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The Bureau of Consular Affairs is a bureau of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State

The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the United States Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States Federal government of the United States, similar to foreign ministries, foreign offices, ministries of external relations, etc....
 within that department's management office. The mission of the Bureau is to administer laws, formulate regulations and implement policies relating to the broad range of consular services
Consular assistance

Consular assistance is help and advice provided by the diplomatic agents of a country to citizens of that country who are living or traveling overseas....
 and immigration
Immigration

While the movement of people has thought throughout history at various levels, modern immigration tourism are considered non-immigrants . Immigration that violates the immigration laws of the destination country is termed illegal immigration or undocumented immigration....
. , the bureau is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs

The Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Consular Affairs within the United States Department of State....
, Janice L. Jacobs.

Passports
Issuance of U.S. Passports to American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 citizens is the responsibility of the Bureau.






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Encyclopedia


The Bureau of Consular Affairs is a bureau of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State

The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the United States Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States Federal government of the United States, similar to foreign ministries, foreign offices, ministries of external relations, etc....
 within that department's management office. The mission of the Bureau is to administer laws, formulate regulations and implement policies relating to the broad range of consular services
Consular assistance

Consular assistance is help and advice provided by the diplomatic agents of a country to citizens of that country who are living or traveling overseas....
 and immigration
Immigration

While the movement of people has thought throughout history at various levels, modern immigration tourism are considered non-immigrants . Immigration that violates the immigration laws of the destination country is termed illegal immigration or undocumented immigration....
. , the bureau is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs

The Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Consular Affairs within the United States Department of State....
, Janice L. Jacobs.

Passports


Issuance of U.S. Passports to American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 citizens is the responsibility of the Bureau. According to Congressional testimony in April 2006, approximately 68 million Americans have valid US passports and the US issues more passports than any other nation.

For fiscal year 2006, 12 million passport applications were processed by the bureau's staff of 8,000. New passport requirements which went into effect in January 2007, when the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires all travelers to show a valid passport when traveling to the United States from areas within the Western Hemisphere....
 went into effect, have increased estimated demand to 17 million in 2007, adding months of delay to processing applications.

Passports may be issued domestically in the US as well as by US Embassies or Consulates abroad to the US Citizens. In 2006, the Bureau of Consular Affairs will begin the wide-spread issuance of Electronic Passports or "e-passports."

Citizen support


The Consular Affairs Office of Overseas Citizens Services advises and supports U.S. citizens and U.S. embassies and consulates around the world in such matters as:

  • Deaths
  • Arrests
  • Robberies
  • Citizenship and nationality
  • Federal benefits
  • Notarization
    Wiktionary

    Wiktionary is a multilingualism, World Wide Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. Unlike standard dictionaries, it is written collaboratively by volunteers, dubbed "Wiktionarians", using wiki software, allowing articles to be changed by almost anyone with access to the website....
     of documents
  • International parental child abduction
    Child abduction

    Child abduction is the kidnapping of a child by an older person.Several distinct forms of child abduction exist:* A stranger removes a child for Crime purposes:...
  • International adoption
    Adoption

    Adoption is the act of Family law placing a child with a parent or parents other than those to whom they were born. An adoption order has the effect of severing parental responsibilities and rights of the original parent and transferring those responsibilities and rights to the adoptive parent....
    s


To assist the traveling public, the bureau issues country specific information, travel warnings, and travel alerts concerning conditions in countries where Americans may be planning to visit or reside.

Visas and immigration


Following regulations established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act
Immigration and Nationality Act

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 restricted immigration into the U.S. and is codified under Title 8 of the United States Code. The Act governs primarily immigration and citizenship in the United States....
 (INA), consular officers overseas, under the guidance of the Bureau's Office of Visa Services, are responsible for issuing all non-immigrant and immigrant visas
Visa (document)

A visa is an indication that a person is authorized to enter the country which "issued" the visa, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry....
. (Over 7.75 million non-immigrant visa and approximately 744,000 immigrant visa cases were processed in fiscal year 2006.)

The Bureau of Consular Affairs also administers the provisions of the INA as they relate to the Department of State in coordination with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the largest and primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security....
 within the Department of Homeland Security. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services is Stephen A. "Tony" Edson.

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