VISITOR Act

This legislation, known as the VISITOR Act, seeks to significantly reduce visa wait times by authorizing the strategic use and transfer of specific collected fees. It amends the Passport Act to clarify that fees cover the costs of providing general consular services, including the protection of United States citizens and their interests overseas. The bill specifically permits the use of certain passport and immigrant visa surcharges, as well as funds from the Fraud Prevention and Detection Account, to support these essential consular operations. Furthermore, the Act grants authority to transfer unobligated balances from existing fee collections and other "Administration of Foreign Affairs" amounts to the Consular and Border Security Programs account. These transfers are intended to sustain consular operations, with the Secretary of State needing to consult with congressional committees for certain transfers. A key objective of the bill is to empower the Secretary of State to work towards a goal of interviewing 80 percent of nonimmigrant visa applicants within three weeks of application receipt, while acknowledging necessary exceptions for resource, security, and U.S. citizen service considerations.