Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The VISITOR Act authorizes the State Department to use visa fees collected from applicants to reduce visa processing wait times and improve consular services. Specifically, the bill allows existing surcharges and fees collected from passport and immigrant visa applications to be redirected toward staffing and operations at consulates, rather than being deposited into general government accounts. The legislation affects millions of people seeking to visit or immigrate to the United States by establishing a goal that 80 percent of nonimmigrant visa applicants receive interviews within three weeks of applying, though the law recognizes that security concerns and the need to serve U.S. citizens abroad may require exceptions. The bill also permits the State Department to transfer unspent fee balances between accounts to support consular operations when necessary. No specific new funding appropriations are detailed in the bill, as it reallocates existing fee collections rather than authorizing new spending.
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