Washington will halt the issuance of all non-immigrant visas in Russia for nine days from Wednesday and will thereafter reduce visa operations.
The US embassy in Moscow said this today, citing the Russian government-imposed cap on its staff levels.
An embassy statement said, all non-immigrant visa operations across Russia will be suspended on August 23.
Operations will resume in Moscow on the 1st of next month. Visa operations at the US consulates will remain suspended indefinitely. It said, all scheduled appointments for visa applicants will 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.
