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Senator Collins Urges State Department to Reopen U.S. Consulates, Address Visa Backlog

Washington, D.C.— Due to closures and backlogs at U.S. consulates worldwide, temporary workers, students, tourists, and many others are facing significant wait times to receive nonimmigrant visas.  U.S. Senator Susan Collins wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to request an update on the efforts being undertaken to address the limited accessibility of American consulates.

 

“My constituents in Maine continue to raise their concerns about the inability to secure visas overseas due to the full or partial closures of our consulates,” Senator Collins wrote.  “These constituents include small businesses that rely on temporary workers, colleges and universities who hope to welcome back international students, religious organizations, as well as hospitals working to secure visas for health care workers to address Maine’s current workforce crisis. This will become especially urgent in the coming months as businesses attempt to secure H-2B visas for additional workers needed during the 2022 tourism season.”

 

“I appreciate the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the fact that in many cases the State Department must follow host nation guidance and restrictions which are out of the control of U.S. policymakers.  Since May, however, the State Department has made vaccinations available to our entire overseas consular workforce, helping to protect the safety of consular staff,” Senator Collins continued.  “I request an update from the State Department on actions it is taking to fully open U.S. embassies and consulates, to include consultations with host nation governments, as well as efforts the Department is undertaking to address the ongoing backlog of visa interviews. I believe the State Department can support the needs of American citizens and employers while mitigating the risks posed by the pandemic.”

 

As of mid-October, 60 percent of consulates remained fully or partially closed to non-emergency appointments for nonimmigrant visa applicants, while 40 percent are completely closed to non-emergency, nonimmigrant visa appointments.  Open consulates are reporting wait times of, in many cases, six months or longer for some nonimmigrant visas.  For immigrant visa applicants, the State Department recently reported a backlog of 494,566 applicants who had completed their documentation but were waiting for a visa appointment, which is eight times the backlog reported by the Department in 2019.

 

Click HERE to read Senator Collins’ letter.

 

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