Changes in U.S. visa regulations to simplify travel by Ukrainians (05/07/00)

Changes in U.S. visa regulations to simplify travel by Ukrainians

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The United States Consulate in Kyiv announced more changes in visa application procedures on April 25 that will make it still easier for Ukrainians wishing to travel to the United States to do so.

The latest modifications, which follow a larger overhaul of the system that took place last summer, will give more Ukrainians the ability to obtain visas by utilizing a drop-box system and foregoing what for many can be a nerve-wracking visa interview. It also will speed up the work of the consular section and ostensibly reduce the waiting time for those who still must go through an interview, which today takes anywhere from six to eight weeks.

"It is a procedure that enables qualified applicants a greater chance of obtaining a visa without having to go through an interview," said Kyiv's Consul General Lauren Hueber Marcott.

In July 1999, the consular division instituted a drop box procedure, whereby people who previously had been granted a three-year multiple-entry visa or two single-entry visas, or those who were renewing student, exchange, visitor or temporary work visas, could simply drop off their applications and fees at the consular offices and in most cases pick up their visas the next day.

Now that privilege will be extended to all individuals 60 years of age or older and to those who have been granted even a single U.S. visa during the previous year.

Those who qualify for the drop-box service simply need to fill out the visa application form and submit it in person or through a courier to the U.S. consular offices in Kyiv on Mondays through Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. along with their passport, supporting documents, a passport photo and a $45 application fee. Visas for those who are approved can be picked up the following day during the same hours after the payment of an issuance fee, if it applies.

Those who do not qualify for the drop box should send a request for an appointment for an interview by mail, telegram, fax or e-mail to the consular section of the U.S. Embassy at least two weeks in advance of their desired interview date. The information should include their name, date and place of birth, passport number, a return address or fax number. Applicants also should state their preferred interview date, time of travel, along with an explanation of the reason for the visit.

The consulate suggests that, due to heavy demand during the summer season, those wishing to travel anytime through the end of September begin the process now.

Since the initiation of the drop-box procedure some 25,000 Ukrainians have applied for non-immigrant visas to the United States - 16,000 of them for visitors visas, which includes travel for business or pleasure. Vice Consul General Landon Taylor said the Consulate had approved travel for 64 percent of those applying for non-immigration visas and 50 percent of visitors visas. He said that the last year saw a 22 percent increase in the number of visa applications.

Statistics show that, for whatever reason, Ukrainians have less luck obtaining non-immigrant visas to the United States than their Polish and Russian neighbors. Figures obtained from those consular posts show that around 75 percent of Russians applying for non-immigrant visas are successful, while about 70 percent of Poles who request such visas in Warsaw are accommodated.

The numbers support assertions and perceptions by many Ukrainians that the screening process in Ukraine is stricter than elsewhere and that it is more difficult for the average Ukrainian to travel to the United States.

But Ms. Marcott underscored that U.S. visa policy in Ukraine is no different than in all the other countries its U.S. consulates serve and is based on section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which places the burden of proof of a potential visitor to the United States to show that he or she has no intention of immigrating.

"We have to assume that everyone is guilty, that everyone is a potential immigrant," said Ms. Marcott. "They must then prove that they are not."

Even though neither Ms. Marcott nor Mr. Taylor directly stated that Ukrainians tend to overstay their allocated time in the United States moreso than other foreign nationals, it is evident that nearly anywhere you find clusters of Ukrainian immigrants in the United States today you will find a good number of illegals among them.

Addressing an associated problem, in which Ukrainians increasingly are turning to questionable travel agencies and similar companies that claim they can smooth the way or even assure a person a travel visa, Ms. Marcott said such claims are bogus. She explained that the U.S. Consulate does not use any intermediaries in the visa process.

"If any group says that it can get a visa for somebody, it is misrepresenting itself," said Ms. Marcott.

She said that these agencies, whose services include coaching individuals on how to reply to visa interview questions and filling out applications for them, more often harm rather than help their clients.

Applicants who are coached by these firms too often tell the interviewer what they think he wants to hear, rather than the truth, which brings into question the sincerity of the applicant. If the answers are outright lies, that is not only grounds for denial of an application but can lead to a near permanent ban on entry to the United States.

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