Due to the large number of requests Colombia visa to travel to the United StatesThe embassy announced taking important steps to streamline the process.
According to the complaints of many people in Colombia, there will be very long waiting times to access this document this will allow them to enter the North American country and also complicate their travel plans. Some even claim that the most recent date they have reached is 2025.
Faced with this reality US Embassy in Colombia He stated that the number of applications and unemployment due to the epidemic explained the delays in both the first application and renewals.
Therefore, given this situation, which has caused concern for many citizens, measures have been taken to speed up the process.
The consulate decided seek support from embassies of other countries In order to meet the visa application request in Colombia.
more than 50 people People with consular experience from Argentina, Brazil, Belize, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Namibia, Mexico, Serbia, Suriname and Venezuela have come to Bogotá. Help process over half a million visa applications.
“The consular team in Bogotá is committed to reducing waiting times for first-time visa applicants in Colombia. And this global team is honored to help achieve this goal.”announced that he was one of the foreign professionals who came to the country to improve the service.
In addition, thanks to the implementation of this strategy, the country is positioned as the number one in issuing visas.
“Thanks to this, Colombia has become number one in visa issuance,” they say in a video posted on their Instagram.
Especially visa is not approved in all casesbecause many applications do not meet the necessary conditions for granting this right. For example, simple but repetitive mistakes, such as a photograph that should be added to the DS-160 form, may result in a negative response.
According to the World Statistics portal, Colombia is one of the countries with the highest number of visa refusals at 33%; that is, one in three Colombians is not approved to enter the United States.
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If you plan to join your compatriots visiting the United States, please note that visa clearance processing fees have changed as of June 17, 2023.
– Business or tourist visa application fee (B1/B2 and BCC) and others Non-immigrant visas Fees for non-petition-based visas, such as (NIV) student and exchange visitor visas, increased from $160 to $185. About 745,000 Colombian pesos.
– Application fee for specific petition-based nonimmigrant visas temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) rose from $190 to $205, or about 825,000 Colombian pesos.
– Application fee business man deals, investor The number of deals and deal seekers in a specialized occupation (category E) rose from US$ 205 to US$ 315, or about 1,268 000 Colombian pesos.
The Colombian ambassador, Luis Gilberto Murillo, brought up the initiative when he arrived in the United States. It wants the country to have access to the visa waiver program or Visa Waiver Program (VWP, its English acronym).
As Murillo explains, the process of removing the visa can take years. “But that cannot be set aside. Sooner or later (it will be achieved), Colombian tourists deserve a visa exemption,” he said in a past conversation with EL TIEMPO.
Right now, 40 countries are part of VWP with USAIn the case of Latin America, only Chile has this advantage.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the five pillars of accessing visa exemption are: Counter-Terrorism, Law Enforcement, Traveler Screening, Immigration Enforcement, and Travel Documents/ID.
You can travel from the following countries: America Visa-free: Chile, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras, Barbados, Bahamas, Aruba, Curacao , Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Suriname, Paraguay, Cuba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Martinique, French Guiana, Saint Eustatius, Saint Barthelemy, Saba Island and Dominica.
In the case of continent of europe There are visa exemptions for Colombians: United Kingdom, Greece, Spain, Germany, Georgia, Norway, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Sweden, Latvia, Turkey, Slovenia, Finland, France, Hungary, Monaco, Vatican and Switzerland, Lithuania, Italy, Russia, San Marino, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Croatia, Czech Republic, Austria, Albania, Estonia, Moldova, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Andorra, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Portugal, Romania, Iceland and Malta.
In the case of Oceania These are: New Chalcedonia, Wallis and Futuna, Samoa and French Polynesia.
If what you’re looking for is a destination Asia The people you can present your passport to are those who will not require a visa: South Korea, Maldives, Philippines, Hong Kong, Israel, Qatar and Singapore.
Meanwhile AfricaIt is possible to visit: Morocco, Reunion and Mayotte.
Source: Exame
