Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Fortune
Fortune
Geoff Freeman

The U.S. Travel Association: ‘Visa processing delays are hurting economic growth. Here’s how the Obama Administration solved the same problem 10 years ago’

(Credit: Avishek Das - SOPA Images - LightRocket - Getty Images)

No successful business operator would keep their best customers on hold for a year or more. Yet that’s what’s happening to far too many of America’s customers. Millions of tourists and business travelers are languishing for months on end waiting for an interview just to apply for a visa to visit the United States and contribute to our economy.

Egregious wait times for visitor visas to the U.S. now average a staggering 400+ days for first-time visitors from critical inbound countries. Visa processing times for three top sources of U.S. visitors–Brazil, India, and Mexico–are now 317, 757 and 601 days respectively. These excessive visa delays are the equivalent of a travel ban, pushing potential U.S. visitors to choose other countries instead.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.