Customer Service Statement to Visa Applicants

One of the first things that I learned in Catholic School is the Ten Commandments.  We didn’t so much learn the Commandments as to have them seared into our memory, at our ready recall when the situation called for them.  Violating a commandment was cause for soul-searching and a trip to the confessional on the following Saturday. Similarly, the visa applicant should know that consular officers have their own set of “commandments” that they must abide by, those set out in the Customer Service Statement to Visa Applicants (reproduced below verbatim).  This Statement specifies some rights to which visa applicants are entitled when applying for a visa (visa applicants are entitled to many more rights than those listed, a topic for a future blog).  Notable for their frequency of violation are “Commandments” #1, 2, 4, and 8 (I have added numbers for ease of reference).   For example, a consular…

This subject has been gnawing at me for a while. Why is it that other government agencies, including USCIS and Customs and Border Patrol, have complaint procedures and will follow-up on legitimate complaints, but the agency responsible for our image overseas and interacts with thousands of foreigners a day, the Department of State, does not?  While admittedly raw, the linked article represents our attempt to structure such a procedure within the context of the visa process.  Your feedback is welcomed. http://www.ilw.com/articles/2011,0408-white.shtm