US Visa questions, on Facebook

The US Consul, Lyra Carr, explained for Top Channel the details of the new procedure.

TCH: What is this program and why are you implementing it?

Lyra Carr, US Consul in Tirana: The program is called “Ask the Consul”, and we are making it available to all visa applicants, so that they can receive the most accurate information. Many of them don’t have the necessary information, or receive wrong answers, because they get it from inaccurate sources, and we want to avoid this.

TCH: Why have you decided to answer to the questions, when the explanations are available on the US Embassy web page, and why exactly on Facebook?

Carr: In fact, we have enough information for all visa related questions on our web page and in both languages. But we think that the new program on Facebook will enable many people who have a computer to make specific questions. This could be made even through a cell phone, since many phones today have internet access.

TCH: To what can you answer and what should the interested people keep in mind when making the questions?

Carr:  We will be able to give answers about every aspect of the application process, about all types of visas and other services that our embassy offers. What we will not be able to do, is answering to questions related with specific cases, which can be answered through e-mail. Our program will start on January 6th. The first questions will be answered by January 11th. The answers will be posted on Facebook every two weeks and we hope to give even more information than what is available on the web page.

The Facebook page of the US Embassy in Tirana is administered by the Vice Chief of the Public Relations Office, Mr. Niles Cole, who explains the practical side of the program.

“The information will be available through the program ‘Ask the Consul’, and it will be accessible from our “Notes” session on the Facebook profile. If you are looking for an old question, you will always find it there”, he declared.

Top Channel