Return to U.S. Embassy in Ukraine Website
Last Updated: 09-May-2023
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
If you are seeking information about immediate humanitarian assistance in Switzerland or Liechtenstein:
- Almost all refugee cases in countries abroad are processed by local authorities, in this case the government of Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
- Ukrainians should not contact the authorities of the United States or attempt to apply for visas in order to travel to the United States as refugees–such travel is not possible. They should contact the authorities of Switzerland or Liechtenstein. https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/de/home.html
- For information about seeking refugee and asylum status in the United States, please see Refugees and Asylum | USCIS
- For information about humanitarian parole to the United States, please see https://www.uscis.gov/forms/explore-my-options/humanitarian-parole
- Please note that UNHCR does not register asylum seekers in Europe; such individuals are referred to the national asylum systems: https://help.unhcr.org/switzerland/ukraine/.
VISA SERVICES IN SWITZERLAND OR LIECHTENSTEIN
IMMIGRANT VISAS
If you are a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident with a Ukrainian relative seeking to travel to the United States on an immigrant visa:
- If you have an I-130 petition approved by USCIS pending processing at the National Visa Center (NVC) and want to transfer it to another Embassy, the designated processing post for Ukrainian Immigrant Visas is United States Consulate General Frankfurt, Germany: https://de.usembassy.gov/ukrainians-in-germany/. You may request expedition and transfer from the National Visa Center: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center/nvc-contact-information.html
- If you have not yet filed an immigrant visa petition for an immediate relative and cannot travel to Frankfurt, you can file at U.S. Embassy Bern. You may email berniv@state.gov to inquire regarding possible local filing (this applies only to U.S. citizens filing petitions for their spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents). Both the petitioner and the applicant must be present in Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
- If you have an immigrant visa case that has already been transferred from NVC to Kyiv for the appointment and processing and you would like it to be processed in Frankfurt, please send an email request with your case number (KEV+10 digits) to U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt.
- If you are already in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, cannot travel to Frankfurt, and have an I-130 petition approved by USCIS pending processing at the National Visa Center and want to transfer it to U.S. Embassy Bern, you may request expedition and transfer from the National Visa Center: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center/nvc-contact-information.html
- If you have a question about an immigrant visa case that is already in process at U.S. Embassy Bern, please email berniv@state.gov.
If you are a U.S. citizen with a Ukrainian fiancée/fiancé seeking to travel to the United States on a K1 visa:
- If you have already filed a petition with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that was not yet approved, U.S. law prohibits U.S. embassies from accepting K visa petitions (I-129F) for local filing abroad. USCIS must first approve K visa petitions. However, you can request an expedite for USCIS processing at https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/how-to-make-an-expedite-request
NONIMMIGRANT VISAS
Before applying for a nonimmigrant visa, consider carefully whether you are qualified for the visa you intend to apply for. Nonimmigrant visas are for temporary stays in the United States and are not to be used for immigration or to claim refugee status. There are no nonimmigrant visas available for refugees. If you apply for a nonimmigrant visa but do not intend to leave the United States, your application will be refused.
There are no “walk-up” appointments available at U.S. Embassy Bern. You must have an appointment in advance in order to interview for a visa.
If you are not qualified for a nonimmigrant visa, you may wish to refer to the humanitarian assistance information above.
If you are a Ukrainian who wants to travel to the United States or a U.S. citizen who has friends, business associates, or NON-IMMEDIATE family who want to travel to the United States on a nonimmigrant visa you should go to https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ch/ch-niv-visaapply.asp and schedule your appointment:
- Demand is high, availability is low, and wait times and processing times are likely to be lengthy. You may wish to refer to the humanitarian relief information above.
- If you already have an appointment at U.S. Embassy Bern but wish to expedite it, you may request expedition via https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ch/ch-niv-expeditedappointment.asp.
- If you do not have all your documents available, for example a passport, you may apply without these documents. A Consular Officer will inform you of any required next steps as part of the visa decision.
