New policy
It is a DOS policy. It has nothing to do with AOS in the US.
http://www.immigration-law.com/
06/23/2004: State Department Official Announcement of Termination of Visa Revalidation as of July 16, 2004
Today, the U.S. Department of State announced that the Department will cease the visa revalidation services after July 16, 2004. To be processed, applications must be received (not postmark) by the Department's application acceptance facility in St. Louis by July 16, 2004. We previously reported that it would terminate on July 6, 2004. We stand corrected on the termination date. For the announcement, please click here. State Department also states that any response to the RFE must be received by September 30, 2004. Read on.
http://www.murthy.com/news/n_deptst.html DOS policies
http://www.travel.state.gov/revals.html
U.S. Says Many Foreigners Must Leave to Renew Visas
Wed Jun 23, 6:58 PM ET
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of foreigners who work in the
United States will have to go to U.S. embassies abroad to be interviewed
and fingerprinted when they need to renew their visas under a U.S. policy
announced on Wednesday.
Previously the people, who include entertainers, athletes, journalists,
investors, executives and skilled and unskilled temporary workers, were
allowed to renew their visas by mail.
The State Department said it would stop accepting applications for mail
renewals of the visas on July 16.
The State Department said the new policy, part of the U.S. effort to
tighten border controls after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was to ensure
that people applying for visas to the United States are interviewed and
fingerprinted.
The State Department said the new requirement will apply to holders of
"E," "H," "I," "O," "L," and "P," visas. It will not apply to foreign diplomats
or people who work at international organizations like the United Nations
(news - web sites).
The U.S. policy of fingerprinting most foreigners who visit the United
States has prompted protests from some countries and the new policy
on visa renewals could annoy companies who may have to pay for their
employees to go abroad to be processed.
U.S. officials said they did not have statistics on how many foreigners
work on such visas or how many of their family members live with them
but it amounts to hundreds of thousands of people. In fiscal 2001, which
ended on Sept. 30, 2001, more than 500,000 such visas were issued,
one U.S. official said.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the department
processed more than 50,000 such renewal applications last year. The
vast majority of people who filed those -- all but diplomats and workers at
international organizations -- will now have to go abroad for processing,
although not to their home countries.
Boucher said those who come to the United States on such visas may
stay as long as is determined by Homeland Security officials at their
point of entry and, in many cases, indefinitely.
Officials said the person's length of stay is often set for their "duration of
status" -- meaning journalists who enter the country on an "I" visa for
journalists can stay indefinitely if they continue to work as a journalist.
However, if they wish to leave the United States and the visa that
permitted them to enter has expired, they must go to a U.S. Embassy
abroad and apply for a new visa to return.
Boucher said there were no plans to create an office in the United States
to handle renewals, saying embassies were best placed to do the work.
"We want to do interviews. We want to do fingerprints. We're best set up
to do that overseas," he said.
