World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma urged US lawmakers yesterday to simplify the visa process amid the heated debate on immigration policy across the United States.

Appearing at a hearing of the House of Representatives' Government Reform Committee, Ma said he and the dozens of international musicians who perform as part of the Silk Road Project face countless hurdles to bring their music to the United States.

Without exposure to different cultures, American culture will suffer, said the cellist of Chinese descent.

Ma mentioned two Iranian musicians who, despite having visited the United States many times, must wait months before they can get visas.

He said Chinese and Mongolian musicians are sometimes kept out of US Embassies because of language and cultural misunderstandings, despite having their paperwork completed.

Ma, 50, was born in Paris to Chinese parents and moved to the United States at the age of seven.

Like Ma, many US performing arts and cultural leaders have been complaining in recent years about canceled performances and events when international artists have been unable to obtain a US visa in time.

US authorities tightened visa rules in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001, as a way to prevent the US homeland against terrorism.

Worldwide, applicants for non-immigrant visas to the United States often face daunting waits just to get an interview, which may or may not yield a visa.