Davis Says Business, Tourist Visa Processing Still Too Slow; Cites New GAO Report

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Davis Says Business, Tourist Visa Processing Still Too Slow; Cites New GAO Report

Rep. Tom Davis, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, today said progress has been made but more needs to be done to reduce the lengthy wait times for non-immigrant visas.

Davis cited a new study he commissioned from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found the State Department has taken steps to reduce interview wait times by applicants seeking to visit the U.S. on business or vacation, but those measures don't represent permanent or sustainable solutions. Additionally, GAO found State has made procedural changes to help embassies better manage visa workloads, but those changes are not being widely shared or implemented consistently by various embassies.

"We need a permanent solution, but right now it looks like State is just shuffling the deck chairs rather than figuring out how to steady the ship," Davis said. "An efficient visa processing system is good for American competitiveness, good for the American economy and good for maintaining high levels of national security. Delays are only thwarting those efforts."

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress and the Department of State modified the review process for non-immigrant visas to ensure increased security. Those steps, including - in most cases - an in-person interview, take more time. State acknowledges long wait times may discourage legitimate travel to the United States which in turn can result in the loss of billions of dollars in direct and indirect economic benefits.

Because of the increasingly congested visa adjudication process, Rep. Davis asked GAO to assess (1) the reliability of State's data on visa applicant interview wait times; (2) actions State has taken to address wait times; and (3) State's strategy for dealing with projected growth in visa demand.

GAO is recommending State develop a strategy to address worldwide increases in visa demand, improve the reliability and utility of visa wait time data, and identify and disseminate procedures used by posts to reduce wait times. Those recommendations are intended to improve State's oversight and management of visa decisions and maintain the goals of facilitating legitimate travel and a high level of security.

"We are concerned about keeping America competitive, and efficient and reliable visa processing is a vital component of that agenda," said Rep. Tom Davis.

The GAO report can be found at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07870.pdf

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