Welcome back from the Khmer New Year holiday! I hope each of you had a wonderful time connecting with family and friends and that your travels were safe. Even over the holiday, many of you continued to send me insightful questions and comments, for which I am very grateful. I’ve noticed that many readers are very interested in issues related to U.S. visa and immigration policies. For instance, a businessman who travels back and forth on a regular basis recently asked me about the length of validity for U.S. visas. This question and others I have received remind me of the important role that visa policy plays in strengthening and deepening relations between our two countries.
To answer the reader’s question, the validity length of U.S. visas is an issue determined by reciprocity, which means we try to have our visas match the validity of those given to U.S. citizens by other countries. This is a principle used with every country to keep things fair and equitable. In our case, Cambodian tourist visas for U.S. citizens are valid for only one month, with the option to extend for an additional month, after which a U.S. visitor must leave Cambodia. In keeping with reciprocity, U.S. tourist and business visas for Cambodian citizens are valid for 90 days, which means the traveler has three months from the date of issuance to enter the United States.
The Embassy has had discussions with the Cambodian government about the possibility of both countries increasing the validity of visas for each others’ citizens. We want to encourage Cambodians to visit the United States, and issuing visas with a longer validity to qualified Cambodian travelers would help with this goal. The United States welcomed nearly 7,000 Cambodian visitors and immigrants to the United States last year – including tourists, students, and business people – who added greatly to our nation’s cultural, educational, and economic life, and we would like to see this number grow. Given the benefits of longer visa validity for both sides, we will continue to explore this possibility with Cambodian officials.
For example, U.S. colleges and universities are recognized and respected globally for their excellence, diversity, range of opportunities, modern facilities, resources to enhance the learning experience, and top quality teachers. When Cambodian students earn a degree from a U.S. university and return home to work, they are bringing back broad academic experience that is necessary for Cambodia to compete in the global economy. For this reason, Cambodian students with degrees from U.S. universities are highly sought after by both domestic and international employers in Cambodia and are playing an important role in the country’s economic development.
Likewise, business travel between our two countries is helping to identify new trade and investment opportunities with the potential to grow both the U.S. and Cambodian economies. In fact, in July I will accompany a delegation of Cambodian business leaders to the United States to explore ways that Cambodian businesses can benefit from increased commerce with American companies. Boosting international trade and investment is a key part of economic development in the 21st century, and I want to ensure that we promote such activity as part of the U.S.-Cambodia relationship. Securing the benefits of bilateral trade is an important part of how the U.S. Embassy is working to grow jobs both in Cambodia and at home, and the best way to encourage such trade is through personal, face-to-face interaction.
Issues related to visas and immigration are good examples of some of the challenging issues the United States and Cambodia must work together to address on an ongoing basis. Given the importance of two-way travel to our bilateral relationship, I am very pleased to say that the Embassy has worked hard to bring down the time required to process requests by Cambodians for U.S. visas. In most cases, a visa interview can be scheduled in just a few weeks, and for those who meet the qualifications, the visa is usually ready the day after the interview. We do understand that the visa application process can sometimes seem time consuming and a bit frustrating, but it is vital to helping us meet our goal of ensuring that every Cambodian who is qualified under the law to receive a visa gets one.
The United States and Cambodia collaborate closely on a full range of issues like education, trade, law enforcement, military cooperation, and humanitarian relief. We share a commitment to strengthening an already productive relationship, and the recent visits by President Obama and former Secretary Clinton are evidence of the important ties between our two countries. As we move forward in partnership and continue to tackle complicated issues, it is essential that we maintain open lines of communication and open minds, and travel between our two countries plays an important role in this dialogue. While we must balance the need for border security and adherence to immigration law, we will continue to promote travel to the United States by Cambodians as an important element of our overall bilateral relationship.
Thank you for taking time to read this week’s column. I look forward to reading your responses and continuing this conversation with you. Please send your comments and questions, in English or Khmer, to AskAMBToddPP@state.gov and follow my blog at http://blogs.usembassy.gov/todd/.
William E. Todd is U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia
To answer the reader’s question, the validity length of U.S. visas is an issue determined by reciprocity, which means we try to have our visas match the validity of those given to U.S. citizens by other countries. This is a principle used with every country to keep things fair and equitable. In our case, Cambodian tourist visas for U.S. citizens are valid for only one month, with the option to extend for an additional month, after which a U.S. visitor must leave Cambodia. In keeping with reciprocity, U.S. tourist and business visas for Cambodian citizens are valid for 90 days, which means the traveler has three months from the date of issuance to enter the United States.
The Embassy has had discussions with the Cambodian government about the possibility of both countries increasing the validity of visas for each others’ citizens. We want to encourage Cambodians to visit the United States, and issuing visas with a longer validity to qualified Cambodian travelers would help with this goal. The United States welcomed nearly 7,000 Cambodian visitors and immigrants to the United States last year – including tourists, students, and business people – who added greatly to our nation’s cultural, educational, and economic life, and we would like to see this number grow. Given the benefits of longer visa validity for both sides, we will continue to explore this possibility with Cambodian officials.
For example, U.S. colleges and universities are recognized and respected globally for their excellence, diversity, range of opportunities, modern facilities, resources to enhance the learning experience, and top quality teachers. When Cambodian students earn a degree from a U.S. university and return home to work, they are bringing back broad academic experience that is necessary for Cambodia to compete in the global economy. For this reason, Cambodian students with degrees from U.S. universities are highly sought after by both domestic and international employers in Cambodia and are playing an important role in the country’s economic development.
Likewise, business travel between our two countries is helping to identify new trade and investment opportunities with the potential to grow both the U.S. and Cambodian economies. In fact, in July I will accompany a delegation of Cambodian business leaders to the United States to explore ways that Cambodian businesses can benefit from increased commerce with American companies. Boosting international trade and investment is a key part of economic development in the 21st century, and I want to ensure that we promote such activity as part of the U.S.-Cambodia relationship. Securing the benefits of bilateral trade is an important part of how the U.S. Embassy is working to grow jobs both in Cambodia and at home, and the best way to encourage such trade is through personal, face-to-face interaction.
Issues related to visas and immigration are good examples of some of the challenging issues the United States and Cambodia must work together to address on an ongoing basis. Given the importance of two-way travel to our bilateral relationship, I am very pleased to say that the Embassy has worked hard to bring down the time required to process requests by Cambodians for U.S. visas. In most cases, a visa interview can be scheduled in just a few weeks, and for those who meet the qualifications, the visa is usually ready the day after the interview. We do understand that the visa application process can sometimes seem time consuming and a bit frustrating, but it is vital to helping us meet our goal of ensuring that every Cambodian who is qualified under the law to receive a visa gets one.
The United States and Cambodia collaborate closely on a full range of issues like education, trade, law enforcement, military cooperation, and humanitarian relief. We share a commitment to strengthening an already productive relationship, and the recent visits by President Obama and former Secretary Clinton are evidence of the important ties between our two countries. As we move forward in partnership and continue to tackle complicated issues, it is essential that we maintain open lines of communication and open minds, and travel between our two countries plays an important role in this dialogue. While we must balance the need for border security and adherence to immigration law, we will continue to promote travel to the United States by Cambodians as an important element of our overall bilateral relationship.
Thank you for taking time to read this week’s column. I look forward to reading your responses and continuing this conversation with you. Please send your comments and questions, in English or Khmer, to AskAMBToddPP@state.gov and follow my blog at http://blogs.usembassy.gov/todd/.
William E. Todd is U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia
