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On September 9, the new US-Russia Visa Agreement took effect. The Department of State has pronounced the Agreement to be “historic”. If “historic” means “repeating history”, this is certainly true: Russians will be eligible for three-year US visas — just as they were back in the late 1990s. If the Department means “making history” by putting Russia on a fast track towards waiving visas for Russian citizens, as it has recently done for Brazil, it could not be more mistaken. The subject of visa-free travel between the US and Russia has been raised periodically. In 2011, then-Prime Minister Putin seemingly caught Vice President Biden off guard by broaching the topic of waiving visas for Russians and Americans. Mr. Biden demurred, saying that he was only the Vice President and only the President can make such a decision. Notwithstanding this demurral, the legal spadework had been in place as far back…

“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss…” The Who, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” We have dedicated the last six blog entries to the worsening visa policy of the United States Embassy in Moscow towards Russians. This policy has taken various forms: doubling of the refusal rate, while the refusal rates in other countries, such as Brazil, have gone down significantly; making scurrilous allegations against Russians; not giving Russians the ability to respond to allegations; denying visas to babushkas for spending prolonged periods of time in the US; issuing one-year visas instead of the required two-year visas; charging new application fees for repeat “interviews” in which decisions have been preordained; short-circuiting the return of students to the United States; impermissibly readjudicating approved employment petitions. The implementation of these changes can bae pinpointed to the arrival of Richard Beer as Consul General in the fall of 2009 and the departure…

This is the sixth entry in our blog on negative changes at the US Embassy in Moscow over the past year. Wikipedia defines “kanagaroo court” as “a sham legal proceeding or court. The outcome of a trial by kangaroo court is essentially determined in advance, usually for the purpose of ensuring conviction, either by going through the motions of manipulated procedure or by allowing no defense at all. A kangaroo court’s proceedings deny, hinder or obstruct due process rights in the name of expediency." In reading letters of twice-denied applicants and talking to Russians who have re-applied for a visa after an initial denial, the image of a kanagaroo court comes to mind. While the US Embassy in Moscow promises a fresh look at a visa re-application after a denial, conducted by a different consular officer, it is clear that the second officer is automatically deferring to the first officer. For example, I…

This is the fifth entry of our blog on the negative policy changes taking place at the US Embassy in Moscow over the past year. What babushka does not want to spend time with her grandchildren or help out her daughter in tending to a newly-born child? Well, babushka needs to be careful because she is now under the microscope of the American Embassy in Moscow. Many people are under the impression that as long as they abide by the term of the I-94 form (the form issued by the Customs and Border Patrol upon entry to the United States indicating how long the visitor is entitled to remain in the US), they will not have a problem receiving a new visa. That is not the case. Exhibit A: Russian babushka going to visit her US permanent resident or citizen daughter and grandchildren in the US. The Embassy in Moscow…

Individuals seeking to receive a visa to work in the United States go through a two-step process: 1) the US company employer files a petition with the USCIS, and 2) after approval, applies for a visa at the consulate abroad. The consular officer must issue the visa to the visa applicant unless 1) he is not admissible (problem of a criminal, medical, etc… nature); 2) there was fraud or material misrepresentations in the process; or 3) the officer discovers new, material, adverse information at the time of the visa application. Referrals back to USCIS are supposed to be rare; consular officers are prohibited from substituting their judgment for the judgment of the USCIS because USCIS is the lead agency in approving employment petitions. The consequences of referral back to USCIS: a 6–12 month black hole in which the petition awaits re-adjudication by USCIS and the visa applicant is not permitted…