Is it easier/faster for an Iranian citizen to get a US or a Schengen (Swiss) visa?
An Iranian citizen has recently joined my team, and he needs to attend company orientation in either the United States or Switzerland. All things being equal, when applying from Sydney, Australia, which would be the easier and/or faster option?
For avoidance of doubt, I'm pretty sure his visa will be approved in the end since he's quite low risk (Australian permanent resident, solid job at very well known company, all expenses paid etc.), I'm just hoping to minimize the time, expense and hassle involved.
Update: We opted for Switzerland. Literally one day after he joined the company, Trump signed the second executive order banning Iranians for 90 days!
Update 2: The Swiss consulate said processing would take 10 days, the visa was approved in 9. The hardest part of the process was fedexing a signed hard copy of the invitation from Switzerland.
Best Answer
Belated answer to my own question:
As Crazydre correctly states, Switzerland is almost certainly the easier option and that's what we went with.
However, he ended up applying for a US visa for a second trip, and long story short, while it took about two months to process and requires a bit of paperwork (translations of exemption from military service etc), he received the US visa on the first attempt and there were no notable complications along the way. So it's by no means impossible for Iranians to visit the US.
Pictures about "Is it easier/faster for an Iranian citizen to get a US or a Schengen (Swiss) visa?"
Which country gives the quickest Schengen Visa?
Where is the easiest country to get a short-stay Schengen Visa? In general, Lithuania is the easiest country to obtain a Schengen Visa from, with officials granting 98.7% of applications.How long does it take to get a Schengen Visa for Switzerland?
The processing time for a Swiss Schengen visa may take up to 15 days in a normal situation but could take up to 60 days to be issued in extreme circumstances. You can apply for your visa up to six months before you travel.Which is the easiest European country to get a visa?
Estonia is the easiest country to get a Schengen Visa from, with only 1.5% of applications rejected in 2020. This means that 98.5% of the Schengen Visa applications for Estonia received a positive answer.How long does it take for a visa to be approved Switzerland?
The Switzerland Visa application will normally process within 15 working days. However, this is not an exact number and it can take longer or even shorter in some cases. You will have to ask the visa officer in charge of processing your application for a more correct time.REASONS WHY SCHENGEN VISA APPLICATIONS GET REJECTED (Highly requested)
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