Department of Consular Services Announces Plans to Expedite Visa Process for Researchers

In response to complaints from University and Scientific Organizations, the State Department introduced new procedures, to expedite the Visa process, for Foreign Graduate students and Post-Doctoral Researchers.

A government spokesman, David Donahue, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular services anticipates that “eventually routine requests will be dealt with in two weeks.” Extra staff have been drafted to deal with the backlog of requests and to speed up application reviews.

The move is attributed to the Obama administration’s support for scientific and technical research and it’s proliferation in the global community.

Previously, engineers and scientific researchers seeking to obtain or renew their visas had encountered delays of several months. This adversely affected many researchers, who sought or accepted employment in other countries. It also discouraged various international scientific organizations from holding meetings and symposiums, here in the U.S.

Foreign talent ignites scientific and technical innovations and advancements in American laboratories. It is hoped that removing this impediment to collaborative advancement, researchers would be encouraged to employ their knowledge and skills here in the U.S. as opposed to elsewhere.