Photograph by Vacclav for Adobe Stock
In a White House press conference this week, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo shared the results of a concerted joint effort to facilitate global travel.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken"The work that the State Department does issuing visas, issuing passports to Americans, does more than anything else to connect the world and connect the United States to the world," said Blinken. As a result of significant investments over the past few years, he said, "more people are traveling to the United States than ever before; and more Americans are traveling the world than ever before."
More visas issued, more promptly
Among major strides announced, 11.5 million visas were issued in Fiscal Year 2024, breaking all previous records. Of these, 8.5 million were visitor visas, a 10 percent increase over the previous year.
Wait times for visas are down by nearly 60 percent since the height of the pandemic. The median wait time now is under 60 days for a first-time visitor-visa interview.
Passport processing is faster and easier
The Department of State issued 24.5 million passport books and cards in FY2024, an all-time high and half a million more than the previous year. Wait times for passports have decreased, now averaging four to six weeks.
In September, the State Department introduced an online passport renewal program, further reducing the wait to about one week. More than 1 million Americans already have taken advantage of online passport renewal, said Blinken.
Ready to welcome global sports events
The United States hopes to increase the number of visa appointments by 1 million visas in FY2025, partly to accommodate what promises to be "a mega decade for sports," said Blinken, including the FIFA World Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Rugby World Championships.
"What we're announcing here today will create a lot of jobs in this country," added Raimondo. In addition to being fun and meaningful, travel and tourism represents $2.3 trillion in economic activity and sustains 10 million American jobs.
Last year, 66 million people visited the United States, up from 50 million the year before. "We're on track to see 90 million visitors by 2026, a year earlier than the department's goal," said Raimondo.
U.S. Travel praises visa progress
Reducing visa wait times, a major initiative promoted by the U.S. Travel Association, will make the country a more competitive world destination, said Geoff Freeman, the organization's president and CEO. "The administration's actions are in the best interest of our country and our economy, especially as we prepare to host World Cup games in 11 U.S. cities, that will attract as many as 6 million international visitors to the United States, as well as other major upcoming events."
"This is at the heart of what we do here at the State Department," added Blinken. Easing incoming and outgoing travel "is good for America; it's good for the world."