Nonimmigrant Visas: State Should Consistently Conduct Global Staffing Needs Assessments to Help Balance Workloads and Address Long Wait Times
What GAO Found Visitor visa adjudications, which account for most nonimmigrant visas (NIV), have surpassed pre-COVID numbers. The Department of State adjudicated 9.2 million visitor visas pre-COVID in fiscal year (FY) 2019. That number dropped to 1.5 million in FY 2021. By FY 2025, the number of adjudications surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching 11.7 million. The average wait time to obtain an interview for a visitor visa was almost 8 times higher than before the pandemic, increasing from 26 days in FY 2019 to 201 days in FY 2025. In addition, the number of consular officers working on NIVs almost recovered from a COVID-era low of 1,104 in FY 2021 to pre-pandemic levels in FY 2024, reach.
Reported by Maria LopezNonimmigrant Visas: State Should Consistently Conduct Global Staffing Needs Assessments to Help Balance Workloads and Address Long Wait Times.
The item is dated Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:07:28 -0400.
TeamCog is carrying it as a audits report from GAO reports and testimonies RSS.
What GAO Found Visitor visa adjudications, which account for most nonimmigrant visas (NIV), have surpassed pre-COVID numbers.
The Department of State adjudicated 9.2 million visitor visas pre-COVID in fiscal year (FY) 2019.
That number dropped to 1.5 million in FY 2021.
By FY 2025, the number of adjudications surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching 11.7 million.
The average wait time to obtain an interview for a visitor visa was almost 8 times higher than before the pandemic, increasing from 26 days in FY 2019 to 201 days in FY 2025.
Official Source
GAO reports and testimonies RSS. Accessed 2026-09-28T15:00:03.370Z.