By Mark Chesnut and Rochelle Broder-Singer
Getting a visa to enter the United States is often the most difficult part of doing business in that country. Unless you're traveling from one of the few countries the U.S. has in its Visa Waiver Program, the process can be cumbersome and time-consuming. In fact, hospitality industry professionals in that nation cite the visa process as the biggest impediment to growing business travel.
The U.S. government is listening to the industry's concerns, says Patricia Rojas-Ung�r, vice president of government relations at the U.S. Travel Association. For instance, B-1 temporary business visas (and B-2 tourism visas) are now valid for 10 years - twice as long as previously. In addition, the time it takes for Brazilians and Mexicans to receive U.S. visas has been significantly reduced by increasing consular staffing and making small changes to the visa application process. In Brazil, the average wait time has dropped to five days, from 100.
Throughout Latin America, the U.S. government has hired more consular officers and examined ways to make the visa application experience more welcoming. "In fact, in Brazil, the state department actually worked with Disney, whose job is to make people feel comfortable," Rojas-Ung�r says. "Disney was helpful in redesigning the queuing experience in Sao Paulo and Rio." For Colombia, the free trade agreement with the U.S. has helped smooth the visa application process for travel between those two countries, says Mar�a Oriani, the Bogota-based general manager at travel website Despegar.com.
Anything that makes the visa process either unnecessary or easier will likely mean more travel to the U.S. from Latin America, explains Andr� Carvalhal, regional general manager for Latin America & president for Brazil at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. "Historically, it's been a bit of a challenge for corporate and leisure travelers to visit the United States due to the visa requirements, but some changes are making this a bit easier," he says. "The interview process for those who still require a visa for entry into the United States has also become less complicated and less stressful, as facilities are upgraded in major embassies across the region."
Overall, wait times for visa processing are down in many parts of Latin America, even as the number of applications has risen, Rojas-Ung�r says.
Expanding the Visa Waiver Program into Latin America
Still, "Visas are a barrier," to travel into the U.S., Oriani says. "At Despegar.com this was proved with the case of the visa [requirements] imposed in Mexico for travel to Canada. Demand immediately fell 40%."
Cecilia Victoria Beltrame, American Express Travel's director of global supplier relations LAC, notes that the U.S. visa process is inconsistent. It "varies in each country and could have different levels of complexity and requirements," she says. She recommends that nation implement an express program for travel agencies to manage the visa process for their clients.
Business travelers say the U.S. needs to expand the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the United States without a visa for stays of 90 days or less, when they meet certain requirements. In Latin America, all eyes are on Chile, which is in line to become the first nation in Latin America or the Caribbean to join the program in 2014.
Adrian Turner, who serves as the Chile chapter president of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), predicts that the Visa Waiver will result in a surge in travel from Chile to the United States and vice versa, since it will likely also result in the removal of the reciprocal visa charge for U.S. travelers arriving in Chile. The U.S. is also considering adding Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay into the Visa Waiver Program.
Keeping Up With Growth
Simplified visa programs, faster application processes and more visa waivers will make business travel to the U.S. easier. However, U.S. immigration and customs processing needs to keep up with the increasing number of international travelers entering that country. "With the demand going up, we are hearing specific comments about people having to wait too long at our ports of entry," Rojas-Ung�r says. "So that's something we want to tackle, because the last thing we want is to have someone get off a 10-hour flight and have to wait another three hours."
The U.S. Visa Application Process:
Most citizens of Latin American countries traveling to the U.S. must apply for a B-1 temporary business visa, or a B-2 tourism visa (spouses or family members accompanying a business traveler require a B-2 visa). Although the process varies, most people will complete the following steps:
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The U.S. Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro
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- Complete an online application
- Make an appointment to have fingerprints and your photo collected at an Applicant Service Center
- Make an appointment for a visa interview at the closest U.S. embassy or consulate
- After attending both appointments, if visa is granted, pick up the visa or have it delivered to you
- Wait times between completing appointments and issuance of visa vary
Photos: U.S. Consulate in Rio-Guilherme B Alves, via Wikimedia Commons; Visa-�iStock/tanaka_fer