WASHINGTONDC — It’s been exactly one year since the U.S. government reopened its borders to international air passengers, and the nightmare of visa wait times continues.
New B-1/B-2 visa applicants still face interview wait times of more than 400 days in some countries, according to the U.S. Travel Association, which predicts that by 2023, the U.S. will lose 7 million travelers to the issue, many of them exhibitors and attendees.
The Exhibition and Conference Alliance (ECA) called on the Biden administration and the State Department to address the situation. “There are several short-term steps the State Department can take to address the current situation, including focusing on key countries (e.g., Brazil, Mexico, and India), expanding nonimmigrant visa renewal interview waivers to include low-risk visitor visas, and arranging group appointments for applicants interested in coming to the United States for large, face-to-face trade events,” said Tommy Goodwin, vice president of government affairs.
The recently introduced Visitor Visa Wait Time Reduction Act and the favorable report accompanying the House of Representatives’ State Operations, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2023 are steps in the right direction, Goodwin said. “With the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) recently finding that the sector is still down 25.5% from pre-pandemic levels, we hope the new Congress will engage in bipartisan oversight to ensure the Biden administration and the State Department appropriately prioritize this ongoing issue going forward.”
The week of November 28, US Travel will launch a multi-pronged campaign to raise awareness of the issue. It will include a customized website where affected travelers can post testimonials about visa waits and where business owners can provide statements about missed business opportunities related to the decline in international visitors. The campaign will also be featured on social media across multiple platforms with the hashtag #TheyWaitWeLose.
ECA anticipates that visa processing delays will continue to impact events through 2023. “As ECA and the broader industry advocate for solutions in Washington, D.C., we encourage show organizers to communicate with their prospective international exhibitors and attendees about the importance of beginning the visa application process as early as possible to increase the likelihood of success,” Goodwin said.
Contact Tommy Goodwin at (703) 672-0780 or tommy.goodwin@ecalliance.us