GIVING PRIORITY APPOINTMENTS TO SEARCH AND

UNCLAS STATE 003291 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS ASEC OTRA HT SUBJECT: GIVING PRIORITY APPOINTMENTS TO SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS, HUMANITARIAN RELIEF EFFORTS, AND FAMILY/NOK OF VICTIMS OF HAITI EARTHQUAKE ¶1. Due to the tragic events in Haiti, posts may receive emergency requests for visa interview appointments for Host Nation Search and Rescue Teams and Humanitarian Relief efforts, as well as from family members and next- of-kin (NOK) of victims. Posts should extend the same humanitarian consideration they do in other emergency situations and should instruct their call centers to accommodate these emergency cases as quickly as possible. ¶2. Requests from family members and NOK should be limited to immediate family/NOK of victims. If posts receive cases about which they have questions, they should email their post-liaison officer in VO/F/P. ¶3. Officers should refer family members searching for Amcit loved ones to Travel.State.Gov or to the Consular Call Center at 1-888-407-4747. Persons searching for non-Amcit LPR family members should be referred to the Embassy of their country of origin. All offers of private assistance should be referred to www.cidi.org. ¶4. Any questions on these procedures should be directed to CA/VO/F/P. CLINTON