Why It Matters

Nonimmigrant visa interview wait times have risen nearly eightfold since before the pandemic, while State Department staffing shortages have contributed to delays that affect international travel and the U.S. economy, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit. ​

Average visitor visa interview waits reached 201 days in fiscal 2025, up from 26 days in fiscal 2019. Consular officers processing nonimmigrant visas fell from 1,342 in fiscal 2024 to 904 in fiscal 2025 because of hiring freezes and attrition. The U.S. Travel Association reported that international travel and tourism contributed $176 billion to the U.S. economy in 2025, $5 billion below 2024 and $28 billion below pre-pandemic levels. Long visa interview waits were cited as a contributing factor.

The Big Picture

State Department visitor visa adjudications fell from 9.2 million in fiscal 2019 to 1.5 million in fiscal 2021, then recovered to 11.7 million in fiscal 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

GAO examined Brazil, China, India and Mexico, the four countries with the highest nonimmigrant visa demand. Officials in all four identified staffing levels as a major factor contributing to interview delays.

India had 68 consular officers handling 1,455,255 applications, about 21,401 per officer, with a weighted-average interview wait of 346 days. Mexico had 124 officers handling 2,658,627 applications, approximately 21,441 per officer, and average waits of 283 days. Brazil and China had lower application-to-officer ratios, with interview waits averaging 32 and 34 days, respectively.

The State Department's Global Repositioning Exercise (GREX) is designed to align consular staffing with workloads annually, but no policy requires it. State has conducted and implemented the exercise only once since fiscal 2019. Officials said the State did not conduct GREX in fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022 because of pandemic-related issues, or in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025 because policy priorities changed.

The House Appropriations Committee requested the audit through a report and the explanatory statement accompanying legislation that became the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. Congress directed GAO to examine consular efficiency, including visa processing times.

The Bottom Line

GAO recommended that the Secretary of State establish a mechanism, such as a policy or guidance, requiring the Bureau of Consular Affairs to conduct GREX consistently and align staffing with demand. The recommendation remains open. State neither agreed nor disagreed, and GAO maintained it was valid. Without consistent workload assessments, State risks continued staffing imbalances and prolonged visa interview delays.

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