Visa Waiver Program to Include an Additional Seven Countries
Posted Oct 24, 2008
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President George W. Bush announced on October 17, 2008 that an additional seven countries have qualified for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). These countries will be made part of the VWP in approximately one month, according to a White House press release. The newly eligible countries are: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea. A White House fact sheet regarding this announcement is available online. As explained in the White House releases, there are six other countries on track to qualify for the VWP. These countries are: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Poland, and Romania.
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Current Nations on the VWP
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The President's announcement noted that U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff has already notified the U.S. Congress that the seven nations listed above will be added to the VWP. This action by the President and DHS will take effect in approximately one month.
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Currently, the following 27 countries are included in the VWP : Andora, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
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Effect of VWP on Travel to U.S.
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As regular MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers may recall from our April 4, 2008 article, Visa Waiver Program Likely to Expand to Five More Nations, the VWP allows foreign nationals from the current 27 VWP nations to travel to the U.S. for 90 days or less for business, pleasure, or in transit, without the need for a B-1/B-2 (visitor) visa. The VWP is only available for countries with high rates of compliance with U.S. visa requirements and low rates of rejections of visa applicants.
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VWP Purpose Limited to Short Term Travel
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The VWP does not replace the need for other types of visas, such as the H1B, L-1, J-1, or F-1. It is strictly a way to facilitate routine, temporary visits to the U.S. It only allows visits of up to 90 days, with no extensions or changes of status possible. Therefore, while it is a significant privilege and makes visiting the U.S. much easier for those from eligible countries, it is in no way an open door to live or work in the United States.
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Conclusion
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These steps toward inclusion of seven new nations in the VWP advance the United States' dual interests in promoting visa-security enhancements and facilitating travel between partner nations. As other nations agree to VWP-required security enhancements, and otherwise meet the requirements, they may be added to the VWP under U.S. law. We at the Murthy Law Firm will continue to monitor VWP changes and will report these to MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers.