ISLAMABAD, Aug 1: The US State Department’s recently announced new procedures for processing of applications for a non-immigrant visa for travel to the United States, took effect from Friday, August 1.

A Bureau of Consular Affairs official had announced the new procedure during a briefing in Washington on July 30.

According to him, the new procedures are aimed at increasing the security of the United States and creating greater uniformity in the processing of visas at US consulates worldwide.

The visa application process requires that the applicant appear before a consular officer for a personal interview, though some waivers of the interview had been previously allowed.

The State Department has revised the categories of applicants who may be eligible for these waivers.

To cater to the requirements of new visa procedures, the State Department has added 39 new consular officers to handle the increased workload and plans to add another 80 in the next year, Mr Edson, the Bureau of Consular Affairs official said.

Under the new regulations, he said waivers of the personal interview may be considered for the following categories of applicants: those under 16 or over 60 years of age, employees or officials of foreign governments, persons who have previously applied for a visa and have not violated their non-immigrant status, and persons for whom national interests warrant consideration of a waiver.

Mr Edson acknowledged that the new procedures “may cause some delays,” but he said the State Department remains committed to maintaining a timely process, and does not intend to impede the process for “travellers whose presence we value.”

He also emphasized that the consular officers will be responsive to the needs of students coming into the United States for academic programs or participation in time-sensitive programs.

The new regulations only affect travellers who are currently required to obtain a visa to enter the United States.

Twenty-seven nations are identified as “visa waiver nations” under a separate provision in US law. Citizens from these nations, Western Europeans and Japanese among them, are not required to obtain visas because their countries have met a number of specified criteria which make these travellers unlikely candidates to attempt illegal immigration into the United States.

He also emphasized that an approved visa does not ensure that a visitor will gain admission to the country at a US port of entry. An approved visa allows only the attempt to enter.—APP