PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10] · D–VA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 16, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-10-01 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Reducing Visa Delays Act would require the State Department to examine staffing, resources, and social media screening in visa processing. It would also require monthly public information about the time between visa interviews and application decisions, plus a plan to address staffing and delays. These requirements concern embassies and consulates and the visa applicants they serve.
This Act may be cited as the Reducing Visa Delays Act.
(1) the adequacy of staffing levels at United States embassies and consulates to reduce visa processing wait times and visa appointment delays; (2) whether each embassy and consulate is equipped with the technology and resources necessary to efficiently carry out the consular duties of such embassy or consulate; (3) the effects of the social media vetting policies for visa applicants instituted by the Secretary after January 20, 2025, on visa processing wait times and visa appointment delays;
The Secretary shall publish monthly on a publically accessible website of the Department of State— (1) information regarding the previous average and current estimated time between an interview for a visa and the adjudication of the application for such visa
The Secretary shall develop a strategic plan— (1) to increase staffing levels at consular offices and embassies to reduce visa appointment wait times and processing delays
Within 90 days after enactment, the Secretary of State would have to report to Congress on whether embassy and consulate staffing is adequate to reduce visa delays and whether each location has the technology and resources needed for its consular duties.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress a report regarding— (1) the adequacy of staffing levels at United States embassies and consulates to reduce visa processing wait times and visa appointment delays; (2) whether each embassy and consulate is equipped with the technology and resources necessary to efficiently carry out the consular duties of such embassy or consulate;
The report would also have to examine how visa-applicant social media screening policies instituted by the Secretary after January 20, 2025, affect processing and appointment delays, and count the security flags identified through that screening.
(3) the effects of the social media vetting policies for visa applicants instituted by the Secretary after January 20, 2025, on visa processing wait times and visa appointment delays; and (4) the number of security flags that were identified through such social media vetting.
The Secretary would have to publish monthly information on a public State Department website showing the previous average and current estimated time from a visa interview to a decision on the application. The information would have to include overall figures, breakdowns by diplomatic or consular location and visa category, and explanations for those times.
(b) Publication of wait times The Secretary shall publish monthly on a publically accessible website of the Department of State— (1) information regarding the previous average and current estimated time between an interview for a visa and the adjudication of the application for such visa, in aggregate and disaggregated by diplomatic or consular post and visa category; and (2) a justification for such average and estimated times.
The Secretary would have to develop a plan to increase staffing at consular offices and embassies to reduce visa appointment and processing delays. The plan would also have to include other solutions found to reduce those delays. This provision requires a plan; it does not itself require particular hires or establish staffing levels.
(c) Strategic plan for increased staffing The Secretary shall develop a strategic plan— (1) to increase staffing levels at consular offices and embassies to reduce visa appointment wait times and processing delays; and (2) that includes any other solutions found to reduce appointment wait times and processing delays with respect to visa processing.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated October 16, 2026, records introduction in the House on October 1, 2026, and referral that day to the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees for provisions within their respective jurisdictions.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-16T17:38:27Z. 2026-10-01: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-10-01: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-10-01. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark disclosures and accompanying materials are not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 16, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI