Cairo: The Consul General for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Roberto Powers, said in a press conference held with Egyptian journalists on Tuesday that 70% of the applicants for American visas have already gotten one. He noted that in 2009 alone, about 36,000 non-immigration visas have been issued to Egyptians, while around 7,500 have received visas for emigration. Powers also pointed out that with regards to clergy, such as “sheikhs and imams”, must apply for a visa early, especially during the summer and peak times. He was responding to a question regarding the prevention of 3 imams from Azhar from traveling to the USA. Powers explained that he cannot comment on specific cases, but, in general, the new visa regulations provide a model for the clergy – including Muslim and Christian clerics – depending on requests by religious establishments in the United States requesting them to work. This request is then submitted to the Department of Homeland Security in the United States, and, once approved, the request is forwarded to the U.S. Embassy for examination. When asked whether the new visa regulations will be affected by the recent attempt to bring down an American airplane, Powers denied that the incident will have any impact on the new regulations. He stressed that the policy pursued by the U.S. government with respect to travel provides for, “secure and open borders,” stressing that the American government examines of visa requests on a regular basis in order to provide security not only for Americans, but for tourists who visit the United States as well. Powers noted during the press conference that Egyptians receive 3,500 visas out of a total of  50,000 issued by the U.S. government, the highest number for any country and an increase of 10% compared to the year 2008. According to recent announcements by the U.S. Embassy, Egypt will receive a similar number of visas in 2010. Powers pointed out that the new e-visa system will be available on the website of the embassy since the first of January the actual implementation would be by the beginning of March ,2010, , and pointed out that the new visa system is an interactive model. As Bikya Masr reported earlier, the American Embassy in Egypt has established a new set of rules and regulations for non-immigrant visa applications. The new visa system will be begin in January and will entirely Internet based. The new system will be mandatory for all applicants this coming March. According to a press release issued by the embassy, the new form is available on the Internet in a number of languages, including Arabic, but all applicants must fill their data in English. The move to online comes as other embassies in Egypt and across the world have already employed a similar feature. Here in Cairo, if an Egyptian applies for a British visa, they are required to do so online, then contact a third-party company to submit the application, where it is screened for completeness before being sent to the Embassy. BM
