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ASM joined about 30 academic and scientific associations in a statement on 10 June asking the federal government to address lengthy and unnecessary delays in visa processing that impede travel by foreign scientists and scholars to the United States.
The statement was sent to the Departments of State and Homeland Security and to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. It includes recommendations to increase training for consular staff who process visa applications, to reduce the turnaround time for visas, and to provide better information to applicants when visas are delayed. The statement asks the federal government to clear expeditiously the current backlog of visa applications, to streamline the visa process for credentialed short-term visitors in science and technology fields, to reduce repetitive processing of visa applications for wellknown researchers and scholars who regularly visit the United States, and to convene a high-level, interagency panel to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of visa policies and procedures put into place after September 11, 2001. The joint society statement is posted on the ASM website at http://www.asm.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90602&title=June+10%2C+2009+-+Education+and+Scientific+Societies+Recommendations+to+Improve+Visa+Problems&Itemid=349
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