Washington, DC – Today Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) and Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) introduced the Visa Improvement, Streamlined Investment, and Tourism Optimization Reform (VISITOR) Act to improve tourist visa processing capabilities at high-volume U.S. consulate posts.

“Southern Nevada is the home of one of the world’s leading tourism economies and is a destination for thousands of international travelers each year,” said Rep. Titus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus. “Unfortunately, excessive wait times for visas at popular consular posts around the world deter tourists from visiting the United States. These wait times are effectively travel bans that restrict a crucial revenue stream for Las Vegas businesses and attractions and carry an immense diplomatic cost.”

“The outrageous wait times for visas in Latin America must be addressed immediately. Many of my constituents with families across the Americas have to wait years to see their loved ones in the U.S.,” said Rep. Salazar. “We need to pass the VISITOR Act now to bring down wait times so families can get together again and so tourism can flourish once more.”


Background

The Visa Improvement, Streamlined Investment, and Tourism Optimization Reform (VISITOR) Act will allow greater flexibility for the Consular Affairs Bureau at the U.S. State Department to use the money collected from passport and visa fees to address the massive backlog in processing tourist visas at various consular posts overseas.

In countries like Brazil, India, Mexico, and Colombia, visitor visa wait times are at record highs. Wait times in some cases exceed one year. Currently in Bogota, wait times are close to two years. In 2019, 35 million international visitors from countries that are required to attain a visa to visit the U.S. spent over $120 billion in our communities, boosting local economies around the country.

Last year, Harry Reid International Airport reported a record high of 57.6 million air travelers. The tourism industry in Las Vegas supports about 359,000 jobs and $20 billion in wages, and generates almost $80 billion in overall economic output, of which conventions, exhibitions, and trade shows make up a large portion. The excessive wait times for visa appointments at various U.S. consular posts around the world are unsustainable and result in real economic harm.

With funds collected from passport and visa fees in the VISITOR Act, Consular Affairs will be able to make needed technological upgrades at posts, hire more personnel to conduct visa adjudications, and build out visa processing infrastructure at high-volume sites. 

U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter specifically asked Congress for these authorities at a recent House Foreign Affairs Committee Oversight Subcommittee hearing to reduce excessive wait times for tourist visas. Representative Titus spoke with Assistant Secretary Bitter about these policies during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in 2023. The video can be found HERE.

The VISITOR Act is supported by the U.S. Travel Association. The full bill text can be read HERE.