a good political move on the part of the US State Department and the US Government. The burden caused by this now shifts to the Russian Government who forced the removal of 755 employees at the US Embassy and Consulates. Until the Russians allow more staff things for ordinary Russians wanting to go to the US will continue to be problematic and frustrating. The Russian Government is continuing to isolate itself from the US and the rest of the world through these kinds of actions (ie. Western food and medicine bans and the Embassy staff reduction.) As Russia should remember self-imposed isolation did not help the Soviet Union from 1917-1991. It only hurt the ordinary Soviet people (which Russians were at the time.) ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-pause-issuing-non-immigrant-visas-russia-embassy-101124885.html