UNCLASSIFIED
TELEGRAM                                           March 12, 2001


To:       ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS - ROUTINE           

Origin:   VO                                                     

From:     SECSTATE WASHDC (STATE 43978 - ROUTINE)                

TAGS:     CVIS, CMGT                                             

Captions: None                                                   

Subject:  A NEW AND IMPROVED OF-156                              

Ref:      None                                                   
_________________________________________________________________

1. The Department announces the introduction of a new and
improved OF-156, Nonimmigrant Visa Application. The form
has been modified to include up-to-date Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) approval information, and
several small typographical errors have been corrected.
In addition, we have corrected item 29, bullet 2, changing
the word "lawfully" to "unlawfully."

2. The OF-156 is now available on the A/RPS/DIR Intranet
site (http://99.1.1.27/), the official repository for all
Department forms. It will soon be available on the
Department's Internet site (www.state.gov).

3. The General Services Administration (GSA) will no
longer stock the OF-156. Posts may, however, continue to
use their existing stocks of English and translated OF-
156s and continue to order English-language OF-156s from
GSA, bearing in mind that such forms will not contain the
corrections mentioned in paragraph 1 of this message.
Posts may also print the OF-156 locally, using the 10/2000
version on the A/RPS/DIR Intranet site as a camera copy,
or they may order the English version from Greg Liverpool
of A/RPS/MMS/PRD.

4. Posts are reminded that the OF-156 is subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), which is
administered by OMB. Pursuant to the PRA, OMB gives
approval for agencies to use "information collections"
like the OF-156 for a maximum of three years at a time.
Posts may not/not make any changes to the text of the OF-
156, nor may they modify the layout or typeface. Posts
may, however, translate the form and print the translated
OF-156 locally, provided that the translation is accurate
and that the layout of the translated OF-156 looks as much
like that of the English version as possible. No
Department approval is required for translations.

5. OMB approval for the OF-156 will expire on June 30,
2001. The Visa Office has begun the process of securing
OMB approval to extend the validity of this form and plans
are underway to introduce a completely re-designed
Nonimmigrant Visa Application in July, upon expiration of
the current OF-156. Accordingly, posts should not print
or order more forms than they anticipate needing by this
date.

POWELL