February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
“As a result of this review, 25 of the 27 participating countries will maintain their current enrollment status in the Visa Waiver Program,” Homeland Security said in a statement.
The status of Italy and Portugal are still under review though both are currently listed as participating members in the waiver program.
Under the program, travelers in eligible countries do not have to secure a visa in advance before visiting the U.S.
At the same time, any passenger could be denied entry by U.S. immigration officials.
According to Homeland Security, in order to qualify for the program countries must satisfy a number of congressional requirements, including visa-free privileges for visiting U.S. citizens, a low number of immigration violations and high passport security standards to protect against the fraudulent use of travel documents.
The 27 countries participating in the Visa Waiver program are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
As a result of a congressional ruling, the list must be reviewed by the Department of Homeland Security every two years.
EVEN MORE LOLLY
Irish immigrant support centers around the U.S. can look forward to even more Irish government funding next year.
The 2006 estimates for the Irish government’s public services spending points to an overall 45 percent hike in funding for advice centers in the U.S., Britain and Australia.
The money is part of the spending allocation for the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, said that he was “extremely pleased” with an increase that would mean