No successful business operator would keep their best customers on hold for a year or more. Yet that’s what’s happening to far too many of America’s customers. Millions of tourists and business travelers are languishing for months on end waiting for an interview just to apply for a visa to visit the United States and contribute to our economy.

Egregious wait times for visitor visas to the U.S. now average a staggering 400+ days for first-time visitors from critical inbound countries. Visa processing times for three top sources of U.S. visitors–Brazil, India, and Mexico–are now 317, 757 and 601 days respectively. These excessive visa delays are the equivalent of a travel ban, pushing potential U.S. visitors to choose other countries instead.