[An-lang] Re: COOL6 - potential problem

[Pila Wilson]

Aloha John,

I just got back from a meeting on this.  We are going to try and find out
what countries are on the list of "certain" countries.

Pila

wahi a John Lynch <lynch_j at vanuatu.usp.ac.fj>:
>Following the announcement of the dates and venue for the 6th
>International Conference on Oceanic Linguistics - Hilo, July 2004 - a
>possible problem has come to my attention. Recent media reports have
>indicated that the US Immigration Service is tightening up its visa
>processing regulations, and requires that each applicant from certain
>countries - I cannot establish which - attend a personal interview at the
>embassy, as well as paying a fee of US $100.
>
>In the case of participants who are citizens of Oceanic-speaking
>countries, this will require travel outside their home country simply to
>have a shot at getting a visa, with no guarantee of success. In my own
>case, for example, as a citizen of Vanuatu, I would first have to travel
>to Papua New Guinea, where the embassy responsible for Vanuatu is
>located, then return here, then travel to Hilo via Fiji, Australia or New
>Zealand.
>
>One of the intentions behind the Oceanic Conferences was to try to
>encourage native-speaker linguists from Pacific countries to attend.
>These regulations will make that extremely difficult, because of the
>additional expense involved. I am not sure to how many other countries
>these regulations apply, but perhaps someone on the list might be able to
>get better information. (My email messages to the US embassy in PNG keep
>bouncing and those to the US embassy in Fiji go unanswered).
>
>John Lynch
>
>[Marker]
>
>XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>
>John Lynch
>
>Pro-VC and Director Pacific Languages Unit
>
>Emalus Campus - USP
>
>PMB 072
>
>Port Vila. Vanuatu.
>
>Phone: +678 22748.  Fax:  +678 22633
>
>
>
>
>
>


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