The U.S. Embassy in Paris has announced a minor change to its Golden Arrow program, affecting French-owned companies that are incorporated in the United States. Effective immediately, French E visa applicants under the Golden Arrow program will be required to submit all three parts of Form DS-156E. Previously, E visa applicants under this program were only required to submit Part III of Form DS-156E.

Qualified French employers may apply for participation in the Golden Arrow program by demonstrating the following:

1. The company must have been incorporated and doing business in the United States for at least two years.

2. The company and its U.S. affiliates must have combined annual sales of more than $10 million or have a U.S. workforce of at least 500 employees.

3. The Paris embassy must have approved E visas for at least 5 managers, executives, or specialized knowledge professionals within the past 12 months.

Once a French company is registered as a program participant, its employees may request expedited scheduling for E visa interviews. Based on current processing times for applications that do not fall under the Golden Arrow program, applicants can expect to wait up to 10 weeks or more before an interview may be scheduled. The Golden Arrow program expedites this process by allowing applicants to schedule a visa interview appointment immediately, thereby significantly reducing the processing time for an E visa.