Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States of America which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. All countries participating in program have high HDI and most are regarded as developed countries

History

The visa waiver program was introduced in 1986 with the aim of facilitating tourism and short term business visits to the United States, and allowing the Department of State to focus consular resources on addressing higher risks to the U.S.

Eligible countries

  Countries participating in Visa Waiver Program

As of 2006, 27 countries participate in this program:

Europe (22) Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Asia (3) Brunei, Japan, Singapore,

Oceania (2) Australia, New Zealand

People from Canada and Bermuda are able to enter the US with only a birth certificate and are not required to have passports to enter. However, from January 2007, persons from Canada and Bermuda will be required to have passports when entering the US by air only (US citizens will also require passports to reenter the US by air). Persons from Canada will still be able to use their birth certificate when traveling to the US by land or sea.

Persons must be citizens of the country in question in order to travel. Permanent residents of eligible nations do not qualify unless they hold an eligible passport.

Eligibility for the visa waiver scheme may be withdrawn at any time. Usually this may happen if the United States feels that citizens of a certain country are more likely to violate their VWP restrictions (such as working without a permit or overstaying their allowed period of stay in the U.S.). Accordingly, Argentina's participation in the VWP was terminated in 2002 in light of the financial crisis taking place in that country and its potential effect on unlawful immigration of its citizens to the U.S. by way of the VWP. Uruguay's participation in the program was revoked in 2003 for similar reasons.

Greece is the only country of the original 15 nations European Union prior to the May 1,2004 enlargement whose citizens require a visa to enter the United States. Slovenia is the only nation of the ten newly admitted nations that is already a member of the VWP.

Presently (as of Spring 2006), Poland and South Korea are in negotiations to join the VWP by 2007. An amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S.2611 as it is known by its bill name) proposes a two-year probationary participation in the Visa Waiver Program to certain countries who are allies in the "war on terror.” Additional amendments require that “the country is a member of the European Union” and “providing material support to Afghanistan or Iraq.” So far Poland and Romania are the only candidate nations that have met these requirements. [1] South Korea must first reduce their visa denial rate to less than 3% in order to move to the next step of the approval process. [2] South Korea's chances are further being scrutinized due to a thriving and very sizable sex-trade industry in that nation. With no controls or laws to regulate human trafficking and prostitution, the country will have to strengthen its position on this moral issue before it can be granted membership in the program. [3]

While all participating nations must provide reciprocal visa-free travel for U.S. citizens (usually ninety days for tourism or business purposes), Australia is the only nation that requires U.S. citizens (and other VWP nations) to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (or ETA for short), which in fact is a visa that is stored electronically in a computer system operated by the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (or DIMA for short). A passport holder must apply for and purchase an ETA through an authorized travel agency, airline, or via the official DIMA website before departing for Australia. However, as the ETA process is relatively free of formality, the United States recognises it as the equivalent of visa free travel.

The only European microstate that is not a member of the program is the Vatican City. It is not known whether it will or will not seek membership in the program.

^ British passport holders

Only British Citizens are eligible for the program. British National (Overseas) and other British passport holders (except most persons from Bermuda) need a visa to visit the United States.

British National (Overseas) passport are eligible for Guam Visa Waiver Program to visit Guam [4]. See British Nationality Law for details regarding various kinds of United Kingdom passports.

Requirements for the visa waiver program

The requirements for the visa waiver program are as follows:

Machine readable and biometric passports

All travellers must have individual passports. It is not acceptable (for the visa waiver scheme) for children to be included on a parent's passport.

Passport requirements depend on the date the passport was issued or renewed:

• Passports issued or renewed before 26 October 2005 must be machine readable.
• Passports issued or renewed after 26 October 2005 must be machine readable and contain a digitized photograph, or must be biometric passports.
• Passports issued or renewed after 26 October 2006 must be biometric.

Passport validity

The standard requirement for passport validity is 6 months beyond the expected date of departure from the U.S., however some country-specific arrangements are different. Details (pdf format)

Return or onward ticket

If entering the U.S. by air or sea, additional requirements apply. The traveller must:

• Be travelling on a participating commercial carrier and;
• Be holding a valid return or onward ticket. Where the ticket terminates in Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or an island in the Caribbean, the traveller must be a legal resident of that country or territory.

Other eligibility requirements

Applicants for admission under the visa waiver program:

• Must have complied with the conditions of all previous admissions to the U.S.;
• Must not be ineligible for a visa;
• Must not have been previously denied entry to the U.S. or been denied a US visa;
• Must not be intending to visit the U.S. for a purpose other than tourism or a short term business visit. In particular, journalists cannot use the visa waiver scheme to operate in the U.S. and must instead apply for an I visa.
• If entering over the land frontier, must pay a fee of $6. For those arriving by air or sea, the cost of the visa waiver is included in the airline ticket.

Those who do not meet the requirements for the visa-waiver scheme must obtain a U.S. tourist visa from an American Embassy or Consulate.

Visa waiver program restrictions

A person entering the United States under the VWP cannot request an extension of the original allowed period of stay in the U.S. (this practice is allowed to those holding regular visas). Additionally, a person who entered the U.S. under the VWP may not request a change of immigration status while in the U.S. (e.g. one is unable to change status from say a tourist to a student). Moreover, if one seeks to enter the U.S and is denied at a port of entry, no path of appealing the denial of entry is allowed.

Travelers can leave to Mexico and other countries, but will not be granted another 90 days after reentry in the US [5].

Canadians and Bermudians

Canadian citizens and British Overseas Territories citizens from Bermuda are also admitted to the United States without requiring tourist visas, but under different legislation to the Visa Waiver program.Details

Prior to 17 March 2003, Canadian permanent residents who were citizens of Commonwealth countries or Ireland could be admitted to the U.S. on the same basis as Canadian citizens. This concession has been withdrawn.

See also

• US-VISIT
• Visa Waiver Permanent Program Act
• List of countries by Human Development Index
• List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita
• Developed country
• United States visas
• European Union visa lists

External links

• Visa Waiver Program, Department of State, the United States
• President Clinton Signs the Visa Waiver Permanent Program Act