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EMBASSY UPDATE
U.S. EXPEDITES VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
BY SARAH MARQUER
According to the website of the US embassy in Egypt, more than 43,000 US non-immigrant and immigrant visas were granted to Egyptian nationals during 2009. Over the last several years, the number of Egyptians wanting to travel to the US has grown, along with trade between the two countries.
The US general consul in Egypt, Roberto Powers, says that the number of people applying for US visas in Egypt increased 10 percent from FY 2007-08 to FY 2008-09. Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid reported at a 2009 AmCham Egypt event that the volume of trade between Egypt and the US amounted to $4.3 billion in 2004. Just four years later, he said, that figure had nearly doubled to $8.4 billion.
In steps designed to facilitate increasing bilateral trade and streamline procedures for Egyptians traveling to the United States, the US embassy in Egypt recently announced the implementation of automated visa procedures and the Business Visa Program. The former was announced at the end of December and took effect January 1 while the business program got under way in November.
While the US visa application has been available online for several years, it produced a lot of unnecessary paperwork that lengthened the application time. For example, several forms were available, depending on whether the applicant was traveling to the US as a student or tourist. The new automated visa application aims to simplify the procedure. It “incorporates all of the forms together so that you do not have to resort to three different forms,” Powers says. Whereas previously only part of the process could be completed online and several forms had to be filled, the current form is interactive, says Powers, so “not everyone will necessarily be answering all of the same questions.” The new application will feature one easily accessible form available in various languages, including Arabic, English, French and Spanish (however, answers must be provided in English). The form is interactive in the sense that responses to questions determine what subsequent information must be provided, says Powers. As a result, visa applicants don’t need to spend time on questions that don’t pertain to their situations.
“It will make it easier for us to process things more expeditiously,” says Powers, who notes that traditional paper applications are still available but will no longer be accepted after March 1. Only applications completed through the new automated electronic process will be accepted. “As of the first of May,” he says, “all posts worldwide will be using it.”
The new application process benefits both travelers and the US. Not only will applications in Egypt be processed significantly faster, says Powers, but “all of the [application] information is available immediately to Washington.” He notes that this is one of many measures implemented by the US government intended to enhance the country’s security.
The Business Visa Program was designed to facilitate business travel. It “was something that we had been giving some thought to for quite some time,” says Powers. “Posts worldwide are looking at ways in which we can expedite processing of visas for people going to the United States for legitimate business purposes just to promote trade and commercial exchanges between America and the rest of the world.”
The business visa initiative allows any company registered as a member of AmCham in Egypt or any company with a minimum of 50 employees to apply for inclusion in the program. Time slots are set aside for interviews at the embassy from 8 to 10 am Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. No appointment is necessary.
Nader Zaki, head of finance at BP Egypt, says that while getting a US visa in the past was not too difficult, it was time-consuming. After scheduling an appointment for an interview and appearing on the specific date, says Zaki, “a consular officer takes a second look at the papers and gives you a number. I found that the waiting time was a bit too long. After waiting for almost one hour, I was called to the window to take my fingerprints [and] then I had to wait for another 45 minutes till I was called for the actual interview.”
Speeding up the process is just one benefit of the Business Visa Program. “There was no distinction between business persons and tourists in the past, so peak months you had to wait a long time,” says Powers. Secondly, those applying through the business program can simultaneously apply for visas for members of their immediate families.
There has been some concern that small and medium-sized enterprises are excluded from the business program by the requirement that companies must have 50 or more employees to qualify. “You have to start somewhere,” says Powers. “That’s the number we’ve selected now and we’ll see how it works and adjust it accordingly.” He noted that the program is relatively new and may be modified as time goes on.
Powers also points out that because the program requires completion of a comprehensive questionnaire, it will provide embassy officers with a range of data pertaining to Egypt’s business community, such as a company’s number of employees and salary information. “This new Business Visa Program that we put together, it actually will help us and the officers dramatically in terms of being able to have a better understanding of economic conditions here in Egypt,” he says.
The new automated visa application can be accessed by going to http://ceac.state.gov/genniv. Details regarding the US Business Visa Program can be found at http://cairo.usembassy.gov/consular/cgmsg.htm.
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