About the Author: Shannon B. Farrell serves as the press attache at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Marco Vermaasen, a press specialist at U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires, contributed to this entry.

Who was President of the Continental Congress? In what city did the United States declare independence? These are a few of the trivia questions Argentine citizens answered on July 4, 2011, during a celebration at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires. This event was not just a traditional Independence Day gathering, however. On a day when many Americans were relaxing by the pool or grilling hot dogs, we opened our doors to Argentines wishing to travel to the United States. Argentina has become one of the top ten visa issuing posts in the world, and the July 4working day highlighted our efforts to address growing visa demand, which has increased by 150 percent since January 2010.

Argentine tourists contribute to the U.S. economy in the business, tourism, and trade sectors. Despite having a population of only 41 million people, Argentina ranked 13th in the number of nationals… more »