US visas to be issued to Moldovans for up to 5 years

Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat and US Ambassador to Moldova Asif J. Chaudhry on Monday, June 28, signed a new visa arrangement to lengthen the validity of several categories of visas and reduce fees for Moldovan citizens, Info-Prim Neo reports. Under the concluded agreement, Moldovans traveling to the United States on work and study visas will now receive multiple-entry visas valid for the period of their studies or employment, up to five years, without paying additional surcharges other than the visa application fee. Prior to this new arrangement, the validity dates on US visas had been a maximum of one year. At the same time, citizens of the United States residing in Moldova will be able to receive labor and residence permits valid for five-year terms, also with no additional fees. The Moldovan Premier said the facilitation of the visa regime would remove certain barriers for traveling to the US, which would lead to the intensification of cooperation between Moldova and the US. "This new visa arrangement will affect thousands of people and will bring our two countries even closer together, which is our primary goal," said U.S. Ambassador Asif J. Chaudhry. Ambassador Asif J. Chaudhry also said that this agreement represents a big progress in Moldova's foreign policy and a step forward in the relationship between Moldova and the US. “I am confident this arrangement will draw our peoples closer to each other”, said the diplomat. This arrangement was finalized earlier this month and authorized by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Prime Minister Vlad Filat during their meeting in Washington in January 2010, and following negotiations between the U.S. Department of State and the Government of Moldova.