Public Description:
The bill would authorize DHS to waive mandatory requirements for a country’s participation in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) – a program which now allows citizens of 27 countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa, and, because there is little scrutiny of VWP “travelers,” has provided easy entry for terrorists and created a black market for stolen or forged passports from such countries – if the agency determines that: (1) the country has developed a viable plan to meet the requirements within three years; (2) the country has made significant progress (not defined within this bill) in reducing its nonimmigrant visa refusal rate in the previous two years; (3) waiving the requirements would not compromise the security or welfare of the United States; and (4) the country has fully cooperated in counterterrorism and information sharing initiatives; and would require DHS – in consultation with the State Department and within one year of enactment – to submit a report to Congress describing plans for enhancing secure travel standards for VWP countries.
To provide additional discretion to the Secretary of Homeland Security in designating countries eligible to participate in the visa waiver program under section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and for other purposes.
