The number of applications for U.S. visas that were processed in China and Brazil in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2012 increased more than 50 percent from the same period last year, the U.S. State Department said.

In China, U.S. consular officers adjudicated nearly 260,000 visas in China in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, which lasted from October to December 2011, compared to 175,000 in the same period in fiscal 2011, an increase of 48 percent.

In Brazil, nearly 280,000 visas were processed in the period, compared to 171,000 in fiscal 2011, an increase of 63 percent, the department said in a statement.

The sharp increase in visa processing resulted from the initiatives taken by the State Department to greatly reduce the wait time for visa interview in China and Brazil, two of the fast-growing economies in the world.

To meet increasing demand for U.S. visas, the U.S. State Department is deploying additional personnel, expanding visa sections, and utilizing new systems and technologies to facilitate legitimate travel without compromising national security.

As visitors from China and Brazil represent a growing market for travel and tourism to the United States, the remarkable growth in visa processing signals good news for the U.S. economy, the statement said.

Every additional 65 international visitors to the U.S. generate enough exports to support an additional travel and tourism-related job, the statement said.

-usa.chinadaily.com.cn, 13 January 2012


Another great sign of the changing of the times. What was virtually impossible only a few decades ago—that Chinese and Brazilian tourists would come to the United States—is now a needed lifeline for the US. This is, of course, a two-way street. On the one hand, tourism brings in currency and creates jobs in America; on the other hand, many of those tourists will scout business opportunities for their own country. But we can say with assurance, international travel will increase, even in much larger scale than in past times. More travel and information will contribute toward an even closer relationship and integration, to build the one world prophesied in Holy Scripture.

(For more on this subject, read Revelation 13: Satan’s Last Victory, Item 1067.)


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