Ask the US EMBASSY: How to get athletes to the Penn Relays
Q: I’m a coach planning to take a group of athletes to the US to compete in the Penn Relays from April 26 to 28 this year. How can I make the visa application process as easy as possible for my team?
A: The US Embassy is committed to facilitating the travel of qualified athletes to participate in athletic competitions such as the Penn Relays. We also aim to process all visa applications as efficiently as possible. For this year’s Penn Relays competition, coaches and athletes can help us achieve those goals by following a few simple steps.
Participating team members (including athletes, coaches, and chaperones) should apply together as a group. Group appointments for Penn Relays travellers will be available from March 19 through April 17, 2012. Given the required processing time and traditional increased workload demands during this time, the Embassy will not be able to accommodate applications for Penn Relays after April 17, 2012.
Teams are therefore advised to apply as early as possible. Late applicants and replacements for team members whose visa applications are denied at the group appointment must schedule their applications through the normal scheduling procedures. No special preference will be given in scheduling the appointments of such applicants.
Athletes are also advised to apply for passports, if necessary, as soon as possible. The Embassy will not expedite the late applications of athletes who did not apply for passports in time. Limited emergency appointments are used to accommodate individuals seeking to travel for urgent medical reasons or due to the death of an immediate family member.
Team officials can arrange for a group appointment through our call centre partner, CSC, and our website. The first step is for the official to e-mail JAMGroups@csc.com to request an access code for a group appointment. CSC will respond with further instructions on how to schedule an appointment for the group through our self-service website: https://www.usvisa-jamaica.com
. Note that group appointments must be made through the self-service website, and cannot be made by phone.
On the day of the group’s appointment, the team should be accompanied by a coach or other responsible official who is able to answer questions about the team and its travel plans. Before the appointment date, however, the team must provide certain documents and information.
All athletes and team affiliates must fill out a DS-160 application form and pay the visa application fee of $12,600 through any National Commercial Bank (NCB) branch. All confirmation sheets and fee receipts for the group should then be delivered to the US Embassy at least three days in advance of the group’s appointment date. Deliveries may be made at the public entrance to the consular section any weekday between 9:30 am and 10:30 am.
When prepared for delivery, confirmation sheets should be divided into two groups: those who travelled for Penn Relays in 2011, and those who did not. The team should also provide a full roster of team members and official team affiliates, the team’s travel itinerary, and full documentation of any official sponsorship or financial assistance arrangements.
As part of the Embassy’s new programme to waive the interview requirement for certain experienced travellers, the visa interview will be waived for any Penn Relays applicant who travelled to participate in the event in 2011. All applicants must appear in person with the group, however, to provide fingerprints.
Those who did not travel for Penn Relays last year will be interviewed by a consular officer on the group’s appointment day. Please note that any athlete under the age of 18 who did not travel to Penn Relays in 2011 must be accompanied for the interview by a parent or legal guardian.
Minor applicants eligible for the interview waiver, however, do not need to be accompanied by a parent if they appear with their team.
Even though team members will appear at the Embassy together during group appointments, the consular section wishes to remind applicants that each team member or team affiliate must qualify on his or her own to receive a visa.
For more information about visa applications, please visit our website, https://kingston.usembassy.gov/
For safety and security measures, the US Embassy asks that all individuals arrive at the Embassy no more than 15 minutes before their designated appointment time.
Reminder for US Citizens: The 2012 election season is underway in the United States. To register to vote from abroad or to sign up to receive state-specific election alerts, visit https://fvap.gov
. You may drop off your voting materials with postage affixed at the US Embassy in Kingston or at the US Consular Agencies in Montego Bay and the Cayman Islands for delivery to the United States.