United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2007-07-13 monographic deposited born digital 50 p. GA 1.13:GAO-07-847 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-847 P0b002ee18037dcd3 f:d07847 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-847 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-847 GAO-07-847 Border security Consulates Embassies Policy evaluation Staff utilization Strategic planning Travel Visas Other Written Product A72647

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress and the Department of State (State) initiated changes to the visa process to increase security, but these changes also increased the amount of time needed to adjudicate a visa. Although maintaining security is of paramount importance, State has acknowledged that long waits for visas may discourage legitimate travel to the United States, potentially costing the country billions of dollars in economic benefits over time, and adversely influencing foreign citizens' opinions of our nation. GAO testified in 2006 that a number of consular posts had long visa interview wait times. This report examines (1) State's data on visa 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. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-847/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-847.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-847/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-847.pdf GAO-07-847 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-847 Other Written Product GAO-07-847; Border Security: Long-term Strategy Needed to Keep Pace with Increasing Demand for Visas; Border security Consulates Embassies Policy evaluation Staff utilization Strategic planning Travel Visas Title 8 Section 1101et seq. 8 U.S.C. 1101et seq. Public Law 82-414 Public Law 107-296 Public Law 108-458