For the 40 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program administered by the Department of Homeland Security, travel to the U.S. is easy: no visa required. However, for countries not part of the VWP, including Mexico, Brazil, and India, it’s a very different story: First-time applicants for B-1 and B-2 visitors visas face average interview wait times of more than 400 days.
U.S. Travel calls these delays “excessive,” “unacceptable,” and “a de facto travel ban,” and will launch the “They Wait, We Lose” campaign the week of November 28 to bring visibility to the issue. The campaign will include a website and social media effort, as well as resources such as this fact sheet.
In addition, U.S. Travel is having a little fun with an otherwise serious issue, with this infographic on the many things a person can do in the same time it takes to process a first-time non-VWP visa.
