Little India Interview with Peter Kaestner, Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi

Via Little India
By: 
Allison Hanken

For the half million Indians who run the bureaucratic maze at U.S. consulates every year, U.S. Ambassador David C. Mulford's announcement in October in New Delhi pledging to "reduce the waiting time for a visa appointment with the goal of eliminating this waiting period altogether," was as startling as it was monumental.

 
Ambassador Mulford greeting applicants at the embassy

Visa applicants, who typically waited for months on end for an appointment, are now greeted on the embassy's website with the surprising greeting: "Visa appointments are now available in all categories."

Mulford explained: "Nothing is more important for the future of our two countries than the strong and growing bond of business and people-to-people contact. Strengthening these connections is the future of U.S.-Indian relations and we have begun this today."
In an exclusive interview with Little India, Peter Kaestner, U.S. Consul General, sheds light on the new visa regime, bollywood, birding and butter chicken.

Ambassador Mulford's comments have created quite the international buzz. Now that the commitment has been vocalized, how does the embassy plan to reduce and eventually eliminate the waiting time for visa appointments?

It is a simple plan. Starting September 25, we put all available resources on the NIV (Non Immigrant Visa) line. In addition to the mission's resources, the Department of State supported us both financially and with additional vice consuls. We have temporary duty officers in India from as far away as Bogota, Hermosillo, Tokyo, Hong Kong and London. Between September 25 and October 23 we increased our visa production 52 per cent. The backlog for appointments for non-immigrant visas has essentially been eliminated. There are appointments available all over India.

Do these changes apply to immigrant and non-immigrant visas?

The initial push was directed at the NIV appointment backlog. Now that we have NIV appointments available, we are also looking at our IV (Immigrant Visa) processing too. Early next year, we intend to examine all our interactions with the public with the intention to making them more efficient and customer friendly.

Can you give us a sense of what the average waiting period was for the most common visa categories and what it is now?

When we started our NIV appointment elimination push on September 25, ordinary tourist appointments had a six-month backlog. Business Executive Program appointments could be obtained in three to four weeks and students were able to get emergency appointments at any time. At present, there are no waiting periods. All visas appointment categories are available. Because of some processing peculiarities, Mumbai visa applications must be handed in to our appointment provider five days in advance. Therefore, there is a delay in Mumbai until we find another way to process the cases differently. (We are exploring this option.)

Certain IV categories, including Limited Family Based visas and H visas, have annual entry allowances. How will the revisions affect the wait times and/or number of allocations?

The limitations that you hrefer to are congressionally mandated. Only a change in legislation will increase those numbers. Eliminating the backlog will allow all applicants, including those on numerically controlled visa categories, to get an interview more expeditiously.


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Posted by Ashwin Sharma at 2/24/2007 12:04 PM
Categories: General News, Consulate News, H-1B Visas
 
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  • 3/25/2008 11:19 AM Bryan Griffith wrote:
    [FYI – Bryan Griffith

    Contact: David Seminara

    No Coyote Needed
    New Paper Examines Visa Overstays

    WASHINGTON (March 2008) – While presidential candidates promise to secure the border, the other major source of illegal immigration is largely ignored – lax visa policies. Visa overstays account for between one-quarter to one-half of the illegal-alien population, and fencing, unmanned aerial vehicles, National Guard patrols, etc., are irrelevant to controlling this part of the immigration problem.

    To shine some light on this neglected weakness, the Center for Immigration Studies has published a new paper, “No Coyote Needed: U.S. Visas Still an Easy Ticket in Developing Countries,” written by former State Department official David Seminara, examining the systemic problems in our “nonimmigrant” (i.e., temporary) visa system. The complete paper is online at www.cis.org/articles/2008/back208.html">http://www.cis.org/articles/2008/back208.html.

    U.S. law places the burden of proof on the visa applicant to demonstrate that he won’t remain in the United States as an illegal alien after his permission to remain has expired. Despite the law’s tough language, 74 percent of nonimmigrant applications are granted, mostly from countries with much lower standards of living than the United States, where few residents should truly be able to qualify.

    The new paper identifies some of the reasons for this laxity, including:

    • The crushing volume of applications. Most visa-processing posts are woefully understaffed, resulting in very brief interviews. Managers value speed over clarity of decision making, so many applications that deserve closer scrutiny instead end up being approved.

    • Foreign Service officers tend to have a diplomatic rather than a law enforcement mindset.

    • Developing countries place great importance on visas in bilateral discussions.

    • State Department managers are required to review only visa refusals – not issuances – forcing consular officers to routinely justify denials.

    • DHS has not implemented meaningful exit controls or shared entry/exit data with consular officials overseas, leaving them without adequate information on visa renewal applicants.

    • Officers evaluate how well-off visa candidates are by the standards of their home country, rather than by U.S. standards, and thus often fail to understand how a nurse from Ecuador, say, would prefer to wash dishes at a restaurant in New York.

    • Refused applicants, their relatives, and members of Congress routinely pressure consular officials to overturn visa refusals.

    • The simple reality that it is far easier to say “yes” to applicants than to dash their hopes by telling them that they don’t qualify to come to America.

    # # #

    The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent research institute which examines the impact of immigration on the United States.

    1522 K Street NW, Suite 820, Washington, DC 20005-1202
    (202) 466-8185 • fax (202) 466-8076 • center@cis.org • www.cis.org
    Reply to this
  • 4/30/2008 1:32 PM Jane wrote:
    Relationship of two countries are important. The connection must be there by the strong and growing bond of business and people-to-people contact. But the process of being into one's country(getting visa application)must not be risked. The application must be properly reviewed even if it will take a long time. People should understand this.

    Reply to this
  • 4/16/2010 1:48 PM Anuj wrote:
    hello

    I applied for B1/B2 visa because I need to appear for my CPA exams and all I need to stay in US for a maximum of 14 days but Visa officer denied me under Sec 214(b) and even didn't tell me the reason. Is it true that if someone is of age 24, unmarried and unemployed each and every time he will be rejected??? I told visa officer that my parents are bearing all my expenses. Please help me I seriously needs to appear for these exams my life is completely based on these exams. Please Help me

    Regards
    Anuj
    Delhi, India
    Reply to this
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