US CONSULATES IN MEXICO LARGELY SHUT DOWN VISA OPERATIONS UNTIL MAY 6TH

Your Snoutbreak update (hat tip to Jon Stewart). From the State Department's swine flu memo:

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and all U.S. Consulates throughout the country have suspended all non-essential services to the public until May 6. Consular services for U.S. citizens will be limited to emergency assistance and to citizenship applications (passports and consular reports of birth abroad, or CRBA). Notarial and other routine services will not be available; anyone with passport or CRBA appointments is encouraged but not required to reschedule to a later date. Additionally, Federal Benefits Units are requesting all persons to postpone interviews on Social Security claims. The Embassy will monitor this situation continuously during the week and advise before May 6 if this suspension needs to be extended

The Embassy’s visa unit has suspended all nonimmigrant visa appointments until May 6. The Embassy will reschedule all nonimmigrant visa appointments which have been made between April 27 and May 5. The Embassy’s scheduling center will call or e-mail applicants to reschedule appointments. Alternatively, applicants may re-schedule visa appointments without being charged by calling 01-800-719-2525. If there is an emergency visa issue please email visas_mexico@state.gov.

Additionally, U.S. consulates in Mexico will suspend some nonimmigrant visa operations until May 6, but may see a limited number of applicants. More information will be provided on April 28, 2009 about nonimmigrant visa operations at U.S. consulates. If visa operations need to be suspended beyond May 6, we will inform the public as soon as possible.

A separate notice about immigrant visa appointments at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez will be issued on April 28, 2009.The Benjamin Franklin Library will be closed to the public.

Finally, operations at the U.S. consular agencies throughout Mexico may be curtailed; several are closing to the public entirely for walk-in services, seeing the public by appointment only. If in doubt, please contact your nearest consular agency directly.

Comments

[Bob Peters]

Well that's unfortunate.. Thanks for the info.

[Geroge Chell]

Not surprising! I am surprised the antis have not yet let out their tirade against Mexicans and Hispanics! They were pretty quick with their vitriol against Asians back in 2003 during the SARS outbreak!