U. S. Mayors U. S. Asks State Department to Wait Time for Guest Visas

More than 40 mayors from across the U. S. The U. S. Department called on the State Department to establish wait times for visitors to primary markets in a letter sent Monday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The letter, signed by New York Mayor Eric Adams, Washington, D. C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Nashville Mayor John Cooper, and others, urged the branch to address “a serious processing backlog” as a result of the peak COVID-19 pandemic. pandemic. . The letter coordinated through the U. S. Travel Association.

“Due to the lack of prioritization of guest visa categories, cities and counties lack the opportunity to compete for millions of foreign guests due to delays in processing U. S. visas,” the letter says. Travelers spend more money on their trips to the U. S. U. S. travelers to the U. S. than domestic travelers. And that’s a loss for members of our communities whose loved ones can’t attend vital events because they’re forced to wait about a year or more to get visas.

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However, mayors noted that the branch had reduced visa processing times for other categories, such as academics and seasonal workers.

A State Department spokesperson said more than 90 percent of U. S. visitors were in the U. S. “U. S. ” They don’t want to go to an embassy or consulate abroad to download a visa” in the year before their trip.

“For travelers who require visas, we are reducing wait times for visa interviews around the world,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

According to the spokesperson, embassies and consulates processed 90% of their “volume of nonimmigrant visas prior to the 2019 pandemic” in fiscal year 2022. They hope to surpass that by 2023.

According to the U. S. Travel Association, travelers from major incoming markets applying for a first-time guest visa have to wait around 400 days on average for an interview, the duration can vary depending on where travelers apply. Mexico, for example, has an average wait time of 517 days, according to the organization, but those applying to Mexico City can wait up to 675 days, according to the State Department website.

The mayors asked the branch to wait 21 days for “top countries for inbound travel” through April, and 21 days or less for 80 percent of nonimmigrant visa applicants through the end of September, among other measures. However, the obstacle is staff shortages in the wake of the pandemic, according to Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U. S. Travel Association. U. S.

“We are sensitive to this issue,” he said. But you know what, each and every one of the hotels in this country, each and every theme park in this country, each and every airline in this country faces the same problem, and the fact is that you had to find a way to make it work. . “

Under Secretary for Visa Assistance at the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, Julie Stufft, recently told USA TODAY that the branch is working hard to meet visa wait times and has made remarkable progress over the past year.

“The average global wait time for a tourist visa interview, which is the most important component we have to deal with, is about seven weeks. That’s less than in June, when it was about 120 days,” Stufft said. “People are still getting visas” and millions of others still have visas, noting that, as of December, about 56 million existing visas were in circulation to enter the U. S. U. S.

Stufft added that the State Department is taking steps to facilitate the renewal of many of those visas that require additional in-person interviews and also allows, where possible, external processing of some visa applications.

About 40% of foreign visitors to the U. S. require a visa to enter, USA TODAY reported. The only ones that are sometimes exempt come from countries where the visa waiver exists, a list that includes 40 countries, adding the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and many European countries.

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All others, those from Canada, will need to apply for a tourist visa if they are coming for recreation or a painting or business visa in the applicable circumstances.

The U. S. Travel Association The U. S. Department of Health and Prevention estimated that companies in the U. S. U. S. prospects would lose 2. 6 million prospects in 2023 due to long wait times, predicting they would lose $7 billion in expenses, after a $5 billion loss in 2022, according to the letter.

“Traveling is a business where other people follow the path of least resistance, and lately we’re erecting big barriers for visitors to come here,” Freeman said.

Contributor: Zach Wichter, USA TODAY

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