US Embassy warns of visa scams

December 19, 2005
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The US Embassy in Kathmandu has advised the public to be cautious in all dealings with individuals or companies that claim to offer assistance in obtaining US visas, and strongly warned against presenting fraudulent documents in support of a visa application.

Issuing a press statement on Monday, the Embassy said, “The use of fraudulent documents can cause a person to become permanently ineligible for travel to the United States, and the Embassy can and does turn applicants presenting false documents over to the Nepal Police.”

The US Embassy further said that there is no need to work through a third-party or a ‘visa consultant’ when applying for a US visa, saying, “While some of these organizations may provide legitimate immigration and visa-related information and services, many seek to mislead customers into paying for services they will not receive or do not need.”

Stating that the US Department of State does not endorse, recommend or sponsor any information or material shown on non-governmental websites (using the suffixes “.com,” “.org” or “.net”) that provide immigration- and visa-related information and services the statement adds, “These websites may ask for payment for services, forms, and information about immigration procedures which are otherwise free on the US Embassy website.”

The statement further said, the Embassy issues visas every day to qualified applicants. “‘Visa consultants’ often take advantage of this fact by promising visas to qualified applicants who would have obtained visas on their own.”

The Embassy also cautioned about the offer of such consultants to sell illegitimate documents or services.

The Embassy issued this warning after reports that numerous applicants have paid for unnecessary services to apply for US visas, and after receiving increasing numbers of fraudulent documents as part of visa applications.

“The Embassy hopes that members of the public will remain alert to visa ‘scams’ and asks that anyone learning of such fraudulent activity contact the Embassy immediately,” the statement adds.