U.S. Embassy's cowboy tactics

U.S. Embassy's cowboy tactics

It is really hard to understand that a country as big and
advanced as U.S. still resorts to cowboy-style culture in the
provision of immigration services, particularly with respect to
young Indonesian citizens.

Two of my nephews recently experienced this unpleasant
attitude when they applied for visas at the U.S. Embassy in
Jakarta.

In April one of my nephews applied for a tourist visa, along
with about 60 other students from JIMS, for an MBA graduation
ceremony at AIMS Hawaii.

All documents had been prepared and a letter of reference from
AIMS Hawaii was also enclosed. However, the application for a
visa was rejected on the grounds that the situation was not
conducive to the issuance of a visa and the embassy recommended
that the departure be postponed until after the June 7 polls.

Then in July another nephew, already employed and wishing to
spend his three-week leave in California (July 28 until Aug. 17,
according to the tour schedule arranged by RCI-Travel Singapore),
had to face bitter reality when his visa application was rejected
under the same old pretext. The embassy recommended that he leave
for the U.S. in December 1999.

Well, these two applications have been rejected flatly by
American officers and two application fees of Rp 400,000 have
simply gone with the wind. Almost every day about 100 people form
a queue to apply for visas from the embassy, but only 10 percent
to 20 percent of applications are granted (usually for old
people). Very often the reasons for rejection are hard to
understand and seem illogical.

If each applicant has to pay Rp 400,000, you can imagine how
much money can be collected from rejected applications in a
month, and then a year. It appears very easy to collect money in
Indonesia, which is ironic, as it is said to be in a deep
economic crisis.

Such practices may be labeled "fishing in troubled waters", or
more aptly, refined and hidden fraud.

It would be wiser and more respectable for the U.S. Embassy to
provide a written explanation every time a visa application filed
by an Indonesian citizen is rejected. It would be better still if
the embassy could provide a transparent and detailed explanation
about the provisions for the granting of visas to Indonesian
citizens so that this matter would no longer puzzle and
disappoint so many people.

Allow me, therefore, to propose that the immigration section
at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta announce immediately, through the
media or on the information board at the office, criteria for the
approval and rejection of visa applications (for tourists and
students) so that everything is transparent and clear to all.

YOSEF GUNAWAN

Jakarta