U.S. envoy promises faster visa approval

U.S. envoy promises faster visa approval

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesians planning to go to the United States, especially
students, can expect faster visa approval, ambassador Ralph L.
Boyce has promised.

The presence in the next few months of officials from the
Department of Homeland Security will not slow down the process,
he stated. The officials "will help us make sure the application
process is not lengthier, but shorter," Boyce said.

Decisions on visa applications, however, will remain with the
consular officers.

The new agents' job will not be "to oversee or to make
decisions on specific visa cases, but to be a resource for the
consular officers who, as always, will be the ones who do the
main part of the work just as they do today and will continue to
do so," Boyce said.

The speedier visa application process would hopefully increase
visits to the U.S. by foreigners. The ambassador stressed that
the U.S. still wants visitors, particularly students, from
Indonesia and as such "we are very concerned... and want to make
Indonesians feel comfortable and not threatened."

Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, two years ago, the number
of Indonesian students visiting the U.S. reportedly decreased by
10 percent.

The plan to involve such officials in visa approval, as part
of the U.S. efforts to tighten security after Sept. 11, has
raised eyebrows in several countries.

In September, the U.S. Department of State and the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) started a new system to share visa
oversight.

The DHS officers "will provide expert advice to consular
officers regarding security threats relating to the adjudication
of visa applications or classes of applications, review visa
applications and conduct investigations involving visa
matters .." reads a statement by J. Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman
of the Department of State, as quoted in the U.S. Embassy
website.