Visitors who need a visa to enter the U.S. are currently met with wait times that average about 250 days, but — as is the case for travelers coming from Bogota, Colombia — could exceed more than 850 days. But a bipartisan bill introduced today by congresswomen Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Susie Lee (D-NV) — called the Visitor Visa Wait Time Reduction Act — aims to reduce these wait times and bring back tourism to the U.S.
The bill requires the U.S. State Department to outline specific steps to address this problem at each diplomatic post where the wait time for a visitor visa (B-1/B-2) appointment exceeds 100 days. Further, the bill also proposes to temporarily reassign staff from other State Department offices to diplomatic posts where the wait time for a nonimmigrant visa appointment exceeds 300 days.
Spending by international travelers is critical to getting the U.S. economy back on track, and reducing visa wait times and welcoming these visitors should be a focused national priority.
"The current wait times for nonimmigrant visas are totally unacceptable, and the State Department must take action to address this,” Rep. Salazar said. “Many of my constituents are suffering from this backlog, which keeps them from seeing their family members and hurts our local businesses that rely on tourism.”
According to an analysis conducted by the U.S. Travel Association, the U.S. State Department’s low prioritization of visitor visa processing is severely hindering the U.S. economic recovery, keeping an estimated 6.6 million potential visitors from traveling to the U.S. in 2023 at a loss of $11.6 billion in projected spending.
Rep. Lee, who represents Nevada, says that Las Vegas’ recovery is directly impacted by unreasonably long tourist visa processing wait times.
“These long wait times not only hurt business, [but] they also keep families from visiting their loved ones in the U.S.,” she said. “Business travelers are missing conventions and conferences, and families are missing weddings, births, and graduations — all because of these delays. This bipartisan legislation is a common-sense step to help clear the tourist visa backlog and revitalize our international travel and tourism industry in Las Vegas and across the country.”
Business travelers are missing conventions and conferences, and families are missing weddings, births, and graduations — all because of these delays.
The U.S. Travel Association is among the bill’s supporters.
"We must stop turning away international travelers due to 400-plus day wait times that visitor visa applicants are facing worldwide,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, vice president of public affairs and policy for U.S. Travel. “It is absolutely unacceptable and a significant deterrent to our national economic recovery. We applaud the bipartisan legislative action introduced by Reps. Salazar (R-FL) and Lee (D-NV) that directs the U.S. State Department to address this urgent problem. Spending by international travelers is critical to getting the U.S. economy back on track, and reducing visa wait times and welcoming these visitors should be a focused national priority.”
