The number of issued visas to Russians in the United States has reached crisis level

135 thousand Russian citizens have received for the year (from 1 October 2009 to September 30, 2010) a U.S. visa. This figure is equal to the pre-crisis level of 2008. According to RIA Novosti news agency that more than 90% of all issued visas to Russians are the ones that allow for business and leisure travel. Around 500-600 people a day turn to the Consular Section U.S. Embassy with the application for the visa. Still about a hundred applicants are re-visas - those who do not want to be interviewed. Russian citizens in most cases have no problems with obtaining a U.S. visa - the number of failures is only 5% of the volume of applications received.