The Editor, Sir:

Last Saturday my friends, one Jamaican and one American, arrived at the USA Immigration Department for an interview booked on the US online visa application Internet site. They travelled from Negril early Friday morning, staying in a hotel so they could arrive fresh for their Saturday morning interview. As they arrived at the Immigration Department they were told that all interviews were cancelled for the day, no apologies, no refunds, no understanding of their frustration or the amount of money they had to find for the journey and accommodation. The online application records telephone numbers but no one was contacted to stop the fruitless journey.

This is one of many stories I have heard recently of the treatment that the US Embassy is dealing Jamaicans. Others have been told they are "not on the list" for that day (despite holding a printout of the interview confirmation) or just that there are no more interviews that day (again despite holding their online confirmation printouts).

Some Jamaicans are refused despite countless trips on business, to see family, visit Disney World, even when they have always returned in the allotted time to return to work and have never committed a crime whilst on their visit. I know of two families where the husbands and children were given visas and both the wives were refused!

Every Jamaican that applies for a US visa has to pay US$100 via Paymaster, plus the costs of travel and subsistence on their visit to Kingston. Thousands of dollars are collected every week for the US Embassy by Paymaster from Jamaicans trying to see families, friends and loved ones in the USA. Today there are no interview dates showing for the rest of 2008, but Paymaster and the US Embassy are daily collecting money from Jamaicans ... Why?

I am, etc.,

MAXINE STEIN

Negril, Jamaica