NAIST coordinated with the American Consulate General Osaka-Kobe to hold an information session on US visas for our faculty, administrative staff and students to facilitate their travels. On September 2, 2016 Mr. Joo Weon John Park, Vice Consul, and Ms. Tomoko Takatori, Visa Assistant/Consular Outreach Coordinator from the American Consulate General Osaka-Kobe visited NAIST and spoke on various areas concerning immigration to 65 attendees (31 faculty and administrative staff, 34 students) in the Kenshu hall.

Due to the increased US immigration control to strengthen home security against terrorist attacks, our researchers and students planning to visit the US have to complete the proper application process in advance to obtain their visa.

Mr. Park and Ms. Takatori explained US visas (B-1/B-2, F-1 and J-1) and their application processes in detail. They followed this with specific examples highlighting visa category differences, nationality and other situations and conditions of prospective visa applicants, offering advice for our researchers and students who are considering a visit to the US. The consulate officials then thoroughly answered various questions asked by the attendees.

All the attendees were very grateful for the US consulate general’s visit to Nara. The information session was extremely helpful for fully understanding individual US visa procedures and how they may vary due to applicants’ needs and circumstances.