The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday new rules for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) aimed at preventing terrorism and stopping visa overstays.
The VWP, administered by DHS, allows citizens of 38 countries with close ties to the United States to travel to the United States for business or tourism for up to 90 days without acquiring a visa. In exchange, U.S. citizens receive reciprocal travel rights to each of those countries.
Some 20 million travelers come to the United States using the VWP every year, according to a senior administration official. VWP expected departures made up about 43 percent of total expected immigration departures in 2016.
The tightened security requirements are in part meant to address the threat from potential terrorists with citizenship making them eligible for the VWP. Such concerns were first raised in November of 2015, when it was discovered that several of the perpetrators of the terror attacks in Paris had French and Belgian citizenship, making them VWP-eligible.
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