US re-vamps “one-stop shop" website for Visa information

KINGSTON- July 16, 2004:

Jamaicans and American Citizens living in Jamaica can now find an upgraded  "one-stop shop" for US Visa information and citizen registration from the ease of their own personal computer.

 The US State Department has re-vamped its website http://travel.state.gov to provide all the information that Jamaicans would need about immigrant and non-immigrant visas and that Americans living in Jamaica or wanting to visit the island would need about the country and how to register with the US Embassy's Warden System.

 The new website looks better and allows users to quickly find information such as the various types of non-immigrant visas or the requirements for immigrant visas. The site includes information on the documents that applicants need to take with them for visa interviews, the required fees, frequently asked questions about getting immigrant or non-immigrant visas, visa regulations and immigration statistics.

 The site will also allow Americans seeking to visit countries such as Jamaica to register with its Consular Affairs section, so that they can get quick updates in the event of emergencies in the country they wish to visit or live in.  Americans who use the website's Internet-Based Registration System (IBRS) will be able to get up-to-the-minute travel and safety information via email or through the website and will be contacted in the event of an emergency, if they have registered their emergency contact information under the system. 

The IBRS is backed by a secure database, protected by US State Department firewalls and accessible only by authorized persons under the restrictions of America's Privacy Act of 1974.   

The website http://travel.state.gov was first launched in 1996 and has been one of the most important sources of information for persons wishing to travel to the United States or for American wishing to travel or live in countries such as Jamaica. More than 231 million hits were made on the website last year, making it one of the most popular US Government internet sites.