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Seven immigrant visas issued to Gambians last year: US Consular

Oct 7, 2011, 1:44 PM | Article By: Sainey M.K. Marenah

The new United States Consular officer at the US Embassy in Banjul has revealed that seven visas for immigrants were issued to eligible Gambians through the diversity Visa program in 2010.

Consular officer Andy Utschig was speaking to The Point recently at the commencement of the DV Lottery program for 2011 which started on 4 October and will end on 5 November 2011.

“However, our Embassy in Dakar, which processes Diversity Visa applications for Gambians, let me know they issued seven immigrant visas to Gambians through the Diversity Visa program last year,” Consular Andy added.

Quizzed by this reporter on what area will be his priority, Andy had this to say: “My top priority is American Citizen Services. For hundreds of years, the primary purposes of Embassies have been to assist home country citizens abroad, and that tradition continues today. 

“Prompt, fair customer service in accordance with U.S. law is another top priority.  We look forward to authorizing visas for those qualified to travel.”

He said further: “We also realize some travellers who are not eligible for a U.S. visa may be disappointed in the results of their applications.  We do our best to make the correct decision in a professional manner according to our laws.”