visitor visa
U.S. Travel Applauds Bipartisan Senate Call to Lower Visa Wait Times
U.S. Travel Association | February 22, 2023
U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on a bipartisan group of senators calling on the Biden administration to take further action to lower interview wait times for first-time visitor visa applicants: “The U.S. travel industry deeply appreciates the work of Senators Klobuchar, Cornyn, Booker, Moran, Rosen and Sullivan to drive progress at the State Department to reduce excessive visitor visa wait times. “While State has made strides in recent weeks, more work is needed to shorten wait times and welcome international visitors—which will help ...
U.S. Mayors Call on Biden Administration to Reduce Excessive Visitor Visa Wait Times
U.S. Travel Association | February 14, 2023
A bipartisan group of 44 mayors and officials representing American cities and counties came together to send Secretary of State Antony Blinken a letter urging immediate action to reduce visitor visa interview wait times, which persistently remain above 400 days for would-be travelers from key international inbound markets. The joint letter states: “As a lingering result of the pandemic’s peak, a severe backlog in the processing of U.S. visitor visas is now delaying—in some instances well over a year—the visitation of foreign travelers from key markets who provide much-needed economic and diplomatic benefits to the nation.” ...
A Year After Borders Reopen, Biden Admin Inaction on Visitor Visas Exacerbates Int’l Travel Recovery
U.S. Travel Association | November 9, 2022
One full year since reopening U.S. borders to inbound air travelers, 400+ day wait times for first-time visitor visas is resulting in de facto border closure WASHINGTON (November 9, 2022)—One year following the reopening of U.S. borders to inbound air travelers on November 8, outrageous wait times of more than 400 days for visitor visa applicants is delaying the recovery of the critically important international travel sector. U.S. visa wait times now average a staggering 400+ days for first-time visitor visa applicants in the largest countries for inbound travel. Visa interview wait times for potential travelers from Brazil, India ...
U.S. Travel Applauds Introduction of Visitor Visa Wait Time Reduction Act
U.S. Travel Association | October 10, 2022
U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the introduction of H.R. 9141—the Visitor Visa Wait Time Reduction Act: “We must stop turning away international travelers due to 400-plus day wait times that visitor visa applicants are facing worldwide. 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 critic...
