U.S. Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have reached out to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in a letter requesting improvements for visa processing in an effort to generate greater international visitation to the U.S.
The lawmakers point out that many travel businesses rely on H-2B and J-1 visas to meet short-term and seasonal workforce demands and that current wait times-more than 400 days on average for an appointment in the top 10 countries for inbound travel to the U.S.-have travel businesses facing a shortage of international visitors and the temporary workers they need to generate a quick recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"To ensure international visitation can fully resume, we urge you to take steps to restore visa processing operations to pre-pandemic levels, reduce the backlog of appointments, and lower visa wait times as soon as possible," members wrote. "Limited visa processing capacity and extended wait times discourage inbound travel, reduce visitor spending, and disrupt the reopening of American businesses."
Officials estimate that by taking steps outlined in the letter, including conducting group appointments, piloting videoconferencing technology and prioritizing resources for embassies and consulates with the highest demand such as Mexico, Brazil and India, the U.S. would position itself to welcome an additional 2.2 million international visitors contributing an additional $5.2 billion to the U.S. economy over a period as brief as six months.
"Today's extraordinary visa delays tell qualified visitors to 'go away,'" U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement. "It is embarrassing, costing our economy dearly and past time for the Biden administration to solve the problem. Thank you to the almost 60 bipartisan lawmakers that recognize that we can - and must - do better."
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