§ 4508 : VISA PROCESSING

IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law and not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall—

1.

require United States diplomatic and consular missions—

A.

to conduct visa interviews for nonimmigrant visa applications determined to require a consular interview in an expeditious manner, consistent with national security requirements, and in recognition of resource allocation considerations, such as the need to ensure provision of consular services to citizens of the United States;

B.

to set a goal of interviewing 80 percent of all nonimmigrant visa applicants, worldwide, within 3 weeks of receipt of application, subject to the conditions outlined in subparagraph (A); and

C.

to explore expanding visa processing capacity in China and Brazil, with the goal of maintaining interview wait times under 15 work days on a consistent, year-round basis, recognizing that demand can spike suddenly and unpredictably and that the first priority of United States missions abroad is the protection of citizens of the United States; and

2.

submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a detailed strategic plan that describes the resources needed to carry out paragraph (1)(A).

APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.—In this section, the term appropriate committees of Congress means—

1.

the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

2.

the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the end of the first 6 months after the implementation of subsection (a), and not later than 30 days after the end of each subsequent quarter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that provides—

1.

data substantiating the efforts of the Secretary of State to meet the requirements and goals described in subsection (a);

2.

any factors that have negatively impacted the efforts of the Secretary to meet such requirements and goals; and

3.

any measures that the Secretary plans to implement to meet such requirements and goals.

SAVINGS PROVISION.—

1.

IN GENERAL.—Nothing in subsection (a) may be construed to affect a consular officer’s authority—

A.

to deny a visa application under section 221(g)of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(g)); or

B.

to initiate any necessary or appropriate security-related check or clearance.

2.

SECURITY CHECKS.—The completion of a security-related check or clearance shall not be subject to the time limits set out in subsection (a).