By Kevin Landrigan, New Hampshire Union Leader
CONCORD — Gov. Chris Sununu headed to Washington Tuesday to lobby the State Department to jump-start J-1 Visas for cultural exchange and tourism worker programs, decimated during COVID-19.
Sununu authored a bipartisan letter to President Biden with Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, urging the White House to support timely changes to the BridgeUSA program.
Due to the pandemic, participation in the summer work travel and camp counselor programs fell by 96% in 2020 and 75% in 2021, the governors said.
“After two years, the program, participants, hosts and sponsor community cannot sustain another year of delays and limitations without causing irreparable harm to the image of the program, reputation of the United States, and further economic damage to U.S. businesses and camps across the country,” the governors wrote.
“The timeline is crucial, and we ask that you issue this guidance as soon as possible.”
Sununu said the changes needed were to direct those leading foreign embassies and consulates to make room for more appointments of interviews for visas, to waive in-person interviews when reasonable, and to remove any limitation on applications.
