WASHINGTON, 22 June — A representative of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) spoke before the House Small Business Committee this week on the new proposed rule from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) that seeks to limit the amount of time international visitors could spend in the US. TIA is a national, nonprofit organization that represents the US travel industry and promotes travel to and within the United States.
The hearing was held to examine the impact the new rule will have on small businesses that rely on international visitors. The new INS rule wants to eliminate the minimum admission period for international travelers visiting with a B-2 pleasure visa from six months to a shorter and poorly defined "reasonable period" tailored for each individual visitor. The period of time granted to the visitor would be up to the individual INS inspector and be determined when the visitor arrives in the US.
"It is entirely possible that an INS inspector would assign an admission period for the visitor that is less than the length of the visitor’s itinerary or tour package," said Neil Amrine, president of Guide Service of Washington, Inc., who testified on behalf of TIA, and warned the committee about the new rule. "Faced with the possibility that tourists will not be granted the time they need to complete their trip, tour operators will advise travelers to go elsewhere. Certainty is a necessity for international travel."
Amrine urged Congress to support the travel industry’s proposal of shortening the admission period for B-2 visa holders from six months to three months. "Tour operators and individual vacationers could plan with certainty and travel with confidence knowing their trip will not be cut short prematurely. The three-month period would allow enough time for travelers to deal with unanticipated events without overstaying their visa or having to file for an extension."
In response, James Ziglar, commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, agreed to consider the economic impact on the travel industry regarding the administration’s proposal to limit the length of time travelers can visit the US.
The nation’s top immigration official agreed to meet with travel industry members to address their concerns — as long as Bush administration officials approve and the law allows it.
"What’s important to TIA is that the proposed INS rule on B-2 visas will do little if nothing to enhance security, but it has already confused international travelers and potentially will cause some of them to choose other countries for travel," said Rick Webster, director of government affairs at TIA.
"The good thing that came out the hearing is a commitment by Commissioner Ziglar to convene a meeting with the travel and tourism industry to discuss the proposed rule," said Webster, who added that he’s still "waiting for the phone to ring" regarding a date for the meeting.
"They have said that the rule will not be issued until sometime later this summer, I remain confident that the rule — as proposed — will not go forward," said Webster.
