No visa rule change, U.S. Embassy says

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said Thursday there have been no changes in U.S. visa policy here, rebutting recent press reports that the U.S. State Department will tighten visa application procedures.

An embassy press release said, "These reports are incorrect," adding that the procedures detailed on the embassy's Web site at www.asktheconsul.org or www.usavisas.org, the Korean-language version, remain in effect for visa applicants here.

Reports of U.S. visa policy changes began to circulate after it was discovered that some of the hijackers involved in the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States had received U.S. visas in Saudi Arabia. U.S. visa policies have been tightened there and all adult visa applicants must appear for an interview, a State Department spokesman said last week.