UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 25, 2011. The United States Consulate-General in Yekaterinburg announced the launch of a new system of making visa interview appointments.

‘The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the consulates in Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok are switching to a new visa interview appointments system: starting August 1, 2011, no fee will be charged for any services, including calling the information center and making an appointment. Starting August 1, all the visa applicants can obtain all the visa-related information via the consulate website. The site will become available on August 1, 2011,’ the consulate reports.

‘The new system will decrease the applicants’ expenses significantly and will also make getting a U.S. visa simpler and faster,’ the American diplomats say.