Recently, USCIS issued new procedures for applying for, submitting, and renewing E visas at the U.S. Consulate in Italy. The new procedures concern renewals, additional applicants for an already existing E visa enterprise, and first time applicants. All E visa petitions are being processed through the U.S. Consulate in Rome, Italy.
There are two types of renewals for an E visa, either with an interview or without an interview. For those cases that do not require an interview, the E visa renewal must meet the following requirements: You are a citizen or permanent resident of Italy and currently present in Italy; all ten fingerprints were captured at a prior consular interview (not at the airport); your previous visa is currently valid, or has expired within the last twelve months; you are applying for the exact same type of visa as your current/previous visa; your visa does not have Clearance Received annotated on it. If your E visa petition meets these requirements, the E visa package will require the DS 160 form, DS 156E form, last three years of corporate tax returns, passport, and original receipt of processing fee.
If the E visa renewal does require an interview, one must write to the U.S Consulate in Rome at RomeEvisas@state.gov by putting “E VISA RENEWAL WITH INTERVIEW” in the subject line. The Rome Consular Section will contact you to make the appointment. The required documentation (DS-160; DS-156E; original receipt of processing fee; passport and last three years of corporate tax returns) must be hand carried to the interview.
For an already established E visa enterprise requiring additional applicants, an E visa enterprise qualifies if you are applying on behalf of a company whose employees have been issued E visas within the past five years, your company is considered an already established E visa enterprise. In this case, email the documentation (DS-160; DS-156E; receipt of processing fee; a detailed resume and last three years worth of corporate tax returns) to the U.S. Consulate. An interview is required and the Rome Consular Section will contact you, but only after having submitted the required documentation. The original receipt of the processing fee must be hand carried to the interview.
For First Time Applicants, new E-visa cases are scheduled directly by the Consulate. Upon receipt, the application is reviewed for completeness and an appointment is scheduled by the Rome Consular Section. These cases require a minimum processing time of 28 calendar days before an appointment is scheduled. To ensure efficient processing of these cases, the Visa Unit of Mission Italy encourages applicants to follow instructions. The E visa package must be submitted through the designated Mail Boxes Etc office. The original receipt of the processing fee must be enclosed.
The review process for an E visa application begins upon receipt of a complete application. Applications that are not complete, including the original receipt of the processing fee, will be returned. All documents are submitted in English or Italian and must be germane to the case. Maximum E visa packet size is 40 pages. The formal adjudication of the case will begin only after an in-person interview (including taking fingerprints) is complete. If, after the interview, the case requires additional documentation it will be placed in pending status. The reviewing officer will provide an accurate list of required documentation to complete processing of the case. There is a maximum of 45 days to provide the missing documentation. Cases will not be held longer than 45 days.
Companies are advised for submitting applications for multiple employees to submit only one E visa packet for all applicants. It is required to specify that the package contains E visa applications, and to enclose as first page of the package, the name of the company and the names of the applicants.
With the new procedures for processing E visa petitions at the U.S. Consulate in Italy, such cases should be streamlined and processed much faster so those businesses may become running and operational much faster.