22 February 2008
Visa Services Official Conway Discusses U.S. Visa Process
Ask America webchat transcript, February 19
Ellen Conway, director of the Office of Public and Diplomatic Liaison, Visa Services at the U.S. Department of State, answered questions in an Arabic-language Ask America webchat February 19 on the U.S. visa process.
Following is an English-language translation of the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
Ask America Webchat Transcript
Name Checks and the Visa Process
Guest: Ellen Conway
Date: February 19, 2008
Moderator [Ask America]: Welcome to our webchat. You may begin sending in your questions now.
Ellen Conway: Hello everyone. My name is Ellen Conway and I serve as the Director of the Office of Public and Diplomatic Liaison, Visa Services within the U.S. Department of State. I am delighted to have this opportunity to share dialogue with you all. It is both an honor and pleasure. Please forgive my slower response, your questions and my answers have to be translated from Arabic to English and I am sorry for that delay.
Question [Webchat Participant]: How can one register for the lottery? Thank you.
Answer [Ellen Conway]: Here is the weblink about the Diversity Visa Lottery (Program). Please note, however, that the 2009 Lottery is closed and we have no further information on any possible future lotteries.
Q [Webchat Participant]: The question is this. I am a Saudi national and a graduate of a Saudi university with a Bachelor’s Degree in public administration. My dream is to immigrate to the United States to work and live there. Please give us information about this. Thank you.
A [Ellen Conway]: There are many different paths to U.S. immigration, most of which are based on family relationships. However, regarding employment in the U.S., there are both non-immigrant worker visas and employment-based immigrant visas. For temporary (non-immigrant) workers, please see [Consular Affairs Temporary Workers Overview].
For employment-based immigrant visas, please see the link: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1323.html.
Although the most recent Diversity Visa Lottery is closed, you might also want to read information about the Diversity Visa Lottery at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html.
Q [Webchat Participant]: I believe that the United States has the right to investigate those who [apply to] obtain a visa to safeguard its right and the security of its residents. However, many people who file applications for [an immigrant visa] are not selected to become candidates. There is some speculation that they do not become candidates, because they come from the Middle East region. Is the selection of people really neutral? Thank you very much for initiating this dialogue in Arabic.
A [Ellen Conway]: Each visa application, whether for a non-immigrant or an immigrant visa, is adjudicated around the world using the same set of U.S. laws and regulations and the same procedures. Each applicant must qualify for a particular visa based on U.S. immigration law, and every application is looked at on a case-by-case basis. The United States is committed to the policy of “secure borders, open doors,” by facilitating legitimate travel to the United States by international visitors while maintaining the integrity and security of our borders and our nation. The U.S. continues to work to ensure that access to our country is not impeded for legitimate international travelers.
Q [Webchat Participant]: In November 2007, we met Miss Maura Harty at U.S. embassy in Cairo while she was visiting the Middle East. We were really impressed by the statements, about the developments of releasing visa process. Do you think all those developments could solve the problems students and business face after September 11, 2001? Or just they improved the process? Thank you. Yasser Khalil, Egyptian researcher and journalist
A [Ellen Conway]: As Assistant Secretary Maura Harty mentioned in Cairo in November 2007, the U.S. Department of State has worked hard to streamline the processes for students and business people applying for visas to the United States. In 2007, we issued ten percent more business, student, and exchange visitor visas than last year, and have surpassed 2001 levels for student and scholar visas by 16 percent. Our process has become simultaneously more efficient and more secure, which has decreased processing time and visa-related delays. The U.S. wants foreign students to study here and we want business people to conduct business here. The value of the interpersonal exchanges and cross-cultural understanding that come about through international education helps to create a more stable world.
Q [Webchat Participant]: Greetings madam. I would like to inquire whether or not the reason for the delay in the issuance of a new student travel visa is the cancellation of the previous valid travel visa without informing the visa holder by sending him an email or contacting him directly in the United States of America during his presence [there] to take notice and to consider returning to his country due to the lapse of the visa for a long period, such as the summer break, and to therefore renew his travel visa without any glitch or delay in his studies and the consequent psychological and material damage incurred by the student. Also, when an application for a new visa is submitted, the student is not notified of the reason for the cancellation of the previous visa or asked to submit a new application to enable him to understand the main reasons for the cancellation of the visa. Thank you and may you enjoy good health and energy.
A [Ellen Conway]: Valid visas are not routinely cancelled, but they expire after a certain time. Any delay in the issuance of a new visa could be due to multiple reasons, including administrative processing, additional documentary requirements and any inquiries into the status of the student during his studies in the United States. If an applicant is not issued a visa, he or she will be given the reason for the refusal orally and in writing. We always recommend that returning students schedule a visa appointment as early as possible.
Q [Webchat Participant]: I want to visit the United States for the sake of tourism. Is it possible that my visa application will be rejected, and what are the justifications for this?
A [Ellen Conway]: Each visa application is considered on its own merits and the applicant will be interviewed by a consular officer to see if he or she qualifies. All applicants for a non-immigrant tourist visa must, according to U.S. immigration law, overcome the presumption of intending immigration by demonstrating that he/she has strong enough economic, social, family ties to his/her home country to ensure that he/she will return to that country after a brief visit to the United States. There is a lot of information on our website about tourist visas. Please see http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/temp_1305.html.
Q [Webchat Participant]: How can I obtain an American visa given that I am an Iraqi citizen from the region of Kurdistan-Irbil? Is this possible or impossible?
A [Ellen Conway]: It is not impossible, but please note that currently the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad only accepts a very limited number of visa applications. Most Iraqi citizens must apply at other U.S. Embassies. There is [general] information about these procedures on the U.S. Embassy Baghdad website.
Moderator [Ask America]: We wish to thank Ellen Conway for joining us today. The webchat is now closed. Unfortunately, there were so many great questions and comments that we could not get to all of them in the time we had. However, check for upcoming webchats in Arabic, on our Ask America Homepage. Here you will also find the full transcript of today's webchat, usually available within one business day.
(These comments may not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Department of State.)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
