Coming to the US shouldn’t be that hard

Although processing times vary greatly from consulate to consulate, the average wait for an appointment to obtain a US visitor visa is almost 240 days – roughly eight months. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic is partly to blame: Two years of Covid-19 restrictions have led to a drain on staff and limited services at US consulates around the world. The State Department says it has made progress in clearing the backlog, with the number of monthly visas issued approaching pre-pandemic levels. Yet the government is still nowhere close to meeting demand.

Long waits for visas have costs. Tourists will simply go elsewhere, as will at least some executives and investors. (By comparison, UK waiting times now average seven weeks, while in Australia 90% of tourist visas are processed within six weeks.) Businesses will struggle without access to key talent. Universities may lose the brightest students to overseas competitors. The blow to US prestige could be even more long-lasting: the country’s reputation is already marred by political dysfunction, gun violence, and racial and cultural divisions; making it harder for people to study, invest, and visit relatives in the US is unlikely to improve matters.

Unlike more politically charged immigration issues, this problem is eminently fixable. In 2012, an executive order issued by then-President Barack Obama shortened the average wait time from several months to a few days before it was rescinded by former President Donald Trump to allow for more aggressive vetting of applicants.

The Biden administration should step up efforts to speed up the visa process. The State Department should allow virtual interviews for some low-risk tourist and business visas and allow staff in the U.S. and at less busy consulates abroad to conduct them. Holders of valid visas should be able to renew them in the US, rather than first having to return home, as was common practice until 2004, thus easing the strain on overseas consulates. In addition to hiring new staff overseas, the government may recall retired consular officers and temporarily assign others to process renewals and conduct remote interviews. The program to eliminate interviews for some visa categories until the end of the year should be extended until the current crisis passes.

All these movements must be manageable without adversely affecting security. Although the State Department stopped domestic visa renewals in 2004 because it was unable to capture biometrics at the time, this should no longer be a problem as applicants will have already registered their biometrics for their expiring visas. As the American Immigration Lawyers Association has suggested, the technology could help identify low-risk individuals who can be interviewed remotely, while maintaining in-person interviews for applicants who need closer scrutiny.

Improving the visa processing system will not only address the current backlog, but help prevent future delays from piling up. Global competition for investment, talent and influence will become increasingly fierce in the coming years. The US should adopt whatever measures help them stay in the game.

More from other writers at Bloomberg Opinion:

• The solution to US border problems is no secret: Eduardo Porter

• Give documented Dreamers a chance to stay in the US: editorial

• Can Immigrants Save American Democracy?: Romesh Ratnesar

The editors are members of Bloomberg Opinion’s editorial board.

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