British travelers to face longest ever US immigration queues

Millions of British holidaymakers and business travellers heading for the United States this summer are facing longer queues than ever for their applications to be processed by immigration.

Research by The Independent has revealed that budget cuts at US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have sharply increased airport queues, with the worst delays in Florida.

The research revealed that travellers to New York's John F. Kennedy airport and Dallas-Fort Worth risk waits exceeding two hours.

Nearly a record 27 million overseas visitors are expected to visit the US this summer, and lines are set to get even longer.

According to the report, in a statement from its headquarters in Washington, the CBP said that the effects of sequestration will continue to have serious impacts on US Customs and Border Protection, including increased wait times for customs inspections at airports.

British Airways is the biggest carrier between the UK and US, and serves all seven airports with a maximum average wait over 100 minutes - including San Francisco, Houston, Washington DC and Orlando, the report said.

A spokesman for BA said the airline was in regular contact with the relevant authorities in the US in order to minimize immigration delays for our customers, it added.