The United States says it will from today accept some visa applications in Tonga as part of what it calls a pilot programme.
This marks a change of policy which earlier made it necessary for all Tongans to lodge applications at the US embassy in Fiji.
Complete instructions about the programme will be posted on the US embassy website by April the 1st.
The pilot project was discussed in May 2008 by Tonga's Prime Minister Feleti Sevele and a former Secretary of State, Condeleeza Rice, in Washington.
