A person holding a Lebanese passport in their arms. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — It had been several months since Yasmina* submitted an online application for a United States tourist visa for which she paid a non-refundable fee of $160. She initially applied in October 2022, but the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted consular services and, even two years later, getting a visa interview appointment at the U.S. embassy in Lebanon was an arduous process.Yasmina’s three children live in the States. She wanted to visit them in November 2023 and attend her daughter’s graduation in May 2024. After checking the website on a near-daily basis, she was finally able to book an interview appointment for August 2023, the closest date she could find. Having made multiple visits to the U.S. in earlier years, she saw no reason why she wouldn’t get a visa this time.It wasn’t until May 2024 that she finally learned her visa had...
BEIRUT — It had been several months since Yasmina* submitted an online application for a United States tourist visa for which she paid a non-refundable fee of $160. She initially applied in October 2022, but the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted consular services and, even two years later, getting a visa interview appointment at the U.S. embassy in Lebanon was an arduous process.Yasmina’s three children live in the States. She wanted to visit them in November 2023 and attend her daughter’s graduation in May 2024. After checking the website on a near-daily basis, she was finally able to book an interview appointment for August 2023, the closest date she could find. Having made multiple visits to the U.S. in earlier years, she saw no reason why she wouldn’t get a visa this time.It wasn’t until May 2024 that she finally learned her...
Humanitarian convoy reaches Rmeish, Ain Ibl, Dibil despite obstacles