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US looks to double embassy shifts to clear visa backlogs ahead of World Cup, Olympics

Marco Rubio spoke about visa backlogs during his House Foreign Affairs Committee testimony.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's State Department budget request for the Department of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2025. / REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

To clear visa backlogs ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on May 21 that the Trump Administration is considering introducing double shifts in some of its diplomatic missions worldwide.

Currently, six countries–Canada, Colombia, Honduras, India, Turkey, and the UAE—have at least one U.S. diplomatic post with visa appointment wait times that extend beyond the start of the first FIFA26 game in the United States.

“We are looking for ways to do double shifts in some of our embassies around the world because of the visa requirements. For example, if you haven't applied for a visa from Colombia already, you probably won't get here in time for the World Cup unless we go to double shifts,” Rubio said during his testimony at the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Also read: Rubio vows to keep stripping student visas in heated hearing

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