Your trusted source

Since 2014 representatives of the Armenian Information and Communication Technology sector (ICT) are refused a visa entry to the United States due to subjective decisions by the US Embassy consular officers, Executive Director at Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE) Karen Vardanyan told reporters at a press conference. 

“The practice started from the end of the the former Consul General’s term and deepened during the current Consul’s term. Both workers and heads of ICT organizations are equally denied a visa entry to the US,” Vardanyan complained.

He said that the ICT sector is interlinked with Western markets, and 70 per cent of the industry is produced in the United States – a reason they need to make their visits.

Vardanyan informed that one of the justifications for visa refusing presented by the Consular Office is the lack of evidence they would not work illegally in the US. Vardanyan pointed out a case when an ICT worker won a prize from Apple but was denied a visa to visit and receive the prize.

According to Karen Vardanyan, the US Consular Office logic could be dictated by three reasons - political, bureaucratic and a discretionary judgment by the General Consul.

“Overall, this appears to be a serious problem damaging both the development of the RA ICT sector, the economy and the one in the US, since every cooperation is not a unilateral process,” Vardanyan concluded.

Meanwhile the US Embassy has released a statement concerning the issue.

“The U.S. Embassy regularly receives questions about U.S. Government visa policies.  We are committed to explaining these policies as clearly and transparently as possible, including how they affect visa applications from members of Armenia's growing ICT workforce,” reads the statement, adding  

“As part of this effort, members of our Embassy staff have had several meetings with leading managers of the Armenian ICT community.  Most recently, Consul General Frank Tu met and corresponded with several members of the business community to address their visa-related questions. We are committed to maintaining this dialogue,” the statement says, emphasizing that the “U.S. Embassy fully recognizes the importance of the ICT sector in Armenia and has steadily supported its growth over the years.” 

“The U.S. Embassy visa adjudication process places a strict emphasis on enforcing U.S. immigration laws while providing excellent customer service to all of our applicants. Visa decisions by U.S. consular officers worldwide are based on those U.S. laws and visa regulations currently in place and reflect our goal of facilitating legitimate travel while ensuring that the rights of U.S. workers and America’s borders are protected, ” the statement concluded.