Indeed, not only is there no focus on rigorous enforcement of our immigration laws as a prerequisite to career advancement, the leadership of the Bureau of Consular Affairs places virtually no emphasis on strict adherence to our immigration laws. In the summer of 2006, I took the Advanced Consular Course at the Foreign Service Institute, which is a three-week course designed to groom mid-level officers for managerial responsibility at busy consular posts around the world. We listened to presentations from every high-ranking official in the Bureau, including Maura Harty, the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, and not one speaker addressed the importance of adjudicating Australian Working Visas accurately to stop intending immigrants from abusing non-immigrant Australian Working Visas. In fact, there was no acknowledgement or indication that visa overstays might be a problem, or that the bureau kept track of, or even cared about posts’ visa issuance rates.
Sep 27
Jun 04
Travelers must carry vaccination certificates with them for inspection by the Saudi Authority at port of entry. No food products are allowed into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims will be authorized to visit any city besides the Holy Sites, if they request permission from the Authorized Saudi Passport Offices. Their travel agency should be informed of such intention. The travel agency should then provide and arrange for transportation. Umrah pilgrims should not overstay their Australian Working Visas.