Million dollar insurance agents hit US visa block

The US Embassy is asking the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) to give a guarantee that insurance agents qualifying to attend the annual convention return to their own home towns.

Restriction in the issuance of visas by the US has hit MDRT insurance agents across the Asian region as the annual convention takes place in the US, and this restricts the number of Asian agents from participating, said R K Shetty, zone chair MDRT for India, Sri Lanka & Nepal.

Against the 1,900-odd agents qualifying in 2003 from India, only 109 were able to attend the MDRT convention in Las Vegas. This year 1,700 agents have applied for US visas in order to participate at the MDRT convention in California this June.

"The US Embassy has asked MDRT for a guarantee before it gives visas to individual agents who have not in the past gone to the US," said Shetty.

Restriction in granting US visas has also affected MDRT agents in other Asian countries including Hong Kong, Thailand, China and Sri Lanka, he added.

MDRT though cannot grant any guarantees, does year after year, write to the Senator of Illinois, pleading the case on behalf of its members to be given US visas in order to participate in the annual MDRT convention, said a senior executive looking after international services at MDRT.

"Since September 11, things have become worse. We cannot give a guarantee to the US government that our members will go back home," the official added.

The US government is not keen to grant visas to first time US visitors, fearing that they might decide not to return back to their own country.

Even after qualifying as a MDRT agent, they are unable to attend the annual convention largely on account of being denied visas. "Agents are always on tender hooks till the last moment as it is not clear whether they will be granted a visa," said an MDRT agent from Max New York Life.

Even though about 45 of the 109 MDRT agents who attended the convention last year were sponsored by Max New York Life, there are quite a few agents from the same company who were denied visas.

"Most of the time the visa issuing authorities fail to look into the actual financial profile of MDRT qualifiers. I have yet to come across any such professional who having visited USA has not returned," said Shetty.