On October 8, 2017, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey,
announced that it has suspended all nonimmigrant visa services at
all U.S. diplomatic facilities in Turkey. "Recent events have
forced the United States Government to reassess the commitment of
the Government of Turkey to the security of U.S. Mission facilities
and personnel," the embassy said. Several hours later, in a
similar statement, Turkey's embassy in Washington, D.C.,
announced that visas for U.S. citizens in all of its missions in
the United States have been suspended.
The suspension of all nonimmigrant visa services will affect
thousands of U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants. The U.S. has only
two diplomatic facilities in Turkey that process nonimmigrant visa
applications: the U.S. Embassy in Ankara and the U.S. Consulate
General in Istanbul. In 2016, these facilities issued 113,240
nonimmigrant visas. Most foreign nationals, in particular Turkish
citizens, are required to obtain a nonimmigrant visa
