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CONSULAR FOCUS: 900 TELEPHONE NUMBER SYSTEM FOR CANADIAN AND MEXICAN CONSULATES COMING UNDER FIRE
Complaints are mounting against the State Department's "900" system by which persons who are not Canadian or Mexican can apply for non-immigrant visa appointments at US consulates in those countries. Until the recent enactment of the 900 system, consulates in those countries would accept such applicants at their discretion and would normally see applicants who lined up at the consulate for an interview. Under the 900 system, applicants must call the pay-per-minute 900 telephone number and schedule an appointment for an interview at a specific consulate Users of the system report that it is virtually impossible to get through to the number because there are too few operators. Some attorneys have been scheduling groups of appointments at a time, but they are limited to just five per phone call. The 900 number operators have been refusing to issue appointments earlier than two weeks in advance and will only make appointments during a five day period between the fifteenth and twentieth day after the call. Unfortunately, its virtually impossible to get any of these slots since they are taken immediately after the telephones begin to be answered each day. 
Donna Hamilton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Department of State, also expressed concern that callers are being placed in a calling queue and charged exorbitant amounts without even getting an appointment. Hamilton claims that long term technical solutions are being worked on, but that a few reforms are being implemented in order to reduce problems immediately. First, appointment will be scheduled one per family rather than one appointment per person. Opening times for appointment calls will also be staggered in order to allow persons on the West Coast of the US to call for appointments in Tijuana and Vancouver at reasonable hours. The longer term solutions will include enlarging the appointment window to 90 days for larger posts and some appointment slots will be held in reserve in case of unexpected staffing shortages. Callers will be able to cancel appointments through an automated system. The proposed automated system will also allow callers to call 24 hours a day to hold appointments and stagger the times these callers will talk to an operator to confirm the appointment. 
According to attorneys Jan Pederson and William H. Dance, Consular Liaisons for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the following are procedures at various North American posts: 
Calgary - 5 applicants per day; Monday - Friday excluding Wednesdays. 
Ciudad Juarez - 15 appointments on Mondays and Fridays; 30 appointments on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Applicants from New Mexico or West Texas do not need an appointment 
Halifax - 5 appointments each on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 
Matamoros - 10 appointments per day each weekday. 
Montreal - 15-20 applicants per day; every weekday 
Ottawa - 10 appointments each week day except Wednesdays 
Quebec City- no appointments currently being accepted 
Tijuana - 5 appointments per day each week day 
Toronto - 45 applicants per day each week day. 
Vancouver - 60 applicants per day each week day (though Pederson and Dance note that this consulate has a refusal rate that approaches 100%). 
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