[amluto]

How about hiring more people? For that matter, why is the decision made in the local consulate or embassy anyway?

The whole worldwide visa system feels like a relic of the time before networks. Many tasks rely on physically moving pieces of paper around, leaving your passport with agents of a foreign government (!), and having documents that are stamped and supposedly authenticated. Shouldn’t everyone be able to separate the tasks of authenticating a person and authorizing that person to be somewhere?