US Secretary of State urged to address visa and travel issues
Transatlantic business leaders have written to the US Secretary of State urging him to address problems with a visa backlog and to prioritise the removal of travel restrictions.
BritshAmerican Business - of which the Transatlantic Chamber is part - has sent a letter to Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, urging him to prioritise the safe removal of 212F restrictions which prohibit non-permanent US residents who have been in the UK from directly entering the US.
The letter, signed by BAB chief executive Duncan Edwards, also encourages Mr Blinken to commit to a resumption of historic levels of availability of short- and long-term business-related visas.
BAB sees this issue as completely separate to the broader US immigration policy and as a crucial component of the US 's position as a globally competitive and innovative economy.
With regards to visas, the letter says: “We have received an increasing number of reports that appointments for interviews at consulates and embassies around the world are either cancelled or unavailable and travel restrictions mean that leaving the US for an interview risks not being able to return.
“This situation is now becoming a critical issue for many US and UK companies with employees working in the US under various business visas.
“These companies and employees do not want to risk legal jeopardy but need to be able to renew their visas and travel internationally to fulfill their business obligations.
“Business travellers from the UK welcomed the opportunity to apply for a National Interest Exception to allow them to travel but we hear that visa appointments are being linked to these waivers when they should not be connected.
“Our members understand the initial challenges of operating under Covid-19 restrictions may have temporarily impacted productivity in embassies and consulates but would like reassurance that these issues are being addressed as they have been in private business.
“We would be grateful for any guidance you can gives us on a) when consular services around the world will be back to the normal level of service and b) what advice we can pass on to those inside the US. ”
On travel restrictions, the letter adds: “BAB has been arguing for a removal of the 212F travel restrictions in a safe manner and would like to ask for your support to have the US-UK Travel Task Force present a clear path toward re-opening as soon as possible.
“What might have made sense 15 months ago looks outdated now given the success of vaccination programs and the huge advances in therapeutics for this disease.
“The US government has recognised this, and the safety of air travel, by removing restrictions for its own citizens.
“Treating vaccinated UK citizens exactly the same way as U.S. citizens would be helpful and a reflection of the great success that both countries have made of their vaccination programs. ”
Read the full letter here.