Memo to the White House

As part of the 2021 AmChams in Europe U.S. Week: Washington, DC Virtual Outreach, a digital meeting took place on May 12 with the White House National Security Council. Following through on a request to highlight current and future constraints on business and student mobility between countries in Europe and the U.S., AmCham Sweden Managing Director Peter Dahlen took the lead in drafting a memo outlining the business impact of visa processing delays in collaboration with colleagues and peers from AmChams in Europe.

This opportunity to learn about the United States Government’s priorities and to give feedback on matters that are key to the transatlantic business community is a tangible example of how AmCham Sweden is fulfilling our mission as the Home of American Business in Sweden.

Understandably, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of people to travel between the U.S. and the EU. As part of a network representing over 17,000 American and European businesses in over 40 countries throughout Europe and Eurasia, AmCham Sweden embraced the constraints put on international travel to combat the pandemic. These constraints have impacted the more than 310,000 employees of U.S. and Swedish businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.

We are appreciative of the efforts made by the U.S. Government and the U.S. Embassies and their staff the world over, particularly those serving in the Consular services offices, as they have diligently worked with businesses and organizations across Europe to accommodate current constraints.

However, we share the concerns of our counterparts in AmChams across Europe and Eurasia that if the issue is not addressed as a priority, it will harm not only the good reputation of the U.S. as a partner for business in Europe, but also jeopardize European investments and job creation in the U.S.

We were heartened recently by the announcement that National Interest Exceptions (NIE) have given the Consular sections an important tool to facilitate travel for citizens in the Schengen Area, United Kingdom and Ireland. As a result, travelers from those areas who seek to provide vital support or executive direction for critical infrastructure, and those traveling to provide vital support or executive direction for significant economic activity in the U.S., may now qualify for NIEs.

AmCham Sweden supports efforts to further broaden the availability of NIEs in the short-term and review the current status of visa processing at U.S. Embassies, and to provide Consular offices with the necessary resources to process visa applications in a timely and efficient manner in the future.