DHAKA: The US Department of State strives to ensure the integrity of the US visa process and takes all allegations of visa fraud seriously. 

The US Embassy in Dhaka has noticed a steep increase in the use of fraudulent documents to obtain US visas.

To combat this alarming trend, the US Embassy is working closely with Bangladeshi law enforcement to arrest not only the brokers who produce these documents, but also the applicants who use them in their visa interviews. 

Arrests for document fraud are increasing as consular officers identify fraud trends and as the cooperation between the U.S. Embassy and Bangladeshi law enforcement strengthens.   

Document forgery, false document possession, and conspiracy related to the creation, distribution, and use of counterfeit documents are all crimes under U.S. and Bangladeshi law. 

The US Embassy does not hesitate to inform local law enforcement when a visa applicant commits any of these offenses. 

When a visa applicant uses a broker, both the applicant and his or her broker are responsible for the content of the application and the legitimacy of the documents presented at the interview.  An applicant who is discovered with counterfeit documents cannot expect to avoid legal prosecution by claiming ignorance. 

US consular officers often encounter legitimate travelers who place their trust in an unscrupulous broker and are not only refused a US visa, but are subsequently arrested for violating Bangladeshi law. 

The US Embassy reminds visa applicants that using a broker will not improve chances of receiving a U.S. visa.  Brokers have no influence over the visa process. 

The most reliable information is available in both Bangla and English on our website at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/bd.

BDST: 1545 HRS, May 5, 2015
AKA