The US authorities look suspect in this. Maybe persuaded by USATF. Remember Omanyala beat the Fred Kerley badly in May in Nairobi. Since Fred Kerley beat everyone badly at the USA trials, it would seem the only person capable of stopping Kerley from winning gold is Omanyala.
Or maybe Omanyala is being targeted for his past "sins"(failed drug test in 2018).
Lmao. If you think the US cares about the T&f championships enough to screw with people getting into the country because they’re afraid someone will beat a US guy then you’re CRAZY. Hahahaha
Flew in today from Germany. No you don't. Didn't need it to go there or coming back. Not US citizens and not German citizens. Your link is not up to date.
But elite athletes coming to the US to compete at an event like the Worlds would not be applying for immigration visas allowing them to take up residence in the USA. They'd be applying for temporary visas allowing them to visit the USA for a period. In other words, they'd be seeking visitor visas, not immigration visas. From the relevant US gov websites:
Visitor Visa Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for a temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), for tourism (visa category B-2), or for a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2).
In addition to the B visa category, there's the P-1 visa:
P-1: Individual or Team Athlete, or Member of an Entertainment Group
To perform at a specific athletic competition as an athlete or as a member of an entertainment group. Requires an internationally recognized level of sustained performance. Includes persons providing essential services in support of the above individual.
An athlete of Omanyala's stature should be able to get an O visa too. I believe an O visa remains valid for a number of years, so people with O visas can enter and leave the US as it suits them.
O: Individual with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement
For persons with extraordinary ability or achievement in the sciences, arts, education, business, athletics, or extraordinary recognized achievements in the motion picture and television fields, demonstrated by sustained national or international acclaim, to work in their field of expertise. Includes persons providing essential services in support of the above individual.
You don't know what you are talking about. It can take a year, thousands of dollars and hundreds of pages of documentation to get a O1 visa. P-1 and Visitor visa are easier to obtain, but until you do not get an appointment to the local consulate you are out of luck, and the waiting list is often a month or more, just to get the appointment. Then you'll need to bring a ton of paperwork and then, assuming the officer examining your case is happy with the documentation and does not ask for some supplementary information, it can easily be another month (or more, sometimes much more) to get the visa approved.
The post of yours I was replying to was one in which you spoke as though these athletes were applying for immigration visas rather than visitors' visas. I simply pointed out that immigrant and visitors visas are two entirely separate categories, and I provided info on 3 of the kinds of visitors' visas that athletes might apply for.
I made no comment whatsoever about how difficult it was to obtain any of the 3 kinds of visitors' visas I listed, how much time it took, or how much paperwork was involved.
Also, lots of countries require that people from foreign countries provide "a ton of paperwork" to get permission to cross their borders as well as to do many other things. There are many activities within one's own country that require a fair amount of paperwork - such as filing income taxes, buying a house, leasing a car, and registering children for school and sports activities. Paperwork hassles are not unique to the US Dept of State's visa application process - paperwork is the bread and butter of bureaucracies everywhere.
I've always thought that immmigration approaches are incredibly still in the stone age era. In this day of age and technology one would expect a much much efficient services, especially for World class athletes.
Whether or not it is for a sporting event, the same checks and processes need to be complied with according to United States law. Foreign federations simply do not realize how much longer and more thorough US immigration checks are than most other countries.
The fault lies with the USATF for not making it clear enough to the foreign federations that they had to get on this way earlier than they have had to in the past when the World Champs were held in other countries.
Flew in today from Germany. No you don't. Didn't need it to go there or coming back. Not US citizens and not German citizens. Your link is not up to date.
His link is up-to-date. If you're coming on a tourist or business visa you still need a vaccine. People would have submitted this proof to the airline before they boarded... unless you have a source for when this policy changed?
So I've been reading how a good number of athletes may not be let into the country for Worlds including African 100 record holder Ferdinand Omanyala.
Can someone explain this to me? What is the issue and who is to blame?
Everyone has known for years the track meet was going to be in Eugene this weekend. It seems like the US and the various countries should have this easily figured out, particularly for someon as high profile as Ferdinand Omanyala.
Is there a reason why a particular person wouldn't get a visa but others do? Does it mean the govt is worried about that person coming to the country?
If it was me, hell I'd just give Kenya the exact number of Visas they need - if they have 50 athletes and 50 staff, just give them 100 and let them figure it out.
If a few of them don't go back, who hell cares? We've got hundreds of thousands coming over here illegally every year anyway - a handful of talented track athletes isn't going to meaningfullly change anything anyway.
I really don't get how there is any issue for something that should have been planned years in advance. Who is to blame? Agents? US govt? Or the govt of the athletes struggling to get the visas?
I am not an expert but I can tell you first hand. It is the US Embassy in Nairobi. I was in Kenya in April attempting to help 2 of wife's family members get a tourist visa to visit us in the US on holiday. They cannot get the required in-person visa appointment until March 2024. Understaffed, very few appointment openings. Apparently, they think covid is still running rampant and no one in the world is working yet. Granted, there is a faster process for athletes, and they prioritize based on random criteria, but it shows you the ineptness and inefficiency of the US Government and staff. There is a reason I have heard many Kenyans say it is easier to get into heaven that the U.S. 2 years wait...give me a break.
There are many that did not obtain the visas to enter the USA. The main reason is the backlog that US embassies and consulates are in. During COVID-19 they stopped issuing appointments to obtain VISAS. When the embassies reopened they started giving time slots for appointments 6 plus months later. Many of the athletes had secured an appointment either personally or thru their governments but these appointments were rescheduled for several months later unilaterally by the embassies. The embassies prioritized emergency appointments for exceptional circumstances such as a dying family member or family reunions and did not see the world championships as an important matter. In the past, when a country host such events and require visas the embassies worked with the federations and governments to facilitate this process. This time was different.
It's always the case that the meeting a lawyer to collect data from the meet and give it the the US State Department for pre-processing. The lawyer explains what it's for, etc. to the US State Department, and follows through to ensure that nothing is omitted.
The meeting issues on it's letterhead a 'letter of invitation' to each athlete. When the athlete contacts the local US Embassy in their respective countries, they already know about the athlete and processes the Visa quickly.
In our case nothing was done by the meetiing. When athletes try to get a Visa from the US Embassy the staff doesn''t know anything about the World Championships in Athletics. Thus the drawn out, bureaucratic process begins.
World Athletics, USATF, nor Tracktown have reached out to the USOPC for help with the international athletes' VISA issues. The USOPC has staff dedicated to helping NGBs (USATF) resolve these issues with the US govt / Immigration, particularly for large events of this stature.
Chris Thompson from GB now not able to compete in the marathon because of Visa issues. Getting ridiculous. Imagine all that work for nothing. US should be banned from hosting another major champs.
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