U.S. Travel Heralds New Funding Initiative to Quicken Visitor Visa Processing

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tori Emerson Barnes, the Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy at the U.S. Travel Association, released a statement regarding the approval of the government funding bill H.R.2882. This legislation allocates $50 million to the U.S. Department of State with the aim of cutting down the wait times for visitor visa interviews.

“U.S. Travel applauds Congress for directing funding to address excessive visitor visa interview wait times, which currently average 400 days in top source markets. The State Department must now deploy these resources as quickly as possible to lower wait times and facilitate growth in inbound visitation.

“Further, U.S. Travel urges Congress to consider other critical measures like the Visa Processing Improvement Act (S.2632) to modernize the entire visa process, particularly as the U.S. prepares for a decade of major international events.”

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