Consul General Visits Migdal Ohr Youth Village

Consul General Andrew Parker and several Embassy staff members visited Migdal Ohr, one of Israel’s largest youth villages, in Migdal HaEmek on June 21, 2010.

Under the direction of Rabbi Yitz-chak David Grossman, Migdal Ohr houses and educates more than 6,500 orphaned and impoverished children. The organization also runs prisoner rehabilitation programs and a soup kitchen that produces 15,000 meals a day.

Parker and Embassy staff toured the facility and learned about the good work of Rabbi Grossman and his staff.

Learn more about Migdal Ohr at www.migdalohr.org. Check out more photos from the visit at our Facebook album.

Vice Consuls Speak to Fulbright Participants

Several Vice Consuls spoke to Israeli Fulbright program participants and answered questions about student visas on June 17, 2010.

This flagship international exchange sponsored by the U.S. government is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. Participants are chosen for their academic merit and leader-ship potential.

For more information about applying for a Fulbright scholarship, visit the Fulbright program website at http://fulbright.state.gov.

Reminder: Visa Applications Must Contain Valid Photograph

Example of an invalid photo

When completing the DS-160 visa application (with or without assistance from a third party), applicants must upload a valid photograph of themselves.

The Consular Section has recently seen many DS-160s containing photos of celebri-ties such as George Clooney and Brad Pitt, instead of the applicant.

The Consular Section reminds applicants that clicking the "submit" button creates your electronic signature, certifying that all information contained in the application is true and correct, including the photo.

Learn more about DS-160 photo requirements at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/visaphotoreq/visaphotoreq_5334.html.

Visa Application Fees Increase

The Department of State announced increases in non-immigrant visa application (Machine Readable Visa (MRV)) fees, effective June 4, 2010. The new fees are:

- USD $140 for B1/B2 (business/tourism), F, M and J visas (student and exchange visitors);
- USD $150 for H, L, O, P, Q, R (petition-based visas);
- USD $390 for E (treaty trader/investor visas).

Applicants who paid the former USD $131 fee and have an appointment scheduled at the Embassy after June 4 must pay the USD equivalent difference at any Israeli post office branch before the interview.

Applicants will not be admitted to the waiting room until the entire MRV fee is paid. Visit the following link for a current list of visa application fees and other visa related fees collected by Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1263.html.

Jewish Agency for Israel Visits Embassy Tel Aviv

The visa section invited staff from the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) to visit Embassy Tel Aviv in May 2010. Several consular officers met with Ilan Wagner, the Director of Market Engagement for North America, and other staff from the agency’s Education Department.

Visa staff learned about JAFI’s cultural exchange programs, specifically the summer shlichim program, which sends thousands of Israeli youth to summer camps across America each year as camp counselors.

JAFI’s exchange programs comprise a significant number of the exchange visitor visas the Embassy adjudicates each year.

Did you Know?
More than 8,000 youths apply for the shlichim program each year. Only 1,000-1,200 are accepted. 

Embassy Hosts Voting Workshops for American Citizens

American Citizen Services hosted several voting workshops for American citizens on May 17, 2010. More than 100 attendees learned how to register and vote via absentee ballot.

The 2010 U.S. mid-term elections will be held Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 36 out of 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested this year.

For more information on voting, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program at www.fvap.gov.

Consul General Holds Live Web Chat at Tapuz Headquarters

On May 17, 2010, Consul General Andrew Parker held a consular-related web chat on a popular online portal, Tapuz.co.il.

Tapuz, one of Israel’s most visited websites, hosted the Consul General on its popular “Traveling to the U.S.” forum.

Along with Embassy press and consular staff, the Consul General responded to questions on topics ranging from visas and travel to the United States, to post-doctoral study, same-sex marriage and its implications for family travel, and post-army Israelis’ requests for tourist visas.

Check out the conversation at: http://www.tapuz.co.il/Forums2008/ViewMsg.aspx?ForumId=456&MessageId=141485153&r=1.