State Department sees record U.S. visa demand in Brazil and China

Thu, 2011-12-22 07:53 AM
The U.S. Mission to Brazil processed close to a million visa applications in fiscal 2011, said the U.S. State Department, prompting the agency to send in temporary employees to help handle the documents.
The U.S. Brazilian mission logged a record number of visa applications, 820,000 in fiscal year 2011, a 42 percent year-over-year increase.
The State Department said it is also experiencing “unprecedented” growth in demand for U.S. visas in China. It said consular officers processed more than one million applications during fiscal 2011, a 34 percent increase over 2010. The average wait for visa interview appointments in China is now less than ten days. The U.S. Missions to Brazil and China will continue to reduce visa interview wait times to the greatest extent possible by adding staff and eliminating inefficiencies wherever possible.
In the case of Brazilian demand, the State Department said in a Dec. 21 statement that it has deployed “waves of temporary employees to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia and U.S. Consulates in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Recife” in response. The employees will help process extraordinary numbers of visa applications until permanent staff members arrive. The State Department also plans to double consular staffing in Brazil over 2012, adding 50 new officer positions.
With the additional personnel, the U.S. Mission Brazil reduced the average wait time for visa interview appointments in Brazil to less than 50 days, said the agency. “While the Department always puts security first, visitors to the United States make critical contributions to economic growth and job creation,” said the State Department statement. “That is why shortening visa interview wait times is also a priority – to encourage even greater numbers of Brazilians to visit the United States, a premier destination for travelers from around the world,” it said.
It also noted the U.S. and Brazil are two of largest economies and democracies in the Western Hemisphere and share important trade and economic relationships. According to the Department of Commerce, more than 1.2 million Brazilians visited the United States in 2010, contributing nearly $6 billion to the U.S. economy. By 2016, the United States could host a record 2.8 million Brazilian visitors, said the agency.

http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/25301?c=border_security