Introducing "Ask the Consul"

"Ask the Consul" is a collection of articles prepared by the Consular Section that covers a variety of subjects of interest to American citizens and to citizens of other countries who want to visit or live in the United States. If you have a general consular question, please send it to us by e-mail: kyivasktheconsulREMOVE@REMOVEstate.gov, then check this page every week; we will select one question per week and post the answer in the space below. Questions may be submitted in English, Ukrainian, or Russian; answers will be posted in English and Ukrainian.

Important Note: We DO NOT respond to any personal questions sent to "Ask the Consul," nor do we discuss specifics of individual visa cases. If you have questions regarding a personal visa matter, please see the list of our e-mail accounts below in order to direct your question to the appropriate channel:

For specific inquiries regarding a non-immigrant visa application or immigrant or fiance(e) visa application, contact our call-center at +38-044-207-7071

For specific inquiries on the adoption of Ukrainian orphans by American citizens, contact kyivadoptionsREMOVE@REMOVEstate.gov.

To inquire about the services we provide for American citizens, contact kyivacsREMOVE@REMOVEstate.gov.

Questions:

1. A couple from Augusta, Georgia wrote to us on March 28 asking why their 18-year-old relative was recently refused a visa, and complaining that the consular officer only spent a few minutes on the visa interview before reaching a decision in the case.
2. I am a U.S. citizen and I have heard many stories about problems with the mafia in Ukraine, but I do not see anything on the web site. Is this still a problem? I have been told they wait at the airport to collect money from you before you leave.
3. Will you please approve or disapprove of the statement that the participation in the Diversity Visa lottery means the automatical refusal of non-immigrant visa for the participant in the future? I participated in the lottery 2 years ago. Can it constitute a reason that I am refused a visa on the basis of my participation in the lottery? Does it imply an immigration intention?
4. Is it true that over 95% of the people who apply for visas are denied?
5. Can I, as a citizen of Ukraine, be accredited with the Consular Section to pursue my clients' nonimmigrant and immigrant cases and have a special, simple entry to the Consular Section? What should be done to get such accreditation?
6. Which language does a consular officer speak, English or Ukrainian? Do the additional documents need to be translated into English? Should an applicant be able to speak English during an interview to get a nonimmigrant visa and what language does the applicant need to speak? Does the mere knowledge of the English language influence the decision of the officer to issue a nonimmigrant visa?
7. We started filling out an application form DS-156, but then saw that it expired on September 30, 2007. Is there a new form available, or should we just use the current form on the website?
8. What is your approximate issuance rate? How many non-immigrant visas were issued in 2006?
9. We all have to pay the application fee of $131 every time if I, or my family members apply for a visa, despite the facts that: visa can be rejected; it's a renewal of the same type of visa; low income of Ukrainian citizens. The recent decision to increase this fee to $131 per application seems very pressuring in circumstances described above. That is why I kindly wanted to ask if there is any way to re-consider current policies and possibly remove the application fee for those who apply for the US via using drop-box procedure and/or decrease the amount of the fee?
10. Does my previous travel to other countries affect my ability to get a U.S. visa?