Years-long queues to get visas to visit the U.S. are harming the U.S. travel industry, according to the U.S. Travel Association, and it's started a new website to push the point that long delays mean fewer visitors.
The organization cited some examples of the delays. For Indians who want to visit the U.S., the wait time in Mumbai for a visa interview is 999 days, according to the State Department. In other popular inbound markets such as Brazil and Mexico, the delays run to 400 days on average.
USTA is an advocacy organization that promotes U.S. tourism abroad, and number travel-related companies of all sizes as well as numbers of state and local tourism agencies. It's just launched a new website, usvisadelays.com, with the hashtag #TheyWaitWeLose.
The website allows travelers to post stories about their waits and frustrations publicly in hopes of bringing pressure for a solution. USTA believes that 21 days would be an appropriate maximum wait time, and its president, Geoff Freeman, calls the current situation "unconscionable" because "international visitors are incredibly important to the United States.
About 60% of U.S. international visitors come from countries whose citizens don't need a visa because of the Visa Waiver program. The State Department blames the problem on staffing issues, but USTA says that when the problem occurred previously during the Obama administration, solutions were found.
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