Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new visa policies that will reduce wait times, increase travel to the United States, and better ensure the success of large-scale sporting events being held in the United States across the next five years. These actions will help create new jobs and economic opportunities for communities across the United States.

“The travel and tourism sector was among the hardest-hit industries by the pandemic. That’s why this was a top priority issue for the Biden-Harris Administration from day one. Through proactive actions taken by the Departments of Commerce and State, in collaboration with our industry partners, the industry is making a dramatic comeback and is on target to be fully recovered next year,” said Secretary Raimondo. “This significant accomplishment is having an impact in communities across the nation, with one in every twenty jobs being supported by travel and tourism. Secretary Blinken and I will continue to find innovative approaches, like those announced today, to create more economic opportunities for all Americans.” 

The new policies, which will go into effect in 2025, include:

• Adding 1 million additional visa application slots in 2025, a historic high-water mark, as aggressive action to reduce visa interview wait times;
• Ensuring smooth processing and preferred location for visa adjudication of FIFA World Cup, Olympic and Paralympic team members and delegations; 
• Embedding Department of State staff in LA28 offices prior to the Olympic and Paralympic Games and building an even stronger relationship between LA28 and the U.S. Government; and
• Directing the Tourism Policy Council to set up a subcommittee on Large Scale Sporting Events for greater coordination and preparedness for future bids/events.

The Secretaries also celebrated significant progress made by the Biden-Harris Administration in increasing visitation to the United States. Two years ago, the Department of Commerce launched the National Travel and Tourism Strategy that set an ambitious goal of attracting 90 million visitors spending $279 billion annually by 2027. Understanding the real-world economic impact of this goal, the Administration worked tirelessly and is on pace to accomplish it a year early. Today’s announcement will make the United States travel and tourism industry more globally competitive, supporting the 10 million American jobs that rely on it.