Eight New Countries Added to the Visa

Waiver Program

Eight New Countries Added to the Visa Waiver Program - DHS has added the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, South Korea and Malta to the list of Visa Waiver Program countries. Visa waiver designation permits citizens of those countries to enter the U.S., without a visa, for business or personal reasons for up to 90 days. As U.S. consulates in many countries have become rather stingy in their willingness to issue visitor visas without a showing of strong ties to the home country, visa waiver designation is a prized diplomatic objective for most countries.

These additions bring the Visa Waiver total to 35 countries. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Poland, and Romania have signed agreements with the U.S. so appear on track for admission to the Visa Waiver Program. Their admission to the program, however, will ultimately depend on the levels of visa refusals issued by the consulates (essentially a self-fulfilling prophecy).

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