U.S. Administration to Maintain Visa Policy towards Vietnam

General policies on consular affairs and the granting of visas to Vietnamese citizens, particularly overseas students, will continue to be maintained during the U.S. President Barrack Obama’s new administration, according to the new assistant to U.S. Secretary of State in charge of consular affairs, Janice L. Jacobs.

 

Janice L. Jacobs made the statement Feb 10 while paying a visit to the USA Education Center in Ho Chi Minh City as part of her first overseas business trip that aims to inquire into Asian consular issues.

 

The U.S. official asserted that the global economic crisis and the growing unemployment in the U.S. “do not affect the current visa granting policy.”

 

According to the Ho Chi Minh City-based U.S. Consulate General, nearly 10,000 Vietnamese students obtained visas in 2008, representing a 50 per cent rise over 2007 and marking Vietnam as one of the top eight countries in the world regarding the number of citizens studying in the U.S.

 

During 2008, the U.S. visas issued to Vietnamese tourists rose by 30 per cent against the previous year and more than 50 per cent of visa applications by Vietnamese people were processed successfully.

 

In the same year, the U.S. agencies in Vietnam also issued visas for 748 children who had been adopted by American parents.

Janice L. Jacobs is scheduled to meet with some Vietnamese officials during her stay in the country Feb 9-12, discussing issues connected to the establishment of diplomatic representative offices, child adoption programs and other general consular matters. 

 

Earlier, she and Standing Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Nguyen Thanh Tai, considered the possibility of joint cooperation in the establishment of new education centers to further facilitate the two countries’ education cooperation and exchange programs. (News, VNA)