Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
Romania will be the 43rd country to become a member of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The new designation made by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in conjunction with Secretary of State Antony Blinken will go into effect on or around March 31, 2025.
The VWP allows citizens or nationals of participating countries…
Qatar will join the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). It will be the 42nd member of the VWP and the first Gulf country to qualify. The VWP allows citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.
No…
To avoid delays, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wants to remind everyone who will be traveling this summer about its technologies, including lots of mobile apps, that will help streamline the reentry process for qualifying travelers. More and more travelers have been taking advantage of these tools, according to CBP.
Fourteen million people…
Since 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been working on improving the systems used to document the entries and exits of nonimmigrants to and from the United States. There is no comprehensive easy-to-use system in place to collect exit data, although there are ways to report departure that the CBP characterizes as burdensome…
On October 17, 2023, the Department of State (DOS) took the first steps to implement stateside processing of nonimmigrant visas. The DOS notified the federal Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs that it will introduce a pilot stateside processing program on a limited basis in the first quarter of 2024. Those able to utilize stateside…
Beginning on October 19, 2023, eligible Israeli citizens and nationals can apply for visa-free travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
Israel’s entrance into the VWP was originally scheduled to begin on November 30, 2023, but that has been moved up based…
On September 27, 2023, Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas announced that Israel will join the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Pursuant to the designation, beginning on November 30, 2023, Israeli citizens will be able to apply online through ESTA to travel to the United States on the VWP.
The…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued additional Visa Waiver Program guidance involving Cuba, Hungary, and Israel.
The Visa Waiver Program allows individuals from selected countries to enter the United States for business or tourism for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. To enter under the Visa Waiver Program, foreign nationals must…
Passport stamps used to be treasured mementos for some travelers, but they are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Instead, biometrics and electronic entry systems are being deployed. But that is not the only thing that is changing. Now, in many countries, e-Gates may take the place of customs officers.
E-Gates automate border control…
While many COVID-19 travel restrictions have been removed, all nonimmigrant foreign nationals continue to be required to present proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to board an international flight to the United States.
A summary of the COVID-19 vaccination requirements can be found below.
Someone is “fully vaccinated”:
