Skip to content Washington approves new categories for obtaining the US visa
As already announced in a previous circular, on 2 March 2021 Washington established new categories of travelers from Schengen Area countries who may travel to the United States with a regular US visa if, as determined by a consular officer, they qualify for a National Interest Exception (NIE) to the Presidential Proclamation suspending ordinary travel from the Schengen Area to the United States.
US visa: new exceptions to the entry ban
Travelers who provide vital support to critical infrastructure sectors identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), or to supply chains connected to critical infrastructure, may obtain an exception to the entry ban, and therefore obtain a US visa.
In this regard, please note that the critical infrastructure sectors defined by the DHS are as follows:
- Chemical sector
- Commercial facilities
- Communications sector
- Manufacturing industry (production of primary metals, machinery, electrical equipment, and transportation equipment)
- Dams and hydroelectric facilities sector
- Defense industrial base
- Emergency services
- Energy sector
- Financial services
- Food and agriculture
- Government facilities
- Healthcare and public health
- Information technology
- Nuclear sector
- Transportation sector
- Water and wastewater systems
US National Notice
For further information on DHS critical infrastructure, please refer to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency web page.
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