Rep. Subramanyam Announces Legislation To Reduce Visa Processing Backlogs and Improve Emergency Evacuations
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) announced a package of three bills aiming to reduce visa processing backlogs, modernize our immigration system, and improve international emergency evacuation and disaster responses involving Americans. This package of legislation addresses concerns that Rep. Subramanyam’s constituents have experienced first hand, including extended visa appointment wait times and processing delays, a lack of support when departing the Middle East at the onset of the Iran War, and requests for additional next-of-kin communication following the floods in Nepal.
“Our immigration system, and our response when emergencies impact Americans abroad, must keep pace with changing demands. My constituents deal with the consequences of extended visa delays on a daily basis. Appointment backlogs and processing delays disrupt families and jobs. We need to address them. We also need to improve our international emergency evacuation protocols. At the start of the Iran War, I had constituents stranded in the Middle East with little guidance and no advance notice. It is critical to communicate closely with families of those impacted by disasters abroad too. This bill package delivers commonsense solutions to improve our immigration system and improve international emergency responses,” Subramanyam said.
“People who are already legally living and working in the United States should not have to leave the country simply to renew their visas. Our Domestic Visa Renewal Modernization Act would cut unnecessary red tape, give workers and employers greater certainty, and help ensure America remains competitive in attracting and retaining talented people from around the world,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.
"Overseas renewals interrupt the lives and work of millions of nonimmigrants, impeding the very activities their visas were designed to facilitate. Reviving domestic visa renewals will unlock invaluable consular capacity for foreign affairs work critical to our national security," said Jeremy Neufeld, Director of Immigration Policy at the Institute for Progress.
Below is background on the three bills:
The Reducing Visa Delays Act: Requires the State Department to report on the adequacy of staffing levels at U.S. Embassies and Consulates to reduce processing delays and visa appointment wait times. The bill also requires a review of vetting policies that the Trump Administration has put in place, in addition to transparency requirements to provide visibility into full wait time lengths.
The Domestic Visa Renewal Modernization Act: Expands a successful 2024 pilot program that allowed H-1B visa holders to renew their visas domestically. The legislation extends that pilot program to cover H-1B, H-1B1, E, I, L, O, and P visa holders. This will ensure that these visa holders don’t have to leave the United States to renew their visas -- a costly process that impacts jobs and families. The legislation is co-led by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), and co-sponsored by Reps. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) and Deborah Ross (D-NC).
The Strengthening Emergency Responses Act: Requires the State Department to update emergency evacuation plans after every emergency evacuation incident. It also requires a review of communication procedures -- including on distributing information to constituents seeking to evacuate during an emergency. The legislation also includes a requirement that the State Department must maintain regular contact with the next-of-kin of Americans impacted by major disasters abroad. Rep. Subramanyam’s district has been heavily impacted by the August floods in Nepal.
###