‘The U.S. Embassy in Russia issued 80,000 visas in 2005, 10,000 having been issued in Yekaterinburg. This can be seen as a slight lagging compared to Saint Petersburg where 15,000 to 20,000 visas were issued. However, the Embassy is hoping to reach the point of 12,500 visas in 2006, which is going to be an unprecedented number for Yekaterinburg,’ Consul General of Moscow Embassy James D. Pettit announced at the press conference on January 18, 2006.

‘We’ve had a lot fewer rejections lately; thus, refusals made up 25% of all visa applications 2.5 years ago but only 17% in 2005,’ Mr Pettit said.