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Visa Waiver Program

Definition: Under the statement provided by the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, citizens from certain countries are not required to get visa when entering the United States as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure matters, as part of the nonimmigrant admission class. However, admission is limited to 90 days only. The program was instituted by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Stated under the Guam Visa Waiver Program, nationals visiting from the designated countries may enter Guam for only a maximum number of 15 days without first having to acquire nonimmigrant visitor visas.

Example: Ronald, an agent for a certain Spanish basketball player contacted by an NBA team, travels to Memphis for two weeks to finalize legal player contract between his client and an NBA club. With Spain as part of the Visa Waive Program, he doesn’t need to apply for a travel visa to enter the United States.

VISA WAIVER PROGRAM (VWP)

The Visa Waiver Program, or known as VWP, allow the nationals for those participating countries to travel and enter the United States soil for either tourism or business matters for 90 days or less without applying for a United States visa. The VWP is administered by the Attorney General with the consultation of the Secretary of State. The Visa Water Program (VWP) was agreed by an act of Congress provided as pilot program in 1986 and instigated in the year 1988. By October 2000, the Congress submitted a legislation to make the program to be permanent and the President signed the legislation on October 30, 2000.

At present, there are 28 countries that have been entitled for a VSP status, namely; Andorra, Austria, Australia, 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, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

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