EASINGTHE VISA PROCESS FOR YOUR RUSSIAN BUSINESS PARTNER

 

ByMatthew Edwards & Dave Knuti

 

Helping your Russian business partners or employees navigatethe process of obtaining a visa to visit the United States will help ensure asmoother relationship. Companies can ease the process for their Russianpartners by advising them of considerations that can expedite, or delay, a visaapplication. It is important for companies to realize that instances of visafraud have prompted more careful screening of visa applicants and thatapplicants have the burden of proving the legitimate purpose of their visits.The following tips address problems commonly encountered by applicants asgleaned from the experiences of numerous U.S. firms that have hosted Russiancustomers, employees, or partners in the United States. 

 

Apply early: Applicants are advised to applyfor visas at least 3 weeks in advance because of the possibility that theapplicant will need to return for an interview from the consular section of theU.S. Embassy or a U.S. consulate. If you believe an interview will not berequired, apply at least 10 business days before the desired departure date.Although early application does not guarantee a visa by a given date, it offersa better chance of receiving the visa in time than a late application. 

 

Apply for the visa you really need: Ifmultiple trips to the United States are anticipated, suggest that your Russianbusiness contacts apply for the longest term business visas possible (3-year,multientry; or 1-year, multientry). This choice is more expensive than asingle-entry visa, but it eliminates the need to reapply for each visit.Besides, the Consular Section will issue only one single-entry visa perapplicant, per year. Russian employees or contractors coming to the UnitedStates to perform long-term work (as opposed to participation in training,familiarization meetings, or business negotiations) may need workvisas—requiring compliance with Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)regulations, rather than business visas. 

 

Providea proper invitation: Invitation (sponsor) letters should be written on company stationerywith a U.S. corporate address and should be signed by an official at thatlocation. Proofread the invitation letter carefully. Typos and grammaticalerrors draw tighter scrutiny. The time you save by delegating the drafting ofan invitation letter to a staffer who lacks command of business English won’tcompensate for the delays such mistakes can cause. Don’t simply copy a textyour Russian contact sends you, thinking that he knows what the invitationshould say. Remember, an American officer will review this letter, and agrammatically incorrect invitation signed by a U.S. company official can bringintense scrutiny. Do not substitute rubber stamps for an original signature orget the invitation notarized. Simply write a plain, clear, specific businessletter summarizing the dates, purpose, and itinerary of the visit.

 

Beprepared and be forthcoming: If an applicant requires an interview, and new or previously refusedapplicants generally will, it will be the most important part of theapplication process. Applicants must demonstrate their legitimate businesspurpose and intent to comply with their visas (i.e., to return on time).Russians who are young, fluent in English and technically skilled may makebetter business partners, but should realize that they could be consideredhigher risks to overstay their visas. The more clearly an applicant states thepurpose of his/her visit on the application and in the interview, the moreeasily he/she will receive a visa. People traveling in groups should givehonest, consistent answers. For example, a business visa applicant can run intotrouble when accompanying friends or relatives (who will be traveling astourists) present themselves as employees of the applicant’s company, when infact they are not. Before the interview, make sure your Russian invitee fullyunderstands the itinerary and purpose of his/her trip, and can explain it.While it is generally not helpful to bring extensive documentation, theinviting company should consider preparing a concise statement of the nature ofits business with the applicant, along with other facts that can help establishthe legitimacy of the intended visit. Applicants who respond to interviewquestions by giving answers inconsistent with their invitations or the writteninformation on their applications risk refusal. Fudging information of any sortis never a good idea.     

 

Companieswith a local presence in Russia may find it advantageous to be members of theAmerican Chamber of Commerce in Russia (Amcham). The Consular Section of theU.S. Embassy in Moscow has arranged that member firms, by presenting an Amchamletter attesting to their membership, may be able to bypass the interviewrequirement for their Russian business contacts, as well as their local Russiannational employees. Fees to join the Amcham (email: [email protected]) varydepending on company size.Although membership does not guarantee an interview-freevisa application, it can be helpful in establishing the bona fides ofapplicants.

 

U.S.companies should encourage their Russian business contacts to submit complete,truthful applications with sufficient lead time as the best way to obtain avisa on time. In general, if the application process is handled in this manner,problems can be avoided.  However,a Russian company’s current or past applications can have a bearing on itsemployees’ ability to obtain visas. Russian companies should keep in mind thatit may be the individual that they are trying to send to the United States whois rejected, rather than the company itself. 

 

Visaapplicants or their hosts can contact the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassyin Moscow at phone +7 (095) 956-4242 (Russian) or +7 (095) 956-4233 (English)for updated official information on application requirements and procedures.Information on visa requirements can also be found on the U.S. Embassy inMoscow website at http://www.usia.gov/abtusia/posts/RS1/wwwhcm.html. 

 

Althoughthe Embassy’s Commercial Section is not authorized to process visas, it is ableto offer informal advice to new applicants before they apply and to applicantswho have encountered problems in the past. The Commercial Service in Moscow canbe contacted at tel: +7 (095) 737-5030, fax +7 (095) 737-5033, or email:[email protected]. 

 

*Matthew Edwards and DavidKnuti are Commercial Attach�s for the **U.S.Commercial Service** at the American Embassy in Moscow.*