Speeches
Remarks by Consular Chief Anne Simon, July 4, 2007 TV Special
July 04, 2007
Question 1: Earlier this year the Embassy resumed processing immigrant visas, visas that allow Cambodians to go live in the U.S. Can you tell me why the Embassy resumed this service?
Anne Simon: We moved immigrant visas to Bangkok in 2002 because the old embassy was too small to accommodate the increasing work load. But once we built this new embassy, we thought we needed to move it back. We knew that it was a big hardship for the Cambodian immigrant visa applicants to travel to Bangkok for their interviews. So we are very pleased to have moved the immigrant visa application interviews back here so that it would be better service and easier for the applicants to get here.
Question 2: Was it difficult to move the operation back to Cambodia?
Anne Simon: It was a big undertaking. There were a lot of logistical hurdles and obstacles to face. We had to hire new staff, train them, get new computer software, and also transfer 6,000 files from Bangkok to Phnom Penh.
Question 3: How does one apply for an immigrant visa?
Anne Simon: Unlike tourist visas, immigrant visas are different because an American citizen relative has to file a petition for that person to go live in the United States. So the relative will apply in the Untied States, and when the petition is approved, it will be sent to the National Visa Center and then to the embassy when an appointment interview is scheduled.
Question 4: Who was the first person to receive an immigrant visa in Cambodia this year?
Anne Simon: The first person to be granted an immigrant visa was Ms. Sun Dalis, who the beneficiary of a fiancée petition this year, and she received her visa from Ambassador Mussomeli on February 5th.
