LONG VISA WAIT TIMES ARE A DE FACTO TRAVEL BAN

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that deters international visitors and harms American businesses and workers.

#TheyWaitWeLose

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS FROM NON-VISA WAIVER COUNTRIES ARE VITAL TO THE U.S. ECONOMY.

In 2019, 35 million (43%) of international visitors and $120 billion in spending (50%) came from countries where

a visa is required to enter the United States. Brazil, India and Mexico are three of the top inbound markets that

accounted for nearly 22 million (63%) of these visitors.

FIRST-TIME VISITOR VISA APPLICANTS FROM TOP INBOUND MARKETS FACE AVERAGE INTERVIEW WAIT TIMES OF MORE THAN

A YEAR.

First-time B-1/B-2 applicants from the top inbound markets are facing average interview wait times of more than a

year because the Biden Administration has not made it a priority to efficiently process new visitor visas.

IN 2023, THE U.S. WILL LOSE NEARLY 3 MILLION TRAVELERS AND $7 BILLION DUE TO LONG VISA WAIT TIMES.

The U.S. Travel Association forecasts that, in 2023, American businesses would attract 2.6 million fewer

international visitors and $7 billion less in spending as a result of likely international travelers being unable to

obtain a visitor visa in time to travel to the U.S.

SOLUTIONS

The Biden Administration must make it an economic priority to reduce interview wait times for first-time

visitor visas. We urge the Biden Administration and State Department to take the following steps:

• Set clear timelines and goals to restore efficient visa processing.

• Set a 21 day average goal for visa interview wait times.

• Increase consular staffing and resources in high-volume countries and for large international events taking

place in the U.S.

• Reach full consular staffing levels in Brazil, India and Mexico by assigning new-hires and reassigning staff

with previous consular experience to these markets.

• Extend through 2024 the authority to waive interviews for nonimmigrant visa renewals and apply waivers

more broadly to low-risk B-1/B-2 renewals.

• Set up a dedicated process to provide faster visa processing for large tour groups, conventions and events

taking place in the U.S.

Congress must pass legislation to make visitor visa processing more modern and efficient. We urge Congress to

develop, support and enact legislation to:

• Authorize the State Department to test and broadly implement videoconferencing technology. Using

videoconferencing to conduct visa interviews can increase processing capacity and reduce wait times at

embassies. The State Department does not currently have the authority to use remote videoconferencing for

visitor visa interviews.

• Provide permanent authorization for the State Department to broadly waive interviews for low-risk

B-1/B-2 visa renewals. The State Department only has temporary emergency authority to waive visa

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interviews for low-risk B-1/B-2 renewals. Waiving renewal interviews can significantly increase the availability

of in-person interview appointments for first time B-1/B-2 applicants and allow the State Department to focus

on vetting new visa applicants.

• Support legislation that requires the State Department to temporarily reassign staff to posts with the

highest visitor visa wait times. In the House, cosponsor H.R. 9141 that requires the State Department to

allocate staffing to posts with the greatest need. In the Senate, introduce and support legislation that requires

the State Department to allocate staffing to posts with the greatest need.

VISA WAIT TIMES ARE AT RECORD HIGHS

In May 2023, nearly one year after inbound travel restrictions were lifted by the U.S., the largest inbound travel

markets requiring visitor visas faced average interview wait times exceeding 400 days. As wait times soar,

international visitation from many of these countries continue to lag behind 2019 levels, including:

• BRAZIL // Avg. wait times of 527 days

• INDIA // Avg. wait times of 406 days

• MEXICO // Avg. wait times of 647 days

THE U.S. IS LOSING MILLIONS OF TRAVELERS AND BILLIONS OF TOURIST DOLLARS TO OTHER COUNTRIES

A new Morning Consult survey of likely international travelers found that of those who have at least some interest

in visiting the U.S., but do not have a valid U.S. visa, the majority would likely choose another country to visit if

wait times exceeded a year, including 61% of BRAZILIANS, 71% of INDIANS and 66% of MEXICANS.

According to a U.S. Travel Association analysis of the survey results, the U.S. is losing the opportunity to compete

for millions of visitors and billions in spending from international travelers who say they won’t tolerate long visa

wait times and will choose another country to visit instead. In Brazil, India and Mexico alone, the U.S. is losing the

ability to compete for:

• BRAZIL // 6 million visitors // $15.6 billion

• INDIA // 3.5 million visitors // $13.3 billion

• MEXICO // 7.1 million visitors // $4.1 billion

THE STATE DEPARTMENT CAN ACCELERATE RECOVERY OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL BY LOWERING INTERVIEW

WAIT TIMES TO 21 DAYS OR LESS.

According to Tourism Economics, if visa interview wait times are lowered to less than 30 days, international

visitation to the U.S. would accelerate by 2.2 million visitors and $5.2 billion in spending within 6 months.

See next page for additional data and insights

DIG DEEPER: ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON VISITOR VISA WAIT TIMES

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Inbound Market

Rank Among Top

Inbound Markets

2019

Visitation Volume

2019 Spending

in U.S. in Billions

(Total Travel Exports)

Avg. Visa

Interview Wait

Time in Days

(As of 5/18/23)

2019

Non-Immigrant

Visas Issued

in ‘Visitation’