“That’s unconscionable…International visitors are incredibly important to the United States.”
— Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association
The wait time for a visa interview in Mumbai for Indian citizens who want to visit the U.S. is 999 days, according to the US State Department. “That’s unconscionable,” said Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “International visitors are incredibly important to the United States.”
In an effort to pressure the Biden Administration to address the backlog, his organization developed a website, usvisadelays.com, to allow travellers to post the stories of their waits publicly.
The organization’s goal is to get the average wait time as low as 21 days. That average is more than 400 days in many popular inbound markets, including India, Brazil and Mexico, according to Freeman
It’s coordinated with a social media campaign using the hashtag #TheyWaitWeLose, reported usatoday.com.
Freeman said he hoped to give voice to affected travellers will help bring light to the issue and make visa wait times a little shorter. Ultimately, the organization’s goal is to get the average wait time as low as 21 days. That average is more than 400 days in many popular inbound markets, including India, Brazil and Mexico, according to Freeman.
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