Duration
The Voluntary Visitors program may be
of short duration, minimum of two days, with four or five
professional appointments in one city, or longer, with a maximum of
ten calendar days, with various appointments in several cities in
the United States.
Who may apply for this program?
In order to
participate in this program, the meetings must be closely related to
the work area of the solicitor and of relevance to the Dominican
Republic and the United States, and clearly promote the goals of the
Diplomatic Mission of the United States in the Dominican Republic.
Application
process
The interested
person must provide the following documents:
Topics of interest
– In one page or less,
describe the topic in which you are interested. Include the type of
appointments you are seeking, and when possible include the names of
the organizations or individuals you wish to meet with.
Justification – In one page
or less, justify your qualifications for participation in the
Voluntary Visitors program. In addition, describe how this program
will improve your current position and how will you apply the
experience you obtain when you return.
Recommendation
– A recommendation letter from your supervisor must accompany your
request. The letter must indicate the importance of the program to
the goals of the organization you represent and your qualifications
to participate on this program.
Bibliographical
information –
You must complete
the attached form
completely. The lack of information may delay or annul your
request.
Time
–
Requests must be received a minimum of eight weeks before the
program date.
Key selection Criteria
To qualify, the
candidates must possess concrete professional objectives. Nominees
with ample experience in the Untied States, especially those that
have received scholarships from the Department of State of the
United States, will be considered low priority.
Visitors that may not be considered for the program
Applicants for
whom any of the following is true will not be considered for the
program:
-
Their busy
itineraries only allow room for one or two professional
appointments.
-
Visitors
that have the intention of doing business during a portion of
their trip in the United States.
-
Individuals that possess a resident visa or are US citizens.
-
Individuals that are planning to participate in the following
activities are NOT eligible for the Voluntary Visitors program:
-
Appointments to participate at presentations or movie exhibits,
concerts, theater plays.
-
Speaker
tours.
-
Promotional
visits to art galleries, editing houses or companies.
-
Training
programs or research programs for business opportunities.
Escort/translator services
We may request,
in a selective manner, one or more escort or escort / translator
officer for the Voluntary Visitors.
Other important facts that all Voluntary Visitors should be aware of
All Voluntary
Visitors, must be briefed by an officer or representative from the
Public Affairs Office before departing to the United States, where
emphasis on the following points of the program will be placed:
A. Highly
qualified and experienced professional personnel will arrange the
visitor’s program.
B. VIP
or protocol treatment is not offered.
C. Only
those services and resources that the Public Affairs Office and the
Voluntary Visitors Division have agreed in a specific manner and
confirmed by cable will be offered to the visitors.
D. The
visitors will receive the itineraries of their programs only after
arriving in the United States, normally from the hands of an officer
from the Voluntary Visitors Office or a translator, and generally,
on the first day of the program, for all the appointments that will
take place in Washington, DC.
E. All
the materials that will be distributed during the program will be in
English.
F. It
is expected that all visitors follow the itinerary established by
the office. The Department of State officer will allow limited
flexibility in order to include minor changes in the program.
G. Tardiness
or the cancellation of appointments jeopardizes the reputation of
the Department of State and the capacity of arranging further
appointments for other visitors.
H. The
appointments arranged by the Department of State are solely and
exclusively for the visitors and their escort / interpreter. The
presence of spouses, family members or friends is prohibited. On
limited occasions, representatives from the participant’s embassy
may accompany them to the meetings.
For additional information
Please contact
Nieves Peguero, Cultural Affairs Specialist for the Public Affairs
Office at the US Embassy.
Telephone:
(809) 566-3131 Ext. 235
Fax: (809)
683-0285 ó (809) 381-0062
E-Mail:
cultural@usemb.gov.do |
