From the New York Times: "Travel groups and convention planners are among the groups pressing the United States to change some of its more onerous visa requirements, arguing that the current rules are keeping out many international business travelers and that a faster, more efficient process would help American companies compete in the global marketplace." Duh. We all know this.
"The waiting time to obtain a visa in some countries can be up to 100 days, according to the trade group U.S. Travel Association, and travelers who do not live in or near a city where an American consulate is located may have to spend hundreds of dollars in travel expenses for mandatory face-to-face interviews." And they are right. Absolutely nothing, about a 100-day wait time to make us any more secure. The low staffing levels and low level of training at some U.S. consulates and embassies not only does not improve our national security but actually hinders it. Requiring personal interview from just about everybody also hurts.
According to the article, global long-haul travel grew by 40 percent from 2000 to 2010, but the United States’ share fell to 12.4 percent from 17 percent. The association calculated that by failing to keep pace, the United States lost 78 million potential visitors who would have generated $606 billion in spending.
The immigration laws in this country needs to change. When a consular officer's focus in each interview is to determine whether someone is a potential immigrant or not without set standards the security factor dwindles and this hurts our economy even further.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/business/thwarted-travelers.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss
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