Visa Issuance

Background:  Consular Processing

The need for security to protect us from another attack such as September 11, 2001, is very real.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has pledged its support for the broad ranging efforts to secure our homeland, but believes it is crucial that we do not become "fortress America." America's trade relationships, diplomatic relationships, cultural relationships and academic relationships, with the rest of the world depend a great deal on the ability of people to travel to the United States. The Chamber is concerned with the changes to the issuance of visas over the last few years.  While the Department of State has made some significant improvements and reduced wait times in certain key countries, more can be done to better facilitate the visa process and to encourage international travel.

International travel and tourism is critical to the United States. The nation's businesses, their workers, and the economy benefit from international commerce. It is important that a potential customer from overseas can visit the United States to examine and purchase products or services from a U.S. company, or to negotiate deals. Multinational companies need to have the ability to move foreign based personnel, from time to time, to attend meetings or training in the U.S.  In the past few years, many of these basic interactions have been hindered.  Travelers and businesses need predictabilty in our visa system to make sure that people can arrive on time to inspect products, for a conference, or even simply for their vacation.

Since September 11, 2001, there have been numerous changes to the U.S. visa policy.  These changes include increased security checks on certain types of visa applicants and Congressionally mandated in-person interviews for most visa applicants.   As a response to demands for more certainty, the State Department is now posting its interview wait times on its Web site—but these waits can vary substaintially from week to week at the same consular office, and some waits in certain cities can be as long as 80 to 100 days just to get an interview.  Once an applicant has an interview, sometimes consular officers do not even read a person's documents, such as a letter from a company explaining why this person is coming to the U.S.  The unpredictable issuance of visas is a constant frustration, and in some circumstances visas will be issued for some members of a delegation, but not others, in a seemingly random way. 

Background:  Visa Waiver Program

In addition to normal processing delays, the Chamber supports the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows travelers from 27 low-risk countries to travel to the U.S. without a visa. 

The Visa Waiver Program has also gained renewed attention.  Senators Voinovich (R-OH), Lieberman (I-CT), Collins (R-ME), Feinstein (D-CA), and Kyl (R-AZ) assisted in including provisions that will expand the Visa Waiver Program, while at the same time increasing security, in the final version of the "Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act" (P.L. 110-53).  This change will result in allowing more legitimate business and leisure travelers to visit the U.S. without a visa, while at the same time, enhancing security through an air exit tracking system, creating increased information sharing between countries, and other measures.  The Chamber will continue to look for avenues to enhance travel to the United States.

Chamber Position

While the Department of State has made some improvements in recent years to the visa process, more can and should be done.  Business and travlers to the U.S. need predictability in the visa issuance system, and the system needs to be better streamlined.  The Chamber routinely hears from companies and organizations that are losing business to competitors in other countries because travelers face fewer hurdles to visit those competitors.  There is a need for transparency and consistency in the U.S. visa process.The Chamber will continue to work with the Administration and Congress to try to adequately address physical security and protecting our economy. 

To that end, Chamber President Tom Donohue has been appointed to the Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee.  The Committee's aim is to leverage the ingenuity and expertise of leaders to guide the current and future development of solutions to keep America secure while facilitating travel.  The initiative is a joint effort between the Departments of State and Homeland Security to allow regular outreach to the travel, business, and academic communities to take their views into account, and to identify "best practices" when developing travel policies.