DOS Issues New Mantis Cable Posted Jul 04, 2003 As we reported April 04, 2003 in our MurthyBulletin article, Technology Alert List Screening Includes Indian Nationals, available on MurthyDotCom, nationals from India, China, Israel, Pakistan, and Russia have been subject to additional background checks, known as "Visa Mantis" screenings, if they work or study in a field on the Technology Alert List (TAL). In an undated cable released to AILA in mid-June 2003, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) now affirms that applicants of ANY nationality may also be subject to a Visa Mantis screening, if they are coming to the U.S. at the invitation of a U.S. government entity to engage in an activity involving any of the technologies on the TAL. The Visa Mantis screening will be valid for a one-year period in most circumstances. Further, the Cable permits individuals to return without an additional Mantis check if three conditions are met. The first condition is that the individual is returning to a U.S. government-sponsored program or activity and will perform the same duties or functions at the same facility or organization that was the basis of the original Mantis authorization. The second condition is that the consular post has evidence in its own records, an annotation on the visa, or in the original visa-issuing post that a Mantis authorization was received for the applicant for this program or activity. The third requirement is that the post sends a post-check to Visa Mantis cable after the visa is issued. No visa subject to Visa Mantis will be issued for more than a year. The Cable advises the consular officers to ensure that a proper designation is placed on the visa so that Mantis revalidation will take minimal time. We encourage MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers who are subject to the Mantis program to ensure their visas are properly annotated at the consulate in order to minimize the administrative time necessary to obtain future visas from the U.S. Department of State. © The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C.
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