A Controversial New Wrinkle To US Visa Policies

The United States visa waiver program has recently implemented changes where Australians who have recently visited some countries in the Middle East will no longer be able to enter the country under the program.

In addition, citizens of visa waiver countries who hold dual Iranian, Iraqi, Sudanese or Syrian nationality will have to apply for a full visa before travelling to America. Individuals who will require a visa should check the website of the USA embassy in their country of residence for instructions on how to apply for the visa. “But instead, DHS [Department of Homeland Security] has announced risky changes to our nation’s visa waiver program that prioritize the business interests of Iran – the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism – over the safety of the American people”.

In many instances, visa policies have been enacted on a reciprocal basis; if the USA doesn’t require a visa for French travelers, then France won’t require one for American travelers, and so on.

People who may be eligible for a waiver include those who visited the countries on behalf of global organisations or humanitarian groups, or journalists who reported there. It will affect citizens of 38 countries, mostly in Europe, who are eligible to use the visa waiver system and a new, more detailed, ESTA questionnaire will be released in February 2016. This allows them to easily enter the U.S. without visa for a maximum of 90 days.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the government has updated the Smartraveller website to advise of the changes. “It’s a recognition that threat exists and an attempt to add another layer of security”. In an open letter last month, the European Union’s 29 ambassadors in Washington warned against a “blanket restriction” on travel to certain countries that it said would unfairly target innocent businesspeople, journalists and aid workers, as well as dual nationals.

Some congressional Republicans immediately decried the move, saying it circumvented the will of Congress.

“The Obama administration is blatantly breaking the law, a law the president himself signed”, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., said in a joint statement on Thursday. It is a clear contradiction of the law and the agreement we reached with the White House.

The post How do the new US visa rules work? appeared first on PBS NewsHour.