Summary: Twelve of 43 consulates GAO visited, including the one in Sao Paulo, Brazil, had nonimmigrant visa backlogs exceeding one week and ranging up to two months during 1991. These backlogs occurred primarily during peak tourist seasons, such as school vacations. Brazilian tourists wishing to visit the United States often had to endure considerable inconveniences to obtain visas, in some cases waiting in long lines out on the street. Embassy officials have suggested that the State Department charge fees for nonimmigrant visas more extensively than it now does and obtain legislative authority to use fee collections for additional staffing and facilities. Promotion of tourism tends to be a function of the Commerce Department rather than the State Department, and only 19 of the 43 consulates GAO reviewed had tourist promotion activities. Several consular officials and foreign travel industry representatives said that more communication is needed between representatives of the consulate and the travel industry.
