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Calling on Consulates, Just $2.50 a Minute

“This is the official source for U.S. visa information…”

“Your credit card will be charged $14. You’ll have immediate access to the service once your transaction has been approved.”

Chileans pay $14 total; in South Africa, expect to pay the equivalent of $11 for nine minutes of talk time. Citizens of Hong Kong and Macau fork over 10 Hong Kong dollars, or $1.28, a minute, and Italians 1.5 Euro ($2.36) for each 60-second cycle.

Brazilians by contrast pay a flat rate: 38 real, or about $23. In Japan, even sending an e-mail inquiring about the visa process costs money: 2129.43 yen, or about 20 bucks. ("Once we have responded to your inquiry we will not respond to any additional follow-up questions unless you pay for another email inquiry.")

A recent University of California at Los Angeles survey of perceptions of international students and scholars studying in the United States recorded a number of complaints from individuals disconcerted with the costs of calling toll hotlines to obtain U.S. nonimmigrant visa application information – and book required interview appointments at the consulate. “It is unjustified to pay 50 bucks in phone costs to call a call-center to get an appointment, I strongly disagree on these hidden fees,” one Swiss H-1B scholar wrote in response to the 2007 survey of 1,570 international students and scholars at UCLA.

Although there’s lots of concern among international student administrators over proposed increases in fees for nonimmigrant visas, students and scholars often are accepting of set fees and vehement about this more minor matter (monetarily speaking) of paying the phone bill, explained Shideh Hanassab, who conducted the study and is director of research for UCLA’s international office and director of J scholar and student services. “They apply for a visa, OK…they charge you,” that’s accepted, she said – “but not when you’re calling and they put you on hold.”

“It’s just annoying but when you’ve got somebody that’s pretty anxious about visa acquisition anyway, any little annoyance is going to put them over the edge,” said Marjory Gooding, director of International Offices at California Institute of Technology.

“It’s those nickel and dime things that really get people sort of cranky.”

A U.S. State Department official explained that the agency maintains two umbrella contracts with outside companies that operate consulates’ call-centers – the mechanism for offering customer service and scheduling interviews mostly at high-traffic, high-profile consulates (representing fewer than 70 of the United States’ 220 posts). The companies set fees that reflect in-country conditions in consultation with the consulate, the official explained. The State Department, which is required by law to recover costs associated with nonimmigrant visa processing through fees, moved to the toll model to more efficiently respond to high demand in the 1990s.

“We found that this is a better way to give our customers the kind of service information that they want and need,” the official said. “This helps us reduce waits for people calling. It also provides a number of lines that are available so customers aren’t frustrated by trying to call a consulate only to not get through on a switchboard.”

“One of the great side benefits here is that we are able to identify students when they are applying and to route them into any priority interviewing tracks” if they have an urgent meeting abroad or a semester of study is about to start, the official continued.

“That improvement in service has a monetary value.”

Australia, meanwhile, operates a toll-free Ottawa-based line (1-888) and free e-mail inquiry service for visa applicants from the Americas. A spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada said she knew of no comparable toll lines at Canadian posts abroad, but that applicants do have a call-center they can phone from inside the country.

It’s free.

Elizabeth Redden

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Comments

Making Sure Your Donors Make a Profit

It’s all about privatization in Bush World, and making sure contracts go to your political donors and cronies.

Phil, at 8:10 am EDT on June 9, 2008

calling fees not unique to U.S. consular services

As an adviser who works with U.S. students going abroad, I’d like to point out that the new fee-based customer service line is not unique to the U.S. consular services. The Italian consulate in New York, for example, has instituted a new fee-based system (including 1-900 or credit card payment options) that is handled by an off-shore call center. While this at first struck me as offensive, my impression is that the phone-based customer service is noticeably improved as a result. At the same time, I readily acknowledge that U.S. students are usually in a far better position to pay such fees than many who are affected by the new fee-based service imposed by the U.S. consular services.

Glenn Cerosaletti, Academic Counselor at University of Rochester, at 10:25 am EDT on June 9, 2008

reciprocity effect

Glenn,I would like to add that some foreign countries have decided to mirror the U.S. handling of visa petitions following a reciprocity effect. For instance, a few years ago Brazil started requesting visas to any American tourists the same way Brazilians have to request a visa to visit the U.S. (finger printing, application forms and the like).

Jose Ricardo, at 3:45 pm EDT on June 9, 2008

Welcome, dear foreign visitor, to the land of the fee.

beatrice, Appalling, at 5:30 pm EDT on June 9, 2008

Calling on Consulates

Just at a time when our prestige world wide is at a low point, we put obstacles in the path of gifted students who want to bring foreign currency into our economy. And it doesn’t matter what other countries do, see our invasion of Iraq. The administration didn’t care then, it doesn’t care now.

What genius thought this one up? And there’s a question about why faculty are more likely to be liberal?

Jake Daunton, professor emeritus, at 7:15 pm EDT on June 9, 2008

I suppose I would be surprised by this if I thought that the United States had a policy of promoting its universities and colleges abroad, but the sad reality is that in a variety of ways, American politicians have failed to see that (1) the economic benefits brought to communities across the US by international students are significant, (2) that US higher ed is one of the best examples of US soft power abroad and powerful tool to promote US interests worldwide, and (3) that international students are in the main, not threats or potential immigrants, but paying consumers of one of America’s most unique exports. Charging for visa information is a bad policy, but it is well in line with the general direction of US policy on international students.

Adam Markus, at 7:20 pm EDT on June 9, 2008

Let’s blame Bush, again

Phil, in case you missed this when reading the article:"The State Department, which is required by law to recover costs associated with nonimmigrant visa processing through fees, moved to the toll model to more efficiently respond to high demand in the 1990s.”

Rest assured, though....President Obama will solve all of our problems and make everything free for everyone!!!

Jerry in LA, at 9:50 am EDT on June 10, 2008

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