Many Ukrainians have crossed into Germany since 24 February 2022 when Russia invaded. Some may want passage to the United States. Those fearing return to Ukraine need to ask for asylum with the German Government. The US Embassy only offers assistance to those desiring non-immigrant visas, usually for visitors and students, and to those eligible for immigrant visas, usually relatives of US citizens and lawful permanent residents. The US Mission in Germany has posted information to help Ukrainians applying for non-immigrant and immigrant visas in Germany.
The US Embassy and Consulates in Germany are on the US Travel Docs (vs. Yatri software platform) appointment system. There are visa granting sections at the US Consulates in Frankfurt and in Munich and the US Embassy in Berlin. The other consulates do not grant visas (together the "US Mission in Germany”).
Visitor and Student Visa Applicants at US Mission Germany
The most common non-immigrant visa is the B1/B2 or visitor visa. The US Mission in Germany makes it clear that applications for non-immigrant visas like the B1/B2 or F-1 student visa require non-immigrant intent. They will not make an easy exception due to the crisis occurring in Ukraine. Anyone stating an intention to stay permanently in the United States will be denied a non-immigrant visitor or student visa.
B visa applicants will need to show that the purpose of their trip is for a temporary visit, usually for business, pleasure or medical treatment. They need to be traveling for something that is limited and specific in duration. They need to show the ability to fund their trip without working in the United States. Finally, they need to show that they have a residence outside the US to which they will return, or other vital social or economic ties outside the US.
Appointments for non-immigrant visa applicants are made on the appointment setting account after starting a DS-160 online visa application. It is highly recommended that after completing a DS-160 in draft, you have a US licensed attorney with a focus on visa applications review the form after an in-depth consultation, where the lawyer speaks to you about your personal situation and visa eligibility. The concept of non-immigrant intent can be a difficult idea to grasp and show, but it is vital for qualifying for a non-immigrant visa.
After starting a DS-160, you can create an appointment account and pay a government visa fee (US$160) to schedule an appointment. Have with you your passport valid for six months beyond your intended period of stay in the US, your two-inch square US passport style photo, and your DS-160 number. Students should have their I-20 form at the time that they create an appointment account.
Expedited Appointments / Emergency Visa Appointments
If you would like to request an expedited appointment based on humanitarian need or urgent work or study in the United States, you should speak to an attorney. Requests can be made on the appointment setting account by clicking the Emergency Request/ Expedited Request function.[1] The account will show when the earliest available emergency appointment date is. Documents in support of the request may be submitted. The request will be reviewed by US Mission Germany consular officers, and a response will be received by email. You will only get one chance at an expedite request, so use of an attorney to write the request and to advise on supporting documents is highly recommended.
WARNING: Requests for an emergency appointment will not be accepted for these reasons: travel to attend a wedding or graduation, travel to assist a pregnant relatives, travel to participate in an annual business/academic/professional conference, or for last-minute tourism.
Regular Appointments
As of the writing of this blog, visitor visa appointments at the US Embassy in Berlin were at 121 days out and at over 150 days out at the US Consulate in Munich. The US Consulate in Frankfurt also had non-immigrant visa appointments over 150 days out. This Frankfurt Consulate may become an immigrant-visas-only post, so booking at the other posts may be safer. You can check regular appointment times before paying for a visa application. It is highly recommended to set up a visa appointment account to be able to track appointments on the calendar to attempt to get a sooner appointment just by watching the calendar. Appointments will open up for rescheduling from time to time.
Visitor Visa Appointments for Spouses and Children of American Citizens
US Mission Germany advises the following for Ukrainians who are related to US citizens or lawful permanent residents:
If you or your relative has fled from the armed conflict in Ukraine and is looking for United States visa service in Germany, contact the U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. using the subject line: C22 - UKRAINE - FULL NAME.
In the body of the email, provide your full name, date and place of birth as it appears on your passport or other travel document, along with the details of your situation, including whether you are the spouse, child, son, daughter, or parent of a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (“green card” holder). You may want to consult with a US immigration and visa focused lawyer before writing this email.
Family-Based Immigrant Visas for Ukrainians
If you were designated to Kyiv for your family-based immigrant visa application, your new processing post is the US Embassy in Frankfurt, Germany. The US Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC) is automatically re-assigning new immigrant visa case numbers for Frankfurt from Kyiv.
All of the Ukrainian immigrant visa, diversity letter 2022 (DV) and K-1 (fiancé) cases at the NVC are now considered urgent. US Mission Germany is no longer granting individual expedite requests, though it seems like they are granting expedites if you nudge the NVC. Ukrainians with applications at the NVC can request and are receiving expedited processing of their cases in Frankfurt.[2]
The US Mission in Germany has great resources for the demand on it historically, and the consular officers' work flow is well-managed by post leadership. US Mission German has multiple locations including consulates in Berlin and Munich. Berlin and Munich consulates issue non-immigrant visas only. The Frankfurt US Embassy has been known to convert to an immigrant-visas-only location when demand spikes.
Consult with a US immigration lawyer to make an expedite request. Life or death medical emergencies can be the basis for an expedite request. [3]
Marriage with a US Citizen Spouse: Exceptional Circumstances Direct Consular Filing
The US Embassies abroad will sometimes allow a direct consular filing (DCF) at their post, if no I-130 Petition for Alien Relative has yet been filed with the USCIS in the United States. This generally involves a short-notice employment relocation. Both the foreign and US petitioning spouse must live abroad in the jurisdiction of the relevant US Mission. Ukrainians living in Germany can ask Frankfurt about local filing of their I-130 petition in Germany. The qualifying standard called the exceptional circumstances standard is set forth in the USCIS Policy Manual. Application for DCF in Germany is made at this email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Please seek help with a US immigration lawyer to make a request.
Fiancés
Fiancé petitions cannot be direct filed in US Embassies abroad. You can file them only at the USCIS in the United States, and then ask for expediting with the USCIS. The USCIS has created a specific web page on helping Ukrainians after the invasion. Among other assistance, it mentions expediting petitions.
Asylum Seekers Should Apply in Germany with the German Government
The US Mission in Germany confirms that Ukrainians newly arrived in Poland know that asylum seekers will be processed by local authorities - in Germany. Refugees from Ukraine should appeal to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees/ Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF). Ukrainians should not apply to the US Embassy or Consulates in Germany as refugees or asylees. They cannot come to the US with intent to stay permanently without an immigrant visa. Most immigrant visas to the United States are based on marriage to a US citizen or US lawful permanent resident.
______________
Footnotes
[1] Applying for an expedited appointment in Germany.
[2] For comparison, Russia-based, foreign spouses, who were processing US immigrant visas at the US Embassy in Moscow, were automatically re-designated to Warsaw by the National Visa Center. Previously designated Moscow applicants who were documentarily complete (DC) at the NVC were taking only three weeks to receive an appointment notice after re-designation to Warsaw, and appointments were set only one month after that before the Ukrainian invasion. Frankfurt US Embassy was completely caught up on its immigrant visa queue in fall 2021 as well. Interviews were being set only about a month after being DC.
[3] FAQ on Immigrant Visa Processing with the US Department of State.
Address Info for Visa Issuing Posts in Germany
U.S. Embassy Berlin
Clayallee 170, 14191 Berlin
U.S.Consulate in Munich
Koeniginstrasse 5, 80539 Muenchen
U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt (Only Post with Immigrant Visa Section)
Giessener Str. 30, 60435 Frankfurt am Main
Relevant Email Addresses
For any non-immigrant visa application in progress at the US Mission in Ukraine: Write to this email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - to ask for a transfer of your “profile” to the US Mission in Germany. Your visa process will be continued in Germany.
For any immigrant visa application already in progress at the US Embassy in Frankfurt (usually relevant for Ukrainian and German people), use the Visas Navigator for contact information.