Congressmen Joe Heck (R-Nev.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) have introduced legislation that aims to increase international travel to the U.S. by reforming visa services.
The bill would enable travelers to pay a fee to expedite visa processing, direct the State Department to promote visa processing during periods of low demand, launch a pilot program in which visa interviews are done via videoconferencing, and set stricter time standards for processing visas.
Another provision is a length-of-stay extension from 180 to 240 days per year for qualifying Canadians under the Visa Waiver Program. “If they could stay legally, many Canadians would remain in the U.S. for a longer period of time to take advantage of the warmer climate and for other reasons,” according to the bill.
The bill also aims to “provide a more objective and standardized basis for adding countries to the VWP.” The bill noted that a number of close U.S. allies — including Poland, Israel, Chile and Brazil — are not VWP members.
The U.S. Travel Association cheered the proposed bill, which is called the JOLT (Jobs Originating through Launching Travel) Act.
“The JOLT Act is a jobs and economic growth bill that harnesses the power of travel to deliver increased revenue and economic opportunity to communities all across America,” said Roger Dow, CEO of U.S. Travel.
Other groups endorsed the JOLT Act, including the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, InterContinental Hotels Group and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.