US Embassy in Moscow — Part I: Refusal Rate of Russians Doubled. How are Russians worse than Brazilians?
Let us start with the big picture. The refusal rate by the US Embassy in Moscow doubled from 2009 to 2010: from 4.9% to 10.3%. The official statistics can be found at these links: http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY10.pdf http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY09.pdf Only five countries had a higher increase in refusal rates, and each of those countries is small. In 2011, the refusal rate for Russians remained at 10.3%. Most notably, the refusal rate in Brazil, a country to which Russia is often compared to in terms of its rapid economic development, is now 3.8%, nearly three times lower than Russia! This doubling of the refusal rate has made the news. It was the subject of an article in the Moscow Times in August, in which yours truly was quoted. The Russian government has been pressing the Americans to abolish the visa regime, but under US law one of the requirements for abolition of the visa…
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