U.S. Costomer Service

U. S. Consular Service has Customer Service Priority

By William Doyle-Marshall

If you have been refused a visitor’s visa to enter the United States of America, it is mainly because the officer with whom you interacted had doubts that you will leave his country at the end of your vacation. Acting Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Michelle Bond offered this explanation last Thursday during a briefing with members of the ethnic media at the U.S. Consulate downtown Toronto. She was here on a brief visit and the press conference was hosted by the U.S. Consulate.

   Quizzed about the many questions visa applicants have to answer in their application form, Ambassador Bond said when someone is applying for a tourist visa part of what her staff tries to determine is: if this person gets the visa and travels to the States will he or she do what they say they are going to do: go and spend two weeks touring the United States and then come back here to Canada or might they decide to stay in the United States?

                                     Acting Assistant Secretary Michelle Bond   

Admitting the difficulty to determine what is in the mind of the applicant, she confessed: “We can’t know what people’s intentions are”. In fact, Ambassador Bond disclosed that her staff members are looking for evidence that people are so well established here in Canada that it really wouldn’t make any sense for them to stay in Chicago and work illegally as a waiter, for example. “Sometimes when people are refused it maybe because they haven’t been here very long and they can’t show that they are established here; that this is their home now, this is their life,” Acting `Assistant Secretary Bond continued.

   It’s not at all unusual for a person to be refused a visa and then a few years later they qualify for that visa because they have more to show of what their established position is, the Ambassador noted. Emphasizing that lots of questions are asked, she explained what results from the exercise is staff is better prepared when applicants come in for their interview. “We can make a much more quick and efficient and a focused interview,” the Ambassador emphasized.

  With the focus on improving customer service the Ambassador promised to continue looking for ways to shave that time down on the length of time people spend in order to obtain their visas. “We have a lot of respect for the value of our applicants’ time and we do not want them to waste hours sitting and waiting for us to be ready to assist them after they come into the building,” Bond promised. Providing prompt service to people here and in any other country around the world who require a U.S. visa promptly when they think that they need one and want to travel in the United States is a priority for her Government, the Ambassador assured. U.S. Consular staff are required to maintain a service level so that people could get an appointment for a visa interview within no more than three weeks. At almost every single one of the diplomatic posts around the world, they are operating within that three week wait time, Bond said. At most of our posts the wait is less than three weeks.

   Priority appointments are provided for some travelers. “Students are one example because we don’t want students to start classes late if they are attending a school in the United States. Currently it takes about 15 days on average to get a visa interview appointment here in Toronto and if people are applying for a visa for an emergency purpose: suppose someone in their immediate family has been involved in a bad accident in the United States and they are trying to get to the hospital to deal with them or if there is a funeral or some other urgent, urgent travel like that, we do everything possible to provide immediate urgent appointment for that sort of travel,” Acting Assistant Secretary Bond continued.

  The U.S. Government also conduct a lot of outreach to residents of this consulate district in order to maintain the highest possible level of customer service. The intent said the Ambassador is to be sure the word is out to people about what to expect when they come in for visa interview; what to bring with them to show that they are eligible to receive that visa. The whole intention is for people to have good information and to feel comfortable and prepared for the interview when they come in. both the non-immigrant visa unit staff and also the members of our staff who work in the American citizen services Unit conduct outreach throughout the year. We are promoting travel and tourism in the United States.

   When members of the National Ethnic Media and Press Council of Canada headed by Thomas Saras arrived at the Consulate, they were scanned electronically prior to entering the building. It felt as though they were about to board an aircraft at Pearson. Some journalists were asked to surrender their identification and were given temporary passes to attend the press conference. A visibly upset Saras threatened to leave along with his members. But some hastened conference among Consulate officials resulted in feathers being smoothened. Ambassador Bond said it was standard procedure. “If I am visiting an embassy and I don’t have the right ID with me I would give in my driver’s license, they would keep it, they would give me the visitor ID,” she explained. Bond believed part of the reason journalists’ identification were held was for easy reference later if someone forgot and walked away with the temporary day pass so they could be contacted.

 

Iraq, Armed Forces, Leading Diversity Radio

Combat in Iraq, Appeal to Ethnic Community for Armed Forces, Leading Broadcast Source for Diversity Fundraising

By William Doyle-Marshall

While the Opposition parties New Democrats and Liberals in Ottawa are definitely against Canada’s involvement in the current combat situation in Iraq against (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) ISIL, the Prime Minister Stephen Harper has obtained approval to carry out his plan. General Tom Lawson wants members of the ethnic community to join Canada’s Armed Forces. Toronto’s CHRY Radio, the leading source for diversity celebrates its 27^th anniversary with a week-long fundraising event later in October. 

 With his majority in Parliament Harper’s proposal to join the United States-led mission in Iraq received easy support earlier this week which surprised no one. Speaking to members of the media in Whitby at the Abilities Center he reported the threat posed by terrorist organizations needs to be countered in many ways including militarily. It is important, Harper said, “when we are talking about the country’s security that these things rise above the level of partisan politics.”  The Canadian Government has launched its mission in concert with a wide range of allies across the world because Harper says they all understand it is necessary. “I think Canadians understand the threat from ISIL against this country is real. I think you have seen more and more information on that every day and I would note that across the world: it isn’t just Conservatives: it’s Liberals and Social Democrats across the world,” he concluded.

General Tom Lawson, Chief of Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces met with members of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council recently in the Simonds Auditorium at Canadian Forces College (CFC). He spoke proudly of his home city Toronto which has now become very diverse. Lawson said administration wants to make sure that those who come and make Canada and Toronto such a rich place are well aware of what defence means to them. “We in uniform are defending those things that you are interested in. We are very interested that you comment and be part of the discussion on defence; see yourself invested in defence and of course hope that some of you or those you influence – your children, your nieces, your nephews – may consider a career in the Canadian military,” said General Lawson

Lawson said administration wants to make sure that those who come and make Canada and Toronto such a rich place are well aware of what defence means to them. “We in uniform are defending those things that you are interested in. We are very interested that you comment and be part of the discussion on defence; see yourself invested in defence and of course hope that some of you or those you influence – your children, your nieces, your nephews – may consider a career in the Canadian military,” said General Lawson

 October 15 through October 25 is Fundraising time for listeners, programmers and staff at CHRY Radio – the leading source for diversity.  Various ethnic communities including those from the Caribbean, India and Latin America listen to their favourite programmes on the station during its 24 hours of broadcast from the campus at York University. The station appreciates everything that listeners and other supporters do to help improve the services. “We always appreciate what our listeners do in terms of being truly listeners-supported radio. You support us all the time when you listen in to the shows; you call into some shows for requests and all of that so we know you are out there and you are supporting,” Danae Peart, station manager explained in an interview with Indo Caribbean World.  At this time annually listeners are called upon to support in financial ways, the manager smiled infectiously.

Vishnu Ramcharan, a Customer Experience Manager at the Ontario Science Center who has been a guest at the station on numerous occasion said when he thinks of the value of CHRY, he considers its role in “connecting us all to each other”. He is convinced that CHRY “connects us to a higher sense and a larger purpose  and so it eventually can help us connect back to ourselves; not so much to who we are but to who we can be.”

   For those who are new listeners to CHRY you may be wondering what is this about. What is this fundraising thing? Well, think in terms of other audience’ supported media like PBS where they do things like telethons and they ask for financial support. Similarly, that’s what’s going to happen here at CHRY during the ten days from October 15 to the 25^th,” he chief executive emphasized.

Veda Narain, host of the Sunday afternoon show featuring Chutney music and other Indo Caribbean expressions says fundraising impacts CHRY directly. In terms of her Guyanese-Canadian community she insists CHRY allows cultural programming to air, which in turn provides a place for “my community (members) to listen to cultural programming relevant to them.”  

Of Africa Symposium at Royal Ontario Museum

Pushing People to Be Curious About Africa

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) launched earlier this month “Of Africa”, a three-year multi-platform project exploring African experiences through exhibitions, lectures, performances and events. Curators, artists, authors, educators, and academics from across Africa and the African Diaspora are contributors to the project which introduces museum visitors to historical and contemporary African cultural and artistic expressions.

   The multi-dimensional project includes a new display, Maps, Borders, and Mobility in Africa, which opened October 11. Famed Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina delivers the keynote address October 23 to launch ROM 100 Speaks This will be followed by a two-day symposium “Of Africa Histories, Collections, Reflections”  beginning October 24. It is being presented by ROM Contemporary Culture and ROM World Cultures.

   From October 24 there will be a series of Panels examining various subjects. The first will be “Learning From Into The Heart of Africa”and speakers are Afua Cooper, Geraldine Moriba, Yaw Oluwasanjo Akyeaw, Dan Rahimi with Moderator: Dr. Honor Ford-Smith

Speakers on the panel on “Africa and the Diaspora in Western Institutions” include Kenneth Montague, Olubukola A. Gbadegesin, Zoey Whitley and Moderator: Andrea Fatona. The discussion on – African Modernities has a panel which includes  Pablo Idahosa, Elizabeth Harney, Ato Quayson, Fatimah Tuggar and Moderator: Karen Milbourne. There is a fourth panel dealing with – Canonical Understanding and Politics of Representation. Here speakers will be Christa Clarke, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, Ciraj Rassool with Moderator: Warren Crichlow. “African Curatorial Networks” will be examined by a panel of speakers like Bisi Silva, Mekerm Assegued, and Dominique Malaquais. The Moderator is Elizabeth Harney.

A special performance by Nástio Mosquito titled “African, I Guess, closes the symposium. Mosquito presents an immersive multimedia spoken word performance. The artist was recently named by the UK Guardian to the list of 10 African Artists To Look Out For.

 In a pre-conference interview Wainaina said because he does not live in Toronto his address has to be relevant to the place of the Black and African world in Toronto as well as the global communities. "I guess I am kind of bringing messages from home (Africa).  I guess I am provoking discussions to interact,” he suggested.

   He is concerned that the Black world of Canada especially the literary world, which he knows, seems not connected to the continent because Africans don’t see much of them and very little is known about what is going on here in Canada. The award winning author feels members of the Diaspora out of the U.S. and the U.K. are integrated and there is need for some discussion about that. “We need to interact with each other because how we interact provokes our thoughts. We learn new ideas from each other,” Wainaina observes.

                            ROM Publicist Wendy Vincent, Silvia Forni and Julie 
                                 Crooks working on Of Africa Symposium
   Binyavanga promised to talk in his keynote address to the symposium, about changes that he knows are going on in the artistic community and the community in general – the queers, the bohemians, the people who in history and in diverse societies are always the provocateurs and change makers. He also plans to talk about the history of the Royal Ontario Museum, including “Into the Heart of Africa” exhibition which created serious divisions between members of the African Canadian community and the institution. Many were arrested and charged by police. The scholar believes it is important to revisit this development which hit the city 25 years ago. “I think the idea that these things happen need always to be mentioned. We cannot be a generation of forgetters.” He plans meeting with members of the African Canadian community prior to his speech so that he could understand some of the dynamics associated with the disagreement.

   Silvia Forni, curator of the ROM’s African Collection and Julie Crooks, independent curator and organizer of “Of Africa” alongside Dominique Fontaine are the curators. They are working on a major venture that involves numerous aspects. “For us it’s an important start because it is about having and expanding the conversation about Africa through the voices of artists, curators and people who are deeply engaged in contemporary culture in Africa to present to the public here in Ontario a multiple perspective and multiple visions of the African continent,” says Forni. This is a symposium that we really try to organize by bringing to Toronto a number of people that are very deeply engaged in transforming and living culture on the African continent and from different places in Africa. It is really about presenting the variety and the complexity of what Africa is today.”

   About a year ago Fontaine and Crooks began thinking about a way, based on the fact that the 25^th anniversary of the “Into the Heart of Africa exhibition” was coming up and to look at that past history through the museum but also find a way of moving forward from that event so they met with Sylvia and proposed this idea. They also formed an advisory committee that would help to frame what they were doing. It also served as a sounding board. That is how the process started about how this would develop over the next two to three years.