- US Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer formally announced Wednesday
the US is easing visa requirements for Israelis born in countries on its
list of states sponsoring terrorism.
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- According to the new regulations, one's country of birth
will not be a determining factor in deciding whether the visa application
will be processed in Israel, or sent to Washington.
-
- Sending visa applications for Israelis born in Iran,
Libya and Syria to Washington considerably lengthened the visa process.
The other countries on the US list of states supporting terror are Sudan,
Cuba and North Korea.
-
- The main criterion now for determining how to process
the visa will not be where one was born, but rather to which country one
owes allegiance. Since most Israelis born in Iran, Libya and Syria have
no tie to their country of birth, their visa applications will be processed
in Israel like all other Israelis.
-
- After 9/11, the US severely tightened the visa process,
and Israelis born in the blacklisted countries ñ even if they had
not been there for decades ñ were subjected to greater scrutiny
than others.
-
- This procedure caused problems for such high-profile
personalities as Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and the singer Rita, both
born in Iran.
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- Philip Covington, the consul-general at the US Embassy
in Tel Aviv, urged Israelis to apply early for visas to the US, saying
that the rate of requests for visas from Israel is among the highest in
the world.
-
- Covington also warned Israelis against overstaying their
visit to the US, saying those who do so are likely to face problems getting
a visa the next time they apply.
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