The US is to ease the application process for Israelis applying for visas. Currently, applicants are required to wait 57 days for a visa interview. The US Embassy in Israel is introducing a number of measures to speed up the application process for tourists and business people.
At a recent conference of the Israel America Chamber of Commerce , attended by Israeli business people the US embassy consul general Richard Beer and the Consul at the Visa Section of the American Embassy David Seckler gave details of the new procedures for obtaining a US visa.
Several improvements have already made to the existing process. Applicants can make an appointment for an interview through a new user-friendly web site; passports are now mailed to people’s homes; visas for emergency requirements are issued promptly; and special fast-track processes are now in place for groups and the business sector, in which visas are issued within three to five days.
The consul section plans to introduce further improvements to the service, which will include a reduction in waiting time for tourist visas from the current 57 days and a fast-track program for processing members of the Israel America Chamber of Commerce, visiting the US on a regular basis.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on May 1, 2006
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