An update on General Conference visas

Today's post is by UM & Global blogmaster Dr. David W. Scott, Mission Theologian at the General Board of Global Ministries. The opinions and analysis expressed here are Dr. Scott's own and do not reflect in any way the official position of Global Ministries.

General Conference will next meet in Charlotte, NC, from April 23 to May 3, 2024, just under 18 months from now. Several details about that meeting have yet to be announced, most notably whether it will be a continuation of the delayed 2020 General Conference, the regularly scheduled 2024 General Conference, or some combination of both, and hence whether existing delegations will attend or whether new delegations will need to be elected.

Although General Conference is still some ways off, since visa availability was a major issue in the further postponement of General Conference from 2022 to 2024, an update on General Conference visas seems worthwhile.

The good news is that, in almost all cases, wait times for visa applications have decreased since the start of the year, in some cases quite significantly. For instance, wait times in Manila have fallen from 639 days at the beginning of February to 120 days as of the beginning of November. Wait times in Kinshasa, DRC, have gone from 441 days to 105 days. Other countries also show significant, if less dramatic, decreases. These decreases are a sign of the US visa system returning to more normal functioning after the disruption of and backlog caused by the pandemic.

If delegates were to apply for visas today, only three countries would see issues with wait times or general availability: Nigeria, where wait times remain 728 days; Russia, where only emergency visas are being issued (in large part because of the Russia-Ukraine war); and Ukraine, where the U.S. embassy is closed because of the war.

Those countries combined send 32 delegates to General Conference, a not insignificant amount, but less than 4% of all delegates, as opposed to the up to 1/3 of delegates who could have had issues at the beginning of this year. Some Nigerian, Russian, and Ukrainian delegates may have pre-existing visas and still be able to attend General Conference (if Russians are able to travel at all). Furthermore, it is important to think about how to adequately represent countries who may have difficulties attending General Conference, regardless of absolute numbers.

While wait times right now are good, there are two additional reasons why visas may still be an issue for General Conference 2024:

1. Since it is not yet clear whether existing delegations will attend General Conference 2024 or whether annual conference will need to select new delegations, it is not yet clear who should be applying for visas. If Judicial Council calls for new delegates, then there is a bit more time pressure for annual conferences to elect new delegates and those delegates to apply for visas, since the annual conference election process will take some time.

2. While wait times in general are not currently a problem, individuals applying for visas may still suffering challenges, hurdles, and failures in their individual applications. This was the case for General Conference in 2019 and all previous General Conferences as well. The question remains whether there will be more difficulties for General Conference 2024 than for previous General Conferences. Indications from other sources are that US visas have become more difficult to obtain in recent years.

As always with visa applications, the rule stands: the earlier one applies, the better chance one has of getting a visa at the end of the process, whatever that process looks like. With more details about General Conference coming into clarity, it is hoped that delegates will be able to begin that process without too much more delay.

Recommended Reading: Global Visa Inequality

When the Commission on General Conference announced the further postponement of General Conference to 2024, access to visas was a major reason they cited for the postponement. This United Methodist experience with visa troubles makes a recent NPR article about the challenges of obtaining visas for global health experts from the Global South to attend professional conferences therefore relevant. Read in light of the UMC's experiences, the article highlights several lessons that the UMC would do well to consider long-term:

First, issues with visas are a constant challenge from people from developing countries, not just during the pandemic.

Second, issues with visas are systematic, not just limited to The United Methodist Church. While the UMC can do a better or worse job of supporting visa-seekers, obtaining visas to the United States will always be hard.

Third, issues with visas for people from developing countries apply not only to entry into the United States but to entry into most wealthy nations. 

Fourth, having conference outside of rich countries can be a real route to better representation.

The article notes, "When [Dr. Ulrick Sidney] Kanmounye and a research team from Harvard University's Program in Global Surgery and Social Change looked at publicly available data, they found that conferences hosted in low- and middle-income countries were more likely to have diverse participants. In addition, 'hosting a conference in Latin America, Africa or Asia significantly increased participation of researchers from the region and minimally impacted high-income country attendance,' he says."

Organizers are already working on securing a spot for General Conference in 2024, and it may be too late to change that location. But this article is a reminder that the location of General Conference matters. Especially as the UMC becomes more internationally diverse, choosing a location that ensures the fullest participation of delegates from all countries will be increasingly important, even if that location is no longer in the United States.

Up to a third of General Conference delegates can't get visas in time

Today's post is by UM & Global blogmaster Dr. David W. Scott, Mission Theologian at the General Board of Global Ministries. The opinions and analysis expressed here are Dr. Scott's own and do not reflect in any way the official position of Global Ministries.

There has been a lot of recent debate about vaccine requirements as a bar to participation in General Conference by delegates from outside the United States. This debate has surfaced important issues about international equality and equity within the church. It has, however, overlooked the second big bar to participation in General Conference by delegates from outside the United States: visas.

Heather Hahn's recent article about UMC debates emphasizes, though, that visas are just as important as vaccinations for allowing General Conference to happen. And new data show that it may be visas, rather than vaccinations, that are the more insurmountable obstacle. Up to a third of General Conference delegates (and three-quarters of those from outside the United States) may not be able to obtain visas in time to participate in an August 2022 General Conference.

Visas are difficult to obtain even in normal times, as previously reported. But the pandemic has created anything but normal times over the past two years, making the process much slower and more difficult.

The wait times for visa processing depends on both the demand for visas from a country and the capacity of the consulate in that country to process visas. Visa wait times vary somewhat by country and from year to year, but normally, they are around two months.

COVID has disrupted normal wait times in many countries, however. During some parts of the pandemic, the US government was not issuing visas at all, at least to particular countries. This has created a backlog of demand for visas in some countries. COVID may have also diminished the capacity of various consulates to process visas in some cases.

The result is that in a number of countries, including countries where UMC General Conference delegates reside, wait times for obtaining visas have become quite long. Moreover, visas are still completely unavailable in a few countries where General Conference delegates reside. Other countries have returned to fairly normal wait times.

Based on the visa appointment wait times reported by the US State Department, there are up to 286 General Conference delegates who, if they were to start the process today in the US consulate in the capital of their country, would not even be able to get a visa application interview before General Conference is scheduled to meet. This is approximately a third of the total number of delegates and just over three quarters of the delegates from outside the United States.

Moreover, having a visa application interview is no guarantee of getting a visa, and in some cases there is additional processing time required to issue the visa. That additional processing time could mean that several more delegates would not be able to get visas before General Conference is scheduled to meet in August if they started the process today.

This group includes all of the delegates from the DRC (the country with the second highest number of United Methodists) and the Philippines (representing an entire central conference). It also includes a variety of other African and European countries, including Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Russia, all of which have substantial delegate counts. If they start now, at current rates, Nigerian delegates couldn’t get visas in time for General Conference in 2024.

Of course, some of these delegates may already have started the visa process. The US government began processing visas again in most countries three months ago. Not only did that represent an earlier start to the process, if delegates applied then, the timing of their interview would be based on wait times at that point, which may have been lower.

Some delegates may already have visas for other purposes. In a typical General Conference year, some delegates have visitor visas already because of travel to the United States for other church meetings or business or personal travel. That number is likely to be lower this year because of the pause in travel due to the pandemic.

It is possible that the visa application wait times could come down, though in many cases, they would need to come down substantially to allow delegates to participate. There are also sometimes other work arounds – for instance, applying in another nearby country (which is not allowed in all cases).

Part of the challenge of visas is that, because the process is controlled entirely by the US government, the UMC has little leverage to affect the outcome or timing. UMC leaders can advocate on behalf of delegates, and the Commission on General Conference is undoubtedly doing so, but such advocacy has limited effectiveness even in normal times.

Thus, even with the exceptions noted above, an in-person General Conference held in the United States in August would likely not allow representatives from a substantial portion of the church to participate.

Obviously, I cannot speak for the Commission on General Conference. But given their previous statements about their desire to have an in-person General Conference with representation from a wide and representative array of United Methodists, the outlook for holding General Conference this year does not look good.

How Visas Work in the UMC

Today's post is by UM & Global blogmaster Dr. David W. Scott, Director of Mission Theology at the General Board of Global Ministries. The opinions and analysis expressed here are Dr. Scott's own and do not reflect in any way the official position of Global Ministries.

As The United Methodist Church is roiled about possible voting irregularities at General Conference 2019, people are paying more attention to the 31 General Conference delegates who were unable to attend, mostly due to visa issues. This post is an attempt to answer some questions about the visa process and why a General Conference delegate or someone attending another United Methodist meeting might be unable to attend due to visa issues. I have learned a lot about the visa application process recently, as I have been coordinated the "Answering the Call" Methodist mission bicentennial conference, and this guide arises in part from that experience.

What is a visa?
A visa is a temporary permit to enter another country that is required in addition to a valid passport. Many Americans may be unfamiliar with visas, since Americans are not required to have visas to enter many countries where Americans typically go. However, the United States government does require visas for people from many countries to come to the US. Canada is the only country whose citizens can enter the US visa free, though citizens of some, mostly European countries, can get a visa waiver. Citizens of all African countries must have a visa to enter the US, even for short periods.

How does someone get a visa?
To obtain a visa, travelers must apply to the US Consular Office in their country. The must pay a fee, fill out an application (usually online), provide documentation, and attend a visa interview. The individual must take the steps of the process themself; others cannot apply for a visa on one's behalf.

But can't the UMC help General Conference delegates get visas?
The UMC does provide visa assistance. GCFA has a very diligent, talented, and well-informed staff person who provides visa assistance. She provides supporting documentation for visa applications, creates a tutorial to help walk applicants through the steps they must follow, and answers questions applicants may have about the process. Nonetheless, the applicant is ultimately responsible for applying for the visa themself.

What challenges might prevent a delegate from successfully applying for a visa?
One possibility is that an applicant may just not complete the steps for the application because of misunderstanding or because they are overwhelmed with other responsibilities. GC delegates are usually leaders in their annual conferences with many demands placed on them. Moreover, even delaying application due to other duties can mean that delegates may run out of time to successfully apply. They may also have difficulty paying the application fee, which can be a couple hundred dollars, quite a lot for someone from a country with a weak economy. Delegates may also have difficulty completing online applications due to poor internet connection. Or they may have difficulty making it to a consular office for the in-person interview, especially if they are located at some distance from the office and roads are bad or non-existent and flights infrequent.

How does the US Consular Office decide to issue someone a visa?
The US Consular Office considers several factors in their decision that address three basic questions: Will the applicant be able to cover the costs of their travel, or are they likely to become a burden on US support systems? Does the applicant pose a threat to the US? Is the applicant likely to return home after their visit, or are they a risk to overstay their visa? (Despite the rhetoric about border migration, people who have overstayed their visas are actually a larger source of undocumented immigration to the US.)

On the first point, invitations to United Methodist meetings in the US typically indicate that the UMC will be covering the costs of applicant's travel and stay in the US; thus, applicants should not pose a risk of needing support. The other two questions can be more challenging. If applicants come from areas where conflict is prevalent, they may be seen as posing a threat to the US.

But the biggest challenge for applicants is convincing consular offices that they will return home after the event they will be attending. To do so, they must demonstrate significant ties through family, employment, etc. to their home countries. This is especially difficult for young adults, who are regarded as a higher risk of overstaying their visa.

What else might lead to someone being denied a visa?
Applying for a visa is a complicated process. If an applicant has accidentally made a mistake on their application, either in the category of visa for which they applied or in recording some element of their personal information, they may be denied for that reason.

What happens if someone is denied a visa? Do they have other options?
If an applicant is denied on their initial application, they may appeal and re-apply. However, they must pay the application fee again, and the appeal process takes additional time. If the appeal process takes too long, a delegate may run out of time to successfully apply.

If central conferences know that some of their delegates may be denied visas, why not just send more reserve delegates?
The biggest reason here is cost. General Conference pays for the expenses of regular delegates, but not reserve delegates. The cost of a reserve delegate to attend General Conference from a central conference could be thousands of dollars once flights, hotel, and food are taken into consideration. That can represent a significant expense for individuals from or annual conferences in countries with weak economies. Furthermore, it may be even harder for reserve delegates to obtain visas, since they do not have the guarantee of the UMC that their expenses while in the US will be covered.

This all sounds complicated.
It is. It's also an instance in which the inequalities between the US and the rest of the world affect the church, even independently from any inequalities within the church. The UMC does not control the US visa process. But that process reinforces the power differentials that already exist between people from the United States and those from other countries.