December 22, 2004

The U.S. Welcomes Foreign Travelers

In a recent cable to American consulates and embassies abroad, Secretary Powell described business travel facilitation programs currently in place at some posts and encouraged all posts to initiate and expand such programs. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) wants to reach out to foreign travelers and transmit the message that the U.S. continues to welcome individuals traveling for business, study, medical treatment, tourism and cultural exchange.

Of particular interest to business travelers may be the fact that some posts already have programs in place to expedite appointments and interviews for business travelers. These posts may assign certain companies specific codes to trigger expedited processing. The posts may also compile a database of companies including profiles as well as images of letterhead and signatures, permitting prompt verification of information on visa applications. Members of American Chambers of Commerce in host countries, in particular, may be able to benefit from such programs. Posts often expedite appointments for business groups or set time blocks aside for particular categories of applicants to appear without an appointment. Certain posts designate specific officers, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for contact by the business community. The DOS continues to seek ways to automate and expedite visa processing in an effort to secure our borders while continuing to open our doors.

If your company has offices abroad, is a member of an American Chamber of Commerce overseas, or simply has employees who frequently travel to the U.S. for business, your company may benefit from expedited processing with particular consular posts. To determine whether a particular post has such a program in place, please visit the post's website by seeking the appropriate link here or contact your immigration counsel for assistance in making the necessary contacts.