JERUSALEM, November 29, 2011 (WAFA) - The US Consulate General in Jerusalem Tuesday announced what it described as “important changes to visa application procedures,” according to press release.

It said that as of December 12, the US Consulate will implement new visa application and appointment procedures.

“The new system will make it quicker and cheaper to apply for a U.S. non-immigrant visa,” said the release. “Applicants will no longer need to pay one fee to obtain information and schedule an appointment, another fee to apply for the visa, and a third fee for courier pass back service.”

By paying only the current machine-readable visa (MRV) application fee determined by visa classification, the applicant will be able to get a number of services, and these include:

- MRV fee collection, either by phone, online, or at any branch of the Israeli Postal Bank or Bank of Palestine.

- Scheduling of visa appointments by telephone or through the online appointment website.

- Information on general visa inquiries either by phone or online.

- Courier services for applicants, who need to submit additional documents to the Consulate after their interviews.

- Choice of passport delivery options for approved visa applicants, including home delivery, at no additional cost to the visa applicant.

The current MRV application fees remain the same, but they will include the new scheduling, application, and courier services, said the release.

It said that unused VisaPoint personal identification numbers (PINs) will remain valid until December 11. If applicants holding a PIN do not book an appointment before this date, the PIN will expire and an interview must be scheduled under the new system.

MRV fee payments can still be made through the Israeli Postal Bank or Cairo Amman Bank through December 11.

M.S.