The "sensitive but unclassified" report, dated December 2002, states that until the events of September 11, the visa process was seldom considered a major element of national security. "This is so, despite the fact that after the first attack on the World Trade Centre, Congress mandated the issuance of machine-readable visas and CLASS (Consular Lookout and Support System) name checks worldwide, while authorising a visa application fee to provide funding to make this possible...

"The post-September 11 era should have witnessed immediate and dramatic changes in CA's (Bureau of Consular Affairs) direction of the visa process. This has not happened. A fundamental readjustment by Department leadership regarding visa issuance and denial has not taken place. The Department still does not fully appreciate the consular function as part of a co-ordinated effort to manage border security and implement the INA (Immigration and Nationality Act), both to prevent the travel of those who might present risks to the United States and its citizens and also to facilitate legitimate travel."

According to the report, the Bureau of Consular Affairs continues to experience shortcomings that include:

• "Lack of uniformity in visa processing from post to post.
• "Lack of a planning staff to develop and advance options for consular input into border security initiatives and directions."

"If the visa process is to be made more secure", the report states, "it must be considered as part of a larger process beginning with the visa process and continuing through the admission of aliens to the United States and tracking them while they remain in this country." Financial and human resources must be provided to realise these changes, the report states.

The report addressed several aspects of non-immigrant visa processing at posts abroad under the policy direction of the Visa Office in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. It identified weaknesses and recommended 19 actions to remedy the problems.

"The assumption underlying these recommendations is that national security is the first priority, but that the need to limit illegal immigration also remains an important priority", it states.

The fieldwork for the survey which was conducted from July to November 2002 was completed prior to the passage of legislation creating the US Department of Homeland Security and vesting it with policy authority with regard to the visa process. It involved visits to 27 visa-issuing posts which were selected because they were in the Middle East or because they processed large numbers of applications from "aliens of special interest".

Reacting to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the US State Department, working with other US Government agencies has been engaged in an extensive and ongoing review of visa-issuing practices as they relate to the national security of the USA.

According to an advisory from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, US Department of State, dated November 1, 2002, "Visa applications are now subject to a greater degree of scrutiny than in the past. Applicants affected by these procedures are informed of the need for additional screening at the time they submit their applications and are being advised to expect delays."

Citizens of other countries seeking to enter the United States temporarily for business, tourism and other reasons must apply form and obtain a US travel document called a "non-immigrant visa" at US embassies or consulates before arriving at US ports of entry.

Consular officers from the US State Department operate more than 200 visa-issuing posts worldwide and in fiscal year 2001 they issued 7.6 million visas. In deciding who should and should not receive a visa, consular officers perform a risk assessment that balances the need to facilitate legitimate travel with the need to protect the United States against potential terrorists and to deter others whose entry is considered likely to be harmful to US national interests.