Visa Waiver Changes

Visa Waiver Changes May Have Effects for Americans

The Visa Waiver Program has recently undergone some renovations. Fearing that the program could be used to facilitate the travel of personae non grata into the United States, Congress approved changes to the program. Dual nationals and anyone who has traveled to Iran, Iraq, Syria, or Sudan in the past five years are no longer allowed to enjoy visa-free travel. The goal is to prevent radicalized people abroad from entering the United States. This has caused issues for journalists, humanitarian workers, government officials, and businesspeople, according to The Guardian.

The fear for Americans traveling abroad is that this will result in restrictions for Americans traveling to European countries. At the present time, an American can travel to the United Kingdom or France without having to obtain a visa.

Visa-free Travel

38 countries, mostly in Europe, enjoy the ability for visa-free travel into the United States. Obtaining a visa, even a visitor’s visa, can be an expensive and time-consuming ordeal. The visa waiver enables nationals of the approved countries to enter the United States for 90 days. The trip must be for visiting purposes. It is a trust system, in which the traveler pledges to adhere to the rules by not overstaying and not straying from the purpose of the visit. On the visa waiver, a traveler cannot attempt to adjust her status a non-immigrant visa once in the United States.