WASHINGTON – U.S. Journey Affiliation President and CEO Geoff Freeman issued the next assertion on the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Safety extending the visa interview waiver authority for low-risk candidates, which was set to run out on December 31.
The visa interview waiver authority provides consular officers the discretion to waive in-person interviews for sure low-risk nonimmigrant visa purposes. Eligible candidates have beforehand visited the U.S. and are nonetheless topic to the identical strenuous background checks and screening that every one nonimmigrants obtain. Failing to increase the waiver authority would have considerably elevated wait occasions for 40% of visa candidates, costing the U.S. economic system billions of {dollars} in misplaced traveler spending.
Visa interview waivers for low-risk vacationers are vital to defending the American economic system and lowering the pandemic-era visa backlog that has hindered the expansion of worldwide inbound journey to the US.
Even almost 4 years after the pandemic started, the US is welcoming 13 million fewer guests than it did in 2019. A lot of that decline is the direct results of stubbornly excessive visa interview wait occasions—at the moment averaging greater than 400 days in prime supply markets. Extending visa interview waiver authority is a serious step in growing international competitiveness and selling a extra seamless, safe journey expertise.
By extending the visa waiver authority, the Biden administration prevented a lack of 64 million guests and $215 billion in spending over the subsequent 10 years. In 2024 alone, the U.S. will retain an extra 2.2 million guests and $5.9 billion in traveler spending that will have been misplaced with out the extension.
U.S. Journey applauds the Departments of State and Homeland Safety for his or her efforts to uphold safety, eradicate obstacles and facilitate worldwide inbound journey development.
Final month, U.S. Journey Affiliation despatched a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Safety Alejandro Mayorkas urging the companies to increase the visa interview waiver authority.
About U.S. Journey Affiliation
U.S. Journey Affiliation is the nationwide, non-profit group representing the $1.2 trillion journey trade, an important contributor to our nation’s economic system and success. U.S. Journey produces applications and insights and advocates for insurance policies to extend journey to and inside the US. Go to ustravel.org for data and recovery-related knowledge.
