Visa Waiver Program
Alison Siskin
Specialist in Immigration Policy
October 28, 2010
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RL32221
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress

Visa Waiver Program

Summary
Since the events of September 11, 2001, concerns have been raised about the ability of terrorists
to enter the United States under the visa waiver program (VWP), because the VWP bypasses the
first step by which foreign visitors are screened for admissibility to enter the United States.
Nonetheless, the inclusion of countries in the VWP may help foster positive relations between the
United States and those countries, promote tourism and commerce, facilitate information sharing,
and ease consular office workloads abroad. The VWP allows nationals from certain countries to
enter the United States as temporary visitors (nonimmigrants) for business or pleasure without
first obtaining a visa from a U.S. consulate abroad. Temporary visitors for business or pleasure
from non-VWP countries must obtain a visa from Department of State (DOS) officers at a
consular post abroad before coming to the United States. As of October 2010, 36 countries
participate in the VWP.
In FY2009, 16.2 million visitors entered the United States under this program, constituting 50.5%
of all overseas visitors. To qualify for the VWP, statute specifies that a country must offer
reciprocal privileges to U.S. citizens; have had a nonimmigrant refusal rate of less than 3% for the
previous year or an average of no more than 2% over the past two fiscal years with neither year
going above 2.5%; issue their nationals machine-readable passports that incorporate biometric
identifiers;
certify that it is developing a program to issue tamper-resident, machine-readable visa
documents that incorporate biometric identifiers which are verifiable at the country’s port of
entry; and not compromise the law enforcement or security interests of the United States by its
inclusion in the program. Countries can be terminated from the VWP if an emergency occurs that
threatens the United States’ security interests.
P.L. 110-53 added new requirements to participate in the VWP, and provided the Secretary of the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority to waive the nonimmigrant refusal rate
requirement. The waiver became available in October 2008; however, it was suspended on July 1,
2009.
All aliens entering under the VWP must present machine-readable passports. In addition,
passports issued between October 26, 2005, and October 25, 2006, must have a digitized photo on
the data page, while passports issued after October 25, 2006, must contained electronic data chips
(e-passports). Under DHS regulations, travelers who seek to enter the United States through the
VWP are subject to the biometric requirements of the US-VISIT program. In addition, aliens
entering under the VWP must get an approval from the Electronic System for Travel
Authorization (ESTA), a web-based system that checks the alien’s information against relevant
law enforcement and security databases, before they can board a plane to the United States. ESTA
became operational for all VWP countries on January 12, 2009.
In 2008, eight new countries were added to the VWP who needed the nonimmigrant refusal rate
waiver to be part of the program. There are other countries (e.g., Poland, Romania, Taiwan) that
have expressed interest in being a part of the VWP. The nonimmigrant refusal rate waiver
authority was suspended on June 30, 2009, because DHS did not implement an air-exit system
that incorporates biometric identifiers. It is unknown when a biometric exit system will be
implemented. This report will be updated if legislative action occurs.

Congressional Research Service

Visa Waiver Program

Contents
Current Policy............................................................................................................................. 1
VWP Qualifying Criteria....................................................................................................... 2
Nonimmigrant Refusal Rate Waiver ...................................................................................... 3
Electronic Travel Authorization System (ESTA).............................................................. 5
Arrival and Departure Inspections ......................................................................................... 6
Trends in Use of the VWP..................................................................................................... 8
Policy Issues ............................................................................................................................... 9
Security .............................................................................................................................. 10
Adding Countries to the VWP ............................................................................................. 11
EU Countries ................................................................................................................ 11
GAO Report.................................................................................................................. 13
Lost and Stolen Passports.................................................................................................... 13
Overstays............................................................................................................................ 14
Legislation in the 111th Congress ............................................................................................... 15
S. 16 ................................................................................................................................... 15
S. 203 ................................................................................................................................. 15
H.R. 1439/S. 1704............................................................................................................... 15
S. 3544 ............................................................................................................................... 15
H.R. 2954/H.R. 4321 .......................................................................................................... 16

Figures
Figure 1. Number of Entrants under the VWP for FY1999-FY2008, Percentage of All
Nonimmigrant Entrants Who Are VWP Entrants, and Percentage of All B Visa Entrants
Who Are VWP Entrants ........................................................................................................... 8

Appendixes
Appendix. Legislative History................................................................................................... 17

Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 21

Congressional Research Service

Visa Waiver Program

Current Policy
Under the visa waiver program (VWP), the Secretary of Homeland Security,1 in consultation with
the Secretary of State, may waive the “B” nonimmigrant visa requirement for aliens traveling
from certain countries as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (tourists).2 Nationals from
participating countries must use the web-based Electronic System for Travel Authorization
(ESTA) to get an approved electronic travel authorization before embarking to the United States,
and are admitted into the United States for up to 90 days.3 The VWP constitutes one of a few
exceptions under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) in which foreign nationals are
admitted into the United States without a valid visa. As of October 2010, 36 countries participate
in the VWP.4
Temporary foreign visitors for business or pleasure from most countries must obtain a visa from
Department of State (DOS) offices at a consular post abroad before coming to the United States.5
Personal interviews are generally required, and consular officers use the Consular Consolidated
Database (CCD) to screen visa applicants. In addition to indicating the outcome of any prior visa
application of the alien in the CCD, the system links with other databases to flag problems that
may make the alien ineligible for a visa under the so-called “grounds for inadmissibility” of the
INA, which include criminal, terrorist, and public health grounds for exclusion. Consular officers
are required to check the background of all aliens in the “lookout” databases, including the
Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS) and TIPOFF databases.6
Although the VWP greatly eases the documentary requirements for nationals from participating
countries, it has important restrictions. Aliens entering with a B visa may petition to extend their
length of stay in the United States or may petition to change to another nonimmigrant or
immigrant status. Aliens entering through the VWP are not permitted to extend their stays except
for emergency reasons and then for only 30 days.7 Additionally, with some limited exceptions,
aliens entering through VWP are not permitted to adjust status. An alien entering through the
VWP who violates the terms of admission becomes deportable without any judicial recourse or
review (except in asylum cases).

1 The Secretary of Homeland Security administers the VWP program. Section 402 of the Homeland Security Act of
2002 (HSA; P.L. 107-296), signed into law on November 25, 2002, states: “The Secretary [of Homeland Security],
acting through the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security, shall be responsible for the following: ...
(4) Establishing and administering rules, ... governing the granting of visas or other forms of permission, including
parole, to enter the United States to individuals who are not a citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent
residence in the United States.”
2 “B” visa refers to the subparagraph in the Immigration and Nationalization Act (INA § 101(a)(15)(B)).
3 ESTA became operational for all VWP countries on January 12, 2009.
4 These countries are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungry, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Monaco, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South
Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
5 To obtain a nonimmigrant visa, individuals submit written applications and undergo interviews and background
checks. For more information on temporary admissions, see CRS Report RL31381, U.S. Immigration Policy on
Temporary Admissions
, by Ruth Ellen Wasem.
6 For more information on visa issuances, see CRS Report RL31512, Visa Issuances: Policy, Issues, and Legislation,
by Ruth Ellen Wasem.
7 This provision was amended by P.L. 106-406 to provide extended voluntary departure to nonimmigrants who enter
under the VWP and require medical treatment.
Congressional Research Service
1

Visa Waiver Program

VWP Qualifying Criteria
Currently, to qualify for the VWP a country must
• offer reciprocal privileges to United States citizens;
• have had a nonimmigrant refusal rate of less than 3% for the previous year or an
average of no more than 2% over the past two fiscal years with neither year
going above 2.5%;
• issue machine-readable passports (all aliens entering under the VWP must
possess a machine-readable passport);
• certify that it has established a program to issue to its nationals machine-readable
passports that are tamper-resistant and incorporate a biometric identifier (all
passports issued after October 26, 2006, presented by aliens entering under the
VWP have to be machine-readable and contain a biometric identifier);
• certify that it is developing a program to issue tamper-resident, machine-readable
visa documents that incorporate biometric identifiers which are verifiable at the
country’s port of entry;
• enter into an agreement with the United States to report or make available
through International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)8 information
about the theft or loss of passports;9
• accept the repatriation of any citizen, former citizen, or national against whom a
final order of removal is issued no later than three weeks after the order is issued;
• enter into an agreement with the United States to share information regarding
whether a national of that country traveling to the United States represents a
threat to U.S. security or welfare; and
• be determined, by the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the
Secretary of State, not to compromise the law enforcement or security interests of
the United States by its inclusion in the program.
Countries can be immediately terminated from the VWP if an emergency occurs in the country
that the Secretary of Homeland Security in consultation with the Secretary of State determines
threatens the law enforcement or security interest of the United States.10 For example, because of
Argentina’s economic collapse in December 2001,11 and the increase in the number of Argentine
nationals attempting to use the VWP to enter the United States and remain illegally past the 90-

8 INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 188 member countries. For more information
on INTERPOL see, http://www.interpol.int/public/icpo/default.asp, visited September 28, 2010.
9 Prior to P.L. 110-53 (signed into law on August 3, 2007), VWP countries only had to certify that they were reporting
thefts of blank passports.
10 An emergency is defined as (1) the overthrow of a democratically elected government; (2) war; (3) a severe
breakdown in law and order in the country; (4) a severe economic collapse; and (5) any other extraordinary event in the
program country where that country’s participation could threaten the law enforcement or security interests of the
United States. INA § 217(c)(5)(B).
11 Beginning in December 2001, Argentina experienced a serious economic crisis, including defaulting on loans by
foreign creditors, devaluation of its currency, and increased levels of unemployment and poverty. For more information
on the financial collapse in Argentina see CRS Report RS21072, The Financial Crisis in Argentina, by J. F. Hornbeck.
Congressional Research Service
2

Visa Waiver Program

day period of admission,12 that country was removed from the VWP in February 2002.13
Similarly, on April 15, 2003, Uruguay was terminated from the VWP because Uruguay’s
participation in the VWP was determined to be inconsistent with the U.S. interest in enforcing
immigration laws.14
Additionally, there is probationary status for VWP countries that do not maintain a low visa
refusal rate. Countries on probation are determined by a formula based on a disqualification rate
of 2%-3.5%.15 Probationary countries with a disqualification rate less than 2% over a period not
to exceed three years may remain VWP countries.16 Countries may also be placed on probation if
more time is necessary to determine whether the continued participation of the country in the
VWP is in the security interest of the United States. For example, in April 2003, Belgium was
placed on provisional status because of concerns about the integrity of non-machine-readable
Belgian passports and the reporting of lost or stolen passports.17 DHS completed another country
review of Belgium in 2005, and removed the country from probationary status.
Nonimmigrant Refusal Rate Waiver
Section 711 of the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-
53)18 allows the Secretary of DHS, in consultation with the Secretary of DOS, to waive the
nonimmigrant refusal rate requirement for admission to the VWP after the Secretary of DHS
certifies to Congress that
• an air exit system is in place that can verify the departure of not less than 97% of
foreign nationals that exit through U.S. airports,19 and

12 In addition, many Argentine nationals were trying to use the VWP to obtain entry to the United States solely for the
purpose of proceeding to the Canadian border and pursuing an asylum claim in Canada. According to Citizenship and
Immigration Canada, between 1999 and 2001, more than 2,500 Argentines filed refugee claims in Canada after
transiting the United States under the VWP. Federal Register, February 21, 2002, vol. 67, no. 35, p. 7944.
13 While the number of Argentine nonimmigrant travelers to the United States declined between 1998 and 2000, the
number of Argentines denied admission at the border and the number of interior apprehensions increased. The
Department of Justice (DOJ) in consultation with DOS determined that Argentina’s participation in the VWP was
inconsistent with the United States’ interest in enforcing it’s immigration laws. (The Department of Homeland Security
did not exist in February 2002, and authority for the VWP resided with the Attorney General in the DOJ.) Federal
Register,
February 21, 2002, vol. 67, no. 35, pp. 7943-7945.
14 Between 2000 and 2003 Uruguay experienced a recession causing its citizens to enter under the VWP to live and
work illegally in the United States. In 2002, Uruguayan nationals were two to three times more likely than all
nonimmigrants on average to have been denied admission at the border. Uruguayan air arrivals had an apparent
overstay rate more than twice the rate of the average apparent overstay rate for all air arrival nonimmigrants. Federal
Register
, March 7, 2003, vol. 68, no. 45, pp. 10954-10957.
15 “Disqualification rate” is defined as the percentage of nationals from a country who applied for admission as a
nonimmigrant who either violated the terms of the nonimmigrant visa, who were excluded from admission or who
withdrew their application for admission as a nonimmigrant.
16 The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-208).
17 Federal Register, March 7, 2003, vol. 68, no. 45, pp. 10954-10957.
18 P.L. 110-53 (H.R. 1), signed into law on August 3, 2007. For more details on the changes to the VWP in this act, see
the Appendix, “Legislative History.”
19 There was some disagreement between certain critics and DHS regarding exactly what needed to be verified. Some
contend that Congressional intent was to have a functional entry-exit system that would be able to match arrival and
departure records and know which aliens failed to depart from the United States rather than just matching the entry
records with the records of those who were known to have departed from the United States. For example, see S. 203
introduced in the 111th Congress, which attempts to clarify the language in this provision. U.S. Congress, Senate
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
3

Visa Waiver Program

• the electronic travel authorization system (ESTA discussed below) is
operational.20
The waiver became available in October 2008, and was suspended on July 1, 2009. Under statute,
the Secretary of DHS’s authority to waive the nonimmigrant refusal rate has been suspended until
the air exit system is able to match an alien’s biometric information with relevant watch lists and
manifest information. It is unclear when DHS will implement an exit system with the specified
biometric capacity.21
To participate in the program a country who receives a refusal rate waiver also has to
• meet all the security requirements of the program;
• be determined by the Secretary of DHS to have a totality of security risk
mitigation measures that provide assurances that the country’s participation in the
program would not compromise U.S. law enforcement and security interests, or
the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws;
• have had a sustained reduction in visa refusal rates, and have existing conditions
for the rates to continue to decline;
• have cooperated with the United States on counterterrorism initiatives and
information sharing before the date of its designation, and be expected to
continue such cooperation; and
• during the previous fiscal year, the nonimmigrant visas refusal rate was not more
than 10%, or the overstay rate did not exceed the maximum overstay rate
established by the Secretaries of DHS and DOS for countries receiving waivers
of the nonimmigrant refusal rate to participate in the VWP the program.
P.L. 110-53 also specified that in determining whether to waive the nonimmigrant refusal rate
requirement, the Secretary of DHS, in consultation with the Secretary of DOS, may take into
consideration other factors affecting U.S. security, such as the country’s airport security and
passport standards, whether the country has an effective air marshal program, and the estimated
overstay rate for nationals from the country.

(...continued)
Committee on Judiciary, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, The Visa Waiver Program:
Mitigating Risks to Ensure Safety to All Americans
, 110th Cong., 2nd sess., September 24, 2008.
20 DHS determined that the law permitted it to utilize the waiver when ESTA was functional but before it was
mandatory for all VWP travelers. Critics did not agree with this interpretation and thought that ESTA should have been
mandatory for all VWP travelers before new countries were admitted to the program. When the new countries entered
the program, their citizens were required to use ESTA before travelling to the United States. U.S. Government
Accountability Office, Visa Waiver Program: Actions Are Needed to Improve Management of the Expansion Process,
and to Assess and Mitigate Program Risks,
GAO-08-967, September 2008. (Hereafter GAO, Visa Waiver Program:
Actions Are Needed to Improve Management of the Expansion Process, and to Assess and Mitigate Program Risks.)

21 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Homeland Security: Key US-VISIT Components at Varying Stages of
Completion, but Integrated and Reliable Schedule Needed
, GAO-10-13, November 19, 2009, p. 1, http://www.gao.gov/
products/GAO-10-13.
Congressional Research Service
4

Visa Waiver Program

Electronic Travel Authorization System (ESTA)
As previously mentioned, P.L. 110-53 mandated that the Secretary of DHS, in consultation with
the Secretary of DOS, develop and implement an electronic travel authorization system (ESTA),
through which each alien electronically provides, in advance of travel, the biographical
information necessary to determine whether the alien is eligible to travel to the United States and
enter under the VWP.22 ESTA became fully operational for all VWP visitors traveling to the
United States by airplane or cruise ship on January 12, 2009.23 There is a $14 fee for travelers
who use ESTA.24
In advance of departing for the United States by airplane or cruise ship,25 aliens traveling under
the VWP are required to use ESTA to electronically provide biographical information to make the
eligibility determinations.26 Through the Treasury Enforcement Communications System (TECS),
ESTA applications are queried against law enforcement databases, including the greater set of
watch lists integrated and consolidated in the Terrorist Screening Database, and against databases
on lost and stolen passports (including Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database),
and visa revocations.27
ESTA alerts the alien that he or she has been approved to travel, and if not approved that the alien
needs to obtain a visa prior to coming to the United States.28 The information required by ESTA is
the same that is currently required on the I-94W form, which aliens arriving in the United States
under the VWP are required to complete to be admitted.29 ESTA also screens applicant responses

22 Under law, ESTA became operational 60 days after the Secretary of DHS published a notice in the Federal Register.
The interim final rule was published on June 9, 2008, and a final rule was published on November 13, 2008.
Department of Homeland Security, “Changes to the Visa Waiver Program To Implement the Electronic System for
Travel Authorization (ESTA) Program,” Federal Register, June 9, 2008, vol. 73, no. 11, pp. 32440-32453. .
Department of Homeland Security, “Electronic System for Travel Authorization: Mandatory Compliance Required for
Travel Under the Visa Waiver Program,” 73 Federal Register 67354, Nov. 13, 2008.
23 Entrants under the VWP from the newly admitted VWP countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungry, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, and South Korea) had to use to system starting on the date of their formal admission to the
program. For all the countries except Malta, that date was November 17, 2008. Malta was formally admitted to the
VWP on December 30, 2008. Department of Homeland Security, “Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)
Advisory Statement,” Nov. 6, 2008. Department of Homeland Security, “Electronic System for Travel Authorization:
Mandatory Compliance Required for Travel Under the Visa Waiver Program,” 73 Federal Register 67354, Nov. 13,
2008.
24 The fee was instituted on September 8, 2010. The $14 fee includes $4 to cover the costs of administering ESTA and
$10 for the travel promotion fee established by Congress in the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (§9 of P.L. 111-145).
Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, “DHS, CBP Announce Interim Final Rule For
ESTA Fee,” press release, August 6, 2010, http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/
08062010_2.xml#contacts.
25 Absent of ESTA, the first time an alien traveling to the United States under the VWP was screened was at the airport
after the alien checked in for the flight.
26 A person is not required to apply for their own travel authorization under ESTA. Friends, relatives, personnel in the
travel industry, and other third parties may apply for the traveler.
27 Personal Conversation with Department of Homeland Security, Office of Congressional Affairs, Nov. 7, 2008.
28 In most cases, the approval process is almost instantaneous. Under statute, ESTA determinations are not reviewable
by the courts.
29 The following information is required for ESTA and on the I-94W form:
• biographical information including name, birth date, country of citizenship, country of residence,
telephone number;
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
5

Visa Waiver Program

to the same VWP eligibility questions that are currently collected on the Form I-94W.30
Eventually, ESTA will replace the I-94W form.31
Eligibility to travel, which is determined by ESTA, is valid for two years or until the person’s
passport expires, is valid for multiple entries, and can be revoked at any time. Notably, a
determination under ESTA that an alien is eligible to travel to the United States does not
constitute a determination that the alien is admissible. Admissibility determinations are made by
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors at the ports of entry.
Arrival and Departure Inspections
Unlike other nonimmigrants, those entering under the VWP do not have to get a visa and thus,
have no contact with U.S. governmental officials until they arrive at a port of entry and are
inspected by CBP officers. Nonetheless, in addition to getting authorization through ESTA, prior
to the alien’s arrival, an electronic passenger manifest is sent from the airline or commercial
vessel to immigration inspectors at the port of entry which is checked against security databases.
Since October 1, 2002, passenger arrival and departure information on individuals entering and
leaving the U.S. under the VWP has been electronically collected from airlines and cruise lines,
through CBP’s Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) system. If the carrier fails to
submit the information, an alien may not enter under the VWP. APIS sends the data to the DHS’s
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Arrival and Departure Information System
(ADIS) for matching arrivals and departures and reporting purposes. APIS collects carrier
information such as flight number, airport of departure and other data.
At ports of entry, immigration inspectors observe and question applicants, examine passports, and
conduct checks against a computerized system to determine whether the applicant is admissible to
the United States.32 CBP inspects aliens who seek to enter the United States. Primary inspection
consists of a brief interview with an immigration inspector, a cursory check of the traveler’s
documents, and a query of the Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS),33 and entry of the

(...continued)
• passport information including number, issuing country, issuance date, and expiration date; and
• travel information including city where departing from, flight number, and address while in the
United States.
According to DHS, when developing ESTA, the department had to balance the need for biographic information with
the requirement that the participating countries did not view applying for an approval under ESTA as equivalent to
applying for a visa. If countries had interpreted applying for an authorization under ESTA as having the same burden as
applying for a visa, these countries might have required that U.S. citizens traveling to their countries obtain a visa.
30 These eligibility questions pertain to whether the alien would be inadmissible on health, criminal, or terrorist
grounds, or because the alien had previously violated immigration law (e.g., been deported). Other eligibility questions
include whether the alien has: (1) violated a child custody agreement with a U.S. citizen; (2) previously been denied a
visa to travel to the United States; and (3) asserted immunity from prosecution.
31 Department of Homeland Security, “Changes to the Visa Waiver Program To Implement the Electronic System for
Travel Authorization (ESTA) Program,” Federal Register, June 9, 2008, vol. 73, no. 11, pp. 32440-32453.
32 All VWP applicants are issued nonimmigrant visa waiver arrival/departure forms (Form I-94W).
33 ADIS feeds information to the Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS). IBIS is a database of suspect
individuals, businesses, vehicles, aircraft, and vessels that is used during inspections at the border. IBIS interfaces with
the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the Treasury Enforcement and Communications System (TECS
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
6

Visa Waiver Program

traveler into the US-VISIT system. The US-VISIT system uses biometric identification (finger
scans) to check identity.34 Currently, inspectors at the border collect the following information on
aliens entering under the VWP: name, date of birth, nationality, gender, passport number, country
of issuance, a digital photograph, and prints for both index finders. Primary inspections are quick
(usually lasting no longer than a minute); however, if the inspector is suspicious that the traveler
may be inadmissible under the INA or in violation of other U.S. laws, the traveler is referred to a
secondary inspection. Those travelers sent to secondary inspections are questioned extensively,
travel documents are further examined, and additional databases are queried.35
Additionally, P.L. 110-53 required that the Secretary of DHS, no later than one year after
enactment (i.e., by August 3, 2008), establish an exit system that records the departure of every
alien who entered under the VWP and left the United States by air. The exit system is required to
match the alien’s biometric information against relevant watch lists and immigration information,
and compare such biographical information against manifest information collected by airlines to
confirm that the alien left the United States.
In April 2008, DHS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register that
would create biometric exit procedures at airports and seaports for international visitors.36 DHS
was expected to publish the final rule for this system by October 15, 2008.37 However, in
legislation that became law on September 30, 2008,38 Congress required DHS to complete and
report on at least two pilots testing biometric exit procedures at airports.39 DHS has completed the
pilot programs, but according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), “DHS cannot
reliably commit to when and how the work will be accomplished to deliver a comprehensive exit
solution to its almost 300 ports of entry.”40

(...continued)
II), National Automated Immigration Lookout System (NAILS), Non-immigrant Information System (NIIS), CLASS
and TIPOFF terrorist databases. Because of the numerous systems and databases that interface with IBIS, the system is
able to obtain such information as whether an alien is admissible, an alien’s criminal information, and whether an alien
is wanted by law enforcement. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, IBIS- General
Information
, Washington, DC, https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/151/related/1/~/ibis.
34 For more information on US-VISIT see, CRS Report RL32234, U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator
Technology (US-VISIT) Program
, by Lisa M. Seghetti and Stephen R. Vina.
35 Lookout databases such as TIPOFF, which is integrated with CLASS, contain information on aliens who are
inadmissible for entry into the United States. The National Security Entry-Exit System (NSEERS) and the Student and
Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) are also used during secondary inspections. Immigration inspectors may
access the National Automated Immigration Lookout System (NAILS II), which is a text-based system that interfaces
with IBIS and CLASS. For more information, see CRS Report RL31381, U.S. Immigration Policy on Temporary
Admissions
, by Chad C. Haddal and Ruth Ellen Wasem.
36 Department of Homeland Security, “Collection of Alien Biometric Data Upon Exit From the United States at Air
and Sea Ports of Departure,” 73 Federal Register 22065, April 24, 2008.
37 Personal conversation with Department of Homeland Security Congressional Affairs, September 22, 2008.
38 P.L. 110-329.
39 One pilot will test DHS’s recommended solution that carriers collect biometrics from passengers; the other pilot will
test CBP officers collecting passenger biometrics at the boarding gate.
40 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Homeland Security: Key US-VISIT Components at Varying Stages of
Completion, but Integrated and Reliable Schedule Needed
, GAO-10-13, November 19, 2009, p. 1, http://www.gao.gov/
products/GAO-10-13.
Congressional Research Service
7

Visa Waiver Program

Figure 1. Number of Entrants under the VWP for FY1999-FY2008, Percentage of All
Nonimmigrant Entrants Who Are VWP Entrants, and Percentage of All B Visa
Entrants Who Are VWP Entrants
Millions
Percent of Total
20
100
VWP
%
of all Nonimmigrants % of B Visas
95
90
85
80
15
75
70
65

60





55

10







50






45
40
35
30
5
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

Source: Department of Homeland Security, FY2006: Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. Department of Homeland
Security, FY2009: Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, August 10, 2010.
Note: Number of countries participating in the VWP at the end of the fiscal year: FY1999-FY2001, 29; FY2002,
28; FY2003-FY2008, 27; and FY2009, 35.
Trends in Use of the VWP
The number of people entering under the VWP grew steadily as countries were added to the
program, and reached a peak of 17.7 million in FY2000. In FY2009, 16.2 million people entered
under the VWP, a decrease from the number of entrants in FY2008 (17.6 million), which was
slightly less than the all-time largest number of entrants under the program. The number of
visitors entering under the VWP declined by 3.4 million, or 20%, between FY2001 and FY2002.
The number of all nonimmigrants entering the United States declined by 4.9 million, or 14.9%,
during the same period, but the number of nonimmigrants who were not from VWP countries
declined by 1.6 million (9.6%). Similarly, the number of foreign nationals entering the United
States with B visas between FY2001 and FY2002 declined by 13.4%, or 1.7 million, which is a
smaller decline than the decline in the percent of visitors entering under the VWP.
Between FY2002 and FY2005, the number of people entering under the VWP increased 16.4%,
from 13.2 to 15.8 million. The number of people entering under the VWP declined slightly
between FY2005 and FY2006, from 15.8 million to 15.3 million; increased to 17.6 million in
Congressional Research Service
8

Visa Waiver Program

FY2008; and decreased to 16.2 million in FY2009. The number of people entering as
nonimmigrants decreased slightly between FY2002 and FY2003, from 27.9 to 27.8 million;
increased from 27.8 to 39.4 million (41.7%) between FY2003 and FY2008; and then decreased to
36.2 million in FY2009, an 8% decrease. The number of aliens entering as temporary visitors for
business or pleasure increased 44%, from 24.3 to 35 million, between FY2002 and FY2008, and
then decreased to 31.2 million in FY2009.41 In FY2009, almost identical to FY2008, visitors
entering under the VWP constituted 44.9% of all nonimmigrant admissions, and 50.5% of all
temporary visitors.
During the most recent years, the majority of the growth in nonimmigrant and temporary visitor
admittances came from aliens from countries not in the VWP. Between FY2002 and FY2004, the
percent increase of the number of aliens entering under the VWP was larger than the increase in
both the number of nonimmigrant and temporary visitor entrants. However, between FY2004 and
FY2007, the increase in the number of aliens entering under the VWP was smaller than the
increase in both the number of nonimmigrant and temporary visitor entrants. Conversely, in
FY2008, the percent increase in the number of aliens entering under the VWP (9.6%) was larger
than the increase in both the number of nonimmigrant (5.7%) and temporary visitor entrants
(6.1%). For FY2009, the percent decrease in the number of people entering under the VWP (8%)
was equivalent to the percent decrease in the total number of visitors and in the number of
nonimmigrants admitted.
Policy Issues
The VWP is supported by the U.S. travel and tourism industry, the business community, and
DOS. The travel and tourism industry views the VWP as a tool to facilitate and encourage foreign
visitors for business and pleasure, which results in increased economic growth generated by
foreign tourism and commerce for the United States.42 DOS argues that by waiving the visa
requirement for high-volume/low-risk countries, consular workloads are significantly reduced,
allowing for streamlined operations, cost savings, and concentration of resources on greater-risk
nations in the visa process. Additionally, some contend that currently DOS does not have the
resources to resume issuing visas to all the visitors from VWP countries.43
Nonetheless, while the program has significantly reduced the consular workload and facilitated
travel to the United States, it has increased the workload of immigration inspectors at ports of
entry by shifting all background checks to ports of entry. Furthermore, others contend that the
relaxed documentary requirements of the VWP increase immigration fraud and decrease border
security. Immigration inspectors have stated that terrorists and criminals believed they would

41 Temporary visitors include aliens who entered with B visas, those who entered under the Guam Visa Waiver
Program, and those who entered under the VWP.
42 The example of Argentina was frequently used to illustrate this relationship; during the first year Argentina was in
the VWP, tourism from that country to the United States grew by 11.5%. Some argue that because of the trade and
tourism growth additional VWP membership could generate for the United States, this factor should be added to the
criteria used to select participating countries. Other proponents of the VWP, however, contend that the criteria should
not be broadened to include tourism potential if the thresholds of refusal rates and visa overstay violations are
weakened, arguing that these provisions are essential to safeguard and control our borders.
43 In his testimony before the House Immigration and Claims Subcommittee on February 28, 2002, William S. Norman,
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association of America, stated that it would take hundreds
of new consular staff and tens of millions of dollars to issue visas to visitors currently entering under the VWP.
Congressional Research Service
9

Visa Waiver Program

receive less scrutiny during the immigration inspection process if they applied for admission into
the United States under the VWP.44 Another concern has been the lack of information on aliens
from VWP countries who overstay the terms of their admittance. Furthermore, some contend that
since terrorism does not have national boundaries, the VWP should not be based on particular
countries, but should allow visa-free travel for low-risk individuals (e.g., a trusted traveler
program).45
On September 6, 2006, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland
Security Subcommittee held a hearing entitled “Keeping Terrorists Off The Plane: Strategies For
Pre-Screening International Passengers Before Takeoff.” During that hearing, testimony by Jess
T. Ford of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that the VWP has many benefits
as well as some inherent risks. For example, GAO noted that stolen passports from VWP
countries, especially since they are prized travel documents among those attempting to illegally
enter the United States, were an issue of particular concern with the safety of the program.46
Security
There is debate about whether the VWP increases or decreases national security. As discussed
above, travelers under the VWP do not undergo the screening required to receive a visa. While
the ESTA system has increased the security of the VWP, it is a name-based system and cannot be
used to run checks against databases that use biometrics such as DHS’s Automated Biometric
Identification System (IDENT) and FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
(IAFIS).47 (Travelers are checked against these systems through US-VISIT when they enter the
United States.)48
Nonetheless, others argue that the VWP enhances security by setting standards for travel
documents and information sharing, and that the program promotes economic growth and cultural
ties.49 For example, travelers under the VWP have to present machine-readable passports or e-
passports, and eventually, all travelers entering under the VWP will present e-passports, which
tend to be more difficult to alter than other types of passports.50 In addition, many B visas are

44 U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General Report I-2002-002, Follow-Up Report on the Visa Waiver
Program
, December 2001. (Hereafter cited as DOJ, Follow-Up Report.)
45 U.S. Congress, House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims, Implications of
Transnational Terrorism for the Visa Waiver Program
, 107th Cong., 2nd sess., February 28, 2002.
46 Testimony of Jess T. Ford, Director International Affairs and Trade, General Accounting Office, in U.S. Congress,
Senate Committee on the Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security,
Keeping Terrorists Off The Plane: Strategies For Pre-Screening International Passengers Before Takeoff, hearings,
109th Cong., 2nd sess., September 7, 2006.
47 IAFIS is a national fingerprint and criminal history system.
IDENT is a DHS-wide system for the storage and
processing of biometric and limited biographic information. IDENT is the primary DHS-wide system for the biometric
identification and verification of individuals encountered in DHS mission-related processes. For more information on
IAFIS, see Federal Bureau of Investigation, “The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS),”
press release, http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/iafis.htm. For more information on IDENT, see Department of Homeland
Security, Privacy Impact Assessment for the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT), Washington, DC,
July 31, 2006, p. 2, http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/privacy/privacy_pia_usvisit_ident_final.pdf.
48 CRS Report RL32234, U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program.
49 For an example of this argument, see Heritage Foundation, The Visa Waiver Program: A Security Partnership, Fact
Sheet #66, Washington, DC, June 25, 2010.
50 There is not a specific requirement to present an e-passport when entering under the VWP. As discussed above, any
passports issued after October 26, 2006, and used by VWP travelers to enter the United States are required to have
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
10

Visa Waiver Program

valid for 10 years,51 and it is possible that a person’s circumstances or allegiances could change
during that time.
Adding Countries to the VWP
As discussed above, while some view the VWP as a security risk, others contend that the
inclusion of countries in the VWP actually increases U.S. security, and argue that increasing
membership in the VWP could be used as an incentive to get other countries to share information
with the United States.52 DHS admitted eight new countries into the program in 2008 and one
(Greece) in 2010, but there are other countries that have expressed a desire to be included in the
VWP. These countries want to be in the VWP because of the possible economic benefits (e.g.,
increasing commerce and tourism), making it easier and cheaper for their populace to travel to the
United States (i.e., since their citizens do not have to get a visa before traveling temporarily to the
United States), and because membership in the program is often perceived as evidence of close
ties with the United States. In 2005, the administration began providing countries interested in
joining the VWP with “road maps” to aid the countries in meeting the program’s criteria.53
However, some of the countries have complained that since the “road maps” do not contain
milestones or time tables, it is difficult to measure the amount of progress made towards fulfilling
the criteria for VWP membership.54 Moreover, others contend that since U.S. consular officers are
the ones that approve or disapprove applications for visas, it is extremely difficult for countries to
affect their visa refusal rates, limiting the ability of a country to follow a defined set of steps to
meet the required VWP criteria.
EU Countries
Five of the current road map countries are members in the EU,55 which may also raise another
issue concerning the VWP. EU rules require that all member states be treated equally (solidarity
clause). In addition, a visa is required for all citizens from non-VWP EU countries wishing to
travel to the United States, whereas under EU law, these countries do not require visas of U.S.
citizens for stays up to 90 days. Presently, any of the EU Member States not participating in the

(...continued)
integrated chips with information from the data page (e-passports). Most passports are valid for 10 years, and thus, it is
likely that by October 2016, all VWP entrants will have e-passports.
51 The length of validity of a visa is mostly dependent on reciprocity with the United States (i.e., that visas from that
country for U.S. citizens are valid for the same period of time). For a full list of reciprocity schedules, see Department
of State, Reciprocity Schedules, at http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_3272.html.
52 For an example of this argument, see James Jay Carafano, With a Little Help from Our Friends: Enhancing Security
by Expanding the Visa Waiver Program
, Heritage Foundation, Executive Memorandum no. 991, February 3, 2006; and
Jena Baker McNeill, Time to Decouple Visa Waiver Program from Biometric Exit, Heritage Foundation, Web
Memorandum no. 2867, April 15, 2010.
53 There were 13 “road map” countries. They were Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, South
Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Eight of these countries have been admitted to the
VWP.
54 For example, on February 8, 2006, the Heritage Foundation held an event entitled Fighting a More Effective War on
Terrorism: Expanding the Visa Waiver Program.
The featured speakers were Ambassadors Petr Kolar of the Czech
Republic, John Bruton of the EU, Janusz Reiter of Poland, and András Simonyi of Hungary. A recording of the event is
available at http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/ev020806a.cfm.
55 Twelve of the 13 roadmap countries were EU countries, but seven of those countries have been admitted to the VWP.
Congressional Research Service
11

Visa Waiver Program

VWP could invoke the EU solidarity clause56 and visa reciprocity clause,57 with the result that the
other EU countries may have to decline to be members of the VWP, or place visa requirements on
United States citizens traveling to EU countries unless the other countries are allowed to enter the
VWP.58 Nonetheless, the other EU countries may put pressure on the non-VWP EU countries not
to file a formal complaint which could strain EU-U.S. relations. Also, some of the countries may
not have raised this issue yet because they are not full members of the Schengen area.59 Notably,
Greece, a full member of the EU that only became a VWP country in 2010, did not file a
complaint about unequal treatment.60
Moreover, leaders and publics in many new EU members, such as Poland, are extremely unhappy
with their exclusion from the VWP given their support of controversial U.S. policies in Iraq and
in the fight against terrorism. They bristle at the time-consuming and expensive requirements
their citizens incur when seeking to obtain U.S. visas.61 For example, there is a $140
nonrefundable application processing fee for tourist visas.62 Analysts suggest that the VWP issue
has contributed to a sense in some central and eastern European states that they have gotten little
in return for their efforts to be U.S. allies, and that it is part of the reason for a decline in public
support for the United States in some of these countries. Some U.S. officials acknowledge
privately that the VWP is the biggest irritant in bilateral U.S. relations with the countries of
central and eastern Europe.63
The Commission on European Communities has stated that it believes that the road map process
could be “an adequate means for ensuring visa exemption for all EU citizens in the medium
term.” However, the Commission noted that to make the process fully effective there needs to be
more consistency in setting the goals and measures for road map countries. The Commission also
stated that the United States had not shown any willingness to consider interim facilitation
measures such as providing a fee exemption for tourist visas, and that the EU should continue to
press the United States to streamline at least some aspects of the visa application process.64

56 Non-VWP EU countries could contend that the fact that other countries in the EU are part of the VWP constitutes
unequal treatment.
57 The same visa rules do not apply to U.S. citizens traveling to the Non-VWP EU countries, and Non-VWP EU
citizens traveling to the United States.
58 Conversation with Telmo Baltazar, Justice and Home Affairs Counselor, European Union, April 18, 2005.
59 The Schengen area comprises the EU countries which have signed the convention implementing the Schengen
Agreements of 1985 and 1990 on the free movement of persons and the standardization of border controls.
60 DHS began its review of Greece for participation in the VWP in late 2007.
61 For example, see “Poland Excluded from Visa-Waiver List,” Washington Times, October 18, 2008,
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/18/poland-excluded-from-visa-waiver-list/; and Ewa Kern-
Jedrychowska , “Polish-American Voters’ Top Issues: the Visa Waiver Program and Missile Defense,” Feet in Two
Worlds
, July 1, 2008, http://news.feetintwoworlds.org/2008/07/01/polish-american-voters-top-issues-the-visa-waiver-
program-and-the-missile-defense-system/.
62 All applicants pay the visa application fee, but depending on the person’s nationality, there may also be a visa
issuance fee because nonimmigrant visa fees are based on “reciprocity,” (i.e., what another country charges a U.S.
citizen for a similar type of visa). For a list of visa issuance fees by country, see Department of State, Reciprocity by
Country, http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_3272.html.
63 Craig Whitlock, “Poland’s Leader Hopes To Gain from Support of U.S. Policies,” Washington Post, February 7,
2006; Discussions with U.S. and European officials.
64 Commission of the European Communities, Report from the Commission to the Council on Visa Waiver Reciprocity
with Certain Third Countries,
October 1, 2006, pp.11-12.
Congressional Research Service
12

Visa Waiver Program

GAO Report
A September 2008 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that the
executive branch moved aggressively to expand the VWP by the end of 2008, but that the process
was not transparent leading to confusion among interagency partners and aspiring program
countries. The Department of State reported difficulties explaining to certain countries with
FY2007 refusal rates below 10% and that have interest in joining the program (e.g., Croatia,
Israel, and Tawain) why DHS had not negotiated Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with
them, but had negotiated MOUs with several countries with refusal rates over 10% (e.g.,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia).65 GAO also found that DHS had achieved some
security enhancements to the program during the negotiations with aspiring VWP countries (e.g.,
sharing of information on lost and stolen passports), but concluded that DHS had not fully
developed the tools to access and mitigate the risks of the VWP.66
Lost and Stolen Passports
Currently, all VWP countries provide data on lost and stolen passports (LASP) to the United
States. However, concerns have been raised about information sharing on LASP: both the
mechanism for sharing the information and whether countries are reporting data in a timely
manner.67 The mechanisms to secure data on LASP have differed over time (e.g., reporting to the
U.S. Embassy, access to a common database) and by country (e.g., MOUs, Diplomatic Notes).68
While DHS receives a few countries’ LASP data via direct links to those countries’ databases,
most data on LASP comes from INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database69—
DHS’ preferred method of data sharing.70 Notably, ESTA screens passport information using the

65 In a meeting with CRS, DHS said that the countries who had previously been “road map” countries were given
priority, since in some respects, they were “first in line.” Also, DHS expected, and was correct, that the countries with
FY2007 refusal rates above 10% with whom DHS signed MOUs would have FY2008 refusal rates below the 10%
threshold.
66 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Visa Waiver Program: Actions Are Needed to Improve Management of the
Expansion Process, and to Assess and Mitigate Program Risks,
GAO-08-967, September 2008. (Hereafter GAO, Visa
Waiver Program: Actions Are Needed to Improve Management of the Expansion Process, and to Assess and Mitigate
Program Risks.)

67 The issue of LASP has been ongoing. VWP passports are supposedly highly valued since the bearer does not need a
visa to enter the United States. For examples of past issues, see U.S. Government Accountability Office, Border
Security: Stronger Actions Needed to Assess and Mitigate Risks of the Visa Waiver Program,
GAO-06-854, July 2006;
and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspections, Evaluations, and Special Reviews, A Review of the
Use of Stolen Passports from Visa Waiver Countries to Enter the United States
, OIG-05-07, December 2004.
68 The United States has signed MOUs with the nine newest VWP entrants (those who received a waiver of the
nonimmigrant refusal rate before it was suspended in July 2009, and Greece). All but four of the other VWP countries
share LASP data via an exchange of Diplomatic Notes. Personal Conversations with Department of Homeland
Security, Office of Congressional Affairs, July 20, 2010.
69 The United States began providing information on LASP to the U.S. National Central Bureau of the International
Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) in May 2004. The INTERPOL LASP database is available to law
enforcement and immigration authorities worldwide. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspections,
Evaluations, and Special Reviews, A Review of the Use of Stolen Passports from Visa Waiver Countries to Enter the
United States
, OIG-05-07, December 2004, pp. 7-8.
70 In the past, before access to, and the content of, the INTERPOL database was reliable, DHS required countries to
submit LASP data to the U.S. Embassies in those countries.
Congressional Research Service
13

Visa Waiver Program

INTERPOL database. CBP also accesses LASP data via INTERPOL, but it is unclear if this
information is checked during primary inspection.71
Overstays
Some maintain that the nonimmigrant visa refusal rate is an unobjective and arbitrary standard,
because it is based on decisions made by consular officers rather than the actual behavior of
nonimmigrants. In addition, refusal rates are calculated by application, not by person, so if a
person applies for the same visa multiple times and is refused, all the refusals are calculated in the
refusal rate.72 When the program was conceived, it was expected that the number of
nonimmigrants who overstay the terms of their entry under this program would be a better
standard for future program participation. Reportedly, since December 2002, DHS has been
matching the entry and exit portions of the I-94 forms for participants in the VWP to create an
entry/exit system for VWP nationals. Some question whether this system can produce accurate
counts of those who overstay the terms of their entry. Until an automated entry-exit system is
fully operational and the data produced are trusted and easily accessible, it is difficult for
immigration agents to identify those who have overstayed their 90-day admission periods. Thus,
aliens could enter under the VWP and stay indefinitely.73
Importantly, although the refusal rate was seen as a proxy for the overstay rate when the program
was conceived, people are denied visas for reasons other than being unable to prove that they will
not remain illegally in the United States (i.e., they are “intending immigrants”).74 During the visa
application process, consular officers75 must confirm that an alien is not ineligible for a visa under
any of the so-called “grounds for inadmissibility” of the INA, such as having a criminal history,
engaging in terrorist activity, or having previously violated U.S. immigration law.76 Although
most B visa denials are because the alien cannot prove that they are not an “intending
immigrant,” there are other reasons a person could be denied a visa that are captured as part of a
country’s visa refusal rate.

71 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Visa Waiver Program: Actions Are Needed to Improve Management of the
Expansion Process, and to Assess and Mitigate Program Risks,
GAO-08-967, September 2008, p.5.
72 If a person submits five visa applications in a year and all are denied, they are all counted toward the refusal rate.
However, if such a person submits five applications that are denied and then a sixth application that is approved, none
of the previous applications are counted as refusals in the calculation of the adjusted refusal rate that is used in the
determination of VWP eligibility. Personal Communication with the Department of State, Office of Congressional
Affairs, July 19, 2010.
73 CRS Report RL32234, U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program, by Lisa M.
Seghetti and Stephen R. Vina.
74 §214(b) of the INA generally presumes that all aliens seeking admission to the United States are coming to live
permanently; as a result, aliens seeking to qualify for a B visa (and most other nonimmigrant visas) must demonstrate
that they are not coming to reside permanently in the United States. CRS Report R41104, Immigration Visa Issuances
and Grounds for Exclusion: Policy and Trends
, by Ruth Ellen Wasem.
75 This determinations of inadmissibility are also made by CBP officers at ports of entry.
76 The so-called grounds of inadmissibility under INA §212(a) include health-related grounds; criminal history; security
and terrorist concerns; public charge (e.g., indigence); seeking to work without proper labor certification; illegal
entrants and immigration law violations; ineligibility for citizenship; and aliens who are illegally present or have
previously been removed.
Congressional Research Service
14

Visa Waiver Program

Legislation in the 111th Congress
S. 16
Introduced by Senator George Voinovich on September 29, 2010, S. 16 would reinstate the
nonimmigrant refusal rate waiver by removing the requirement that DHS implement a biometric
air exit system before the waiver is reinstituted.
S. 203
Senators Diane Feinstein and Jon Kyl introduced S. 203 on January 12, 2009. S. 203 contains
several provisions that aim to increase the security of the VWP. The bill would require that within
180 days of enactment every country in the VWP have in effect an agreement to share data on lost
and stolen passports. (The requirement to enter into these agreements was included in P.L. 110-
53.) Countries that refused to entered into the agreement within the specified time period would
be suspended from the program until an agreement is reached. In addition, S. 203 would prohibit
new countries from being admitted to the VWP until all current countries had agreements. The
bill would also require within a year after enactment that DHS evaluate every country admitted to
the VWP prior to January 1, 2009, including calculating the country’s overstay rate.77
Furthermore, S. 203 would establish the maximum overstay rate as 2%, and require that countries
with higher overstay rates be suspended from the VWP.
S. 203 would also change the language regarding the exit system requirement for the
nonimmigrant refusal waiver. In order to have the nonimmigrant refusal rate authority, DHS
would have to certify to Congress that an air entry and exit system is in place that verifies the
arrival and departure of 97% of all foreign nationals who exit through airports.78 Once the
Secretary of DHS made such a certification, the U.S. Comptroller would be required within 180
days to conduct a study of the entry-exit system.
H.R. 1439/S. 1704
Representative Steve Israel introduced H.R. 1439 on March 11, 2009, and Senator Bill Nelson
introduced S. 1704 on September 24, 2009. The bills would require the Attorney General to
consider as a part of a country’s evaluation for continuation in the VWP the country’s cooperation
in the extradition and prosecution of Nazi war criminals.
S. 3544
S. 3544, which was introduced by Senator Barbara Mikulski on June 29, 2010, would mandate
the use of overstay rates instead of refusal rates for participation in the VWP. Countries would
have to have an overstay rate of no more than 3% to participate in the VWP. The bill also would
create a probationary period for countries in the program if they did not maintain an overstay rate

77 Under current statute, country evaluations must be completed every two years.
78 Under current law, the refusal rate waiver became available on the day that an air exit system is in place that could
verify the departure of at least 97% of foreign nationals departing from the United States.
Congressional Research Service
15

Visa Waiver Program

under 3% or failed to comply with any of the other program requirements. In addition, S. 3544
would require DHS to report annually to Congress on countries’ compliance with the program’s
requirements. Like S. 203, the bill would require that within 180 days of enactment, every
country in the VWP have in effect an agreement to share data on lost and stolen passports.
Moreover, S. 3544 would require the Secretary of DHS to make information on any aliens who
overstayed the term of their admission to the United States available to state and local law
enforcement agencies.
H.R. 2954/H.R. 4321
Introduced by Representative Mike Quigley, H.R. 2954 would delay from June 30, 2009, to June
30, 2011, the requirement that the air exit system incorporate biometric identifiers as a condition
of the Secretary of DHS’s authority to waive the nonimmigrant refusal rate. The same provision is
included in H.R. 4321 (§306), which was introduced by Representative Solomon Ortiz on
December 15, 2009.
Congressional Research Service
16

Visa Waiver Program

Appendix. Legislative History
Visa Waiver Pilot Program
The Visa Waiver Program was established as a temporary program (Visa Waiver Pilot Program)
by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-603). Participation in the pilot
program was originally limited to eight countries. Congress periodically passed legislation to
extend the program’s authorization, expand the number of countries allowed to participate in the
program, and modify the qualifying criteria. Between 1986 and 1997, Congress passed the
following five laws that made changes to the Visa Waiver Pilot Program:
• the Immigration Technical Corrections Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-525);
• the Immigration Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-649), which inserted further requirements
for the program and removed the limit on the number of countries that could
participate in the program;
• the Miscellaneous and Technical Immigration and Naturalization Amendments of
1991 (P.L. 102-232);
• the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-
416), which created a probationary status to allow countries whose nonimmigrant
visa refusal rates were higher than 2% but less than 3.5% to enter the program on
a probationary basis; and
• the Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (P.L.
104-208), which created a new type of probationary status for countries in the
program that failed to meet certain criteria, and removed the probationary status
that had allowed countries with nonimmigrant visa refusal rates higher than 2%
but less than 3.5% to enter the program.
The pilot program was scheduled to expire on September 30, 1997, but temporary extensions
were included in the Continuing Resolutions passed in the 105th Congress.79 The Commerce,
Justice, State, and Judiciary (CJS) FY1998 Appropriations Act (P.L. 105-119) also contained an
extension through April 30, 1998. In 1998, Congress passed legislation (P.L. 105-173) that not
only extended the program through April 30, 2000, but made other changes to the standard by
which countries are selected (designated) to participate in the VWP.80 By 1999, program
participation had grown to include 29 countries.81

79 An extension of the pilot program was included in the first Continuing Resolution (P.L. 105-56 §117) for FY1998.
The five subsequent Continuing Resolutions—P.L. 105-64, P.L. 105-68, P.L. 105-69, P.L. 105-71, and P.L. 105-84—
simply extended the expiration date of the provisions in the first Continuing Resolution for FY1998 (P.L. 105-56).
80 Originally, to qualify for the Visa Waiver Pilot Program countries needed to have had an average nonimmigrant
refusal rate of no more than 2% over the past two fiscal years with neither year going above 2.5%. P.L. 105-173 added
the criteria that a country could have a nonimmigrant refusal rate of less than 3% for the previous year and qualify for
the program.
81 The 29 countries were: Andorra, Argentina, 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, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. Argentina
was removed from the VWP in February 2002, and Uruguay was removed in April 2003. From April 2003 until
November 2008, the VWP included 27 countries. As of October 2010, there are 36 countries participating in the VWP.
Congressional Research Service
17

Visa Waiver Program

Visa Waiver Permanent Program Act
On October 30, 2000, the Visa Waiver Permanent Program Act was signed into law (P.L. 106-
396). The statutory authority for the Visa Waiver Pilot Program had expired on April 30, 2000,
but in the interim, the Commissioner of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS)82 exercised the Attorney General’s parole authority to extend the program temporarily.83
Besides making this program’s authorization permanent, the Visa Waiver Permanent Program Act
included provisions designed to strengthen documentary and reporting requirements. P.L. 106-
396 included provisions that
• mandate that by October 1, 2007 all entrants under the VWP must have machine-
readable passports;
• require that all visa waiver program applicants be checked against lookout
systems;
• require ongoing evaluations of participating countries (not less than once every
five years);
• require the collection of visa waiver program arrival/departure data at air and sea
ports of entry; and
• require that the calculation of visa refusal rates for determining country eligibility
shall not include any refusals based on race, sex, or disability.84
At the time, many maintained that P.L. 106-396 balanced the competing concerns of facilitating
travel and tightening immigration controls.
USA Patriot Act of 2001
The USA Patriot Act (P.L. 107-56), signed into law on October 26, 2001, advanced the deadline
for all entrants under the VWP to have machine-readable passports to October 1, 2003, but
allowed the Secretary of State to waive this requirement until October 1, 2007 if the VWP
country can show that it is making progress toward issuing machine-readable passports. In
addition, the USA Patriot Act directed the Secretary of State each year until 2007 to ascertain that
designated VWP countries have established programs to develop tamper-resistant passports.
On September 24, 2003 the Secretary of State extended the deadline for visitors from 21 VWP
countries to present a machine-readable passport at the ports of entry until October 26, 2004.85 At

82 The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296) abolished the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and
effective March 1, 2003, transferred most of its functions to three bureaus in the new Department of Homeland Security
(DHS): Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and,
Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
83 Parole is a temporary authorization to enter the United States and is normally granted when the alien’s entry is
determined to be in the public interest (INA § 212(d)(5)(A)).
84 Many of these requirements were included to address shortcomings in the program, as identified by the Inspectors
General of both the Departments of Justice and State.
85 The 21 countries granted a postponement were: Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. On November 11, 2003, Luxembourg was granted an extension of the
deadline.
Congressional Research Service
18

Visa Waiver Program

this time, an entrant under the VWP with a passport which is not machine-readable must obtain a
visa to travel to the United States.
Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002
The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 (Border Security Act),86
signed into law on May 14, 2002, required all VWP countries to certify that they report in a
timely manner the theft of blank passports, and required, prior to admission in the United States,
that all aliens who enter under the VWP are checked against a lookout system. The Border
Security Act also mandated that by October 26, 2004, the government of each VWP country
needed to certify that it has established a program to issue to its nationals machine-readable
passports that are tamper-resistant and incorporate a biometric identifier.87 The Border Security
Act specified that any person applying for admission to the United States under the VWP must
have a tamper-resistant, machine-readable passport with a biometric identifier unless the passport
was issued prior to October 26, 2004. The USA Patriot Act established the deadline for all foreign
nationals entering under the VWP to have machine-readable, tamper-resistant passports, and the
new requirement of biometrics in the passports did not change the deadline in the USA Patriot Act
for the presentation of machine-readable, tamper-resistant passports. The biometric passport
requirement deadline was extended to October 27, 2005, by P.L. 108-299.88 Thus, as of October
27, 2005 (the day after the new deadline), all entrants under the VWP were required to present
machine-readable, tamper-resistant passports (as required by the USA Patriot Act, and P.L. 108-
299), but only passports issued after October 26, 2005, were required to have a biometric
identifier.
Although Congress extended the deadline for VWP countries to certify that they had a program to
issue machine-readable passports with biometric identifiers, most VWP countries would have
been unable to meet the new, October 26, 2005, deadline, especially if the biometric requirement
could only have been fulfilled by countries who had electronic data chips in their passports (e-
passports). In addition, there was resistance in Congress to grant another extension of the
biometric deadline.89 As a result, the U.S. government clarified that a digitized photograph printed
on a data page in the passport would count as a biometric for the October 26, 2005, requirement.
Thus, only France and Italy were unable to meet the new deadline, but have since come into
compliance. In addition, any passports used by VWP travelers issued after October 26, 2006,
requires integrated chips with information from the data page (e-passports).
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004
P.L. 108-458,90 the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, added the
requirement that by October 26, 2006, as a condition of being in the VWP, each VWP country
must certify that it is developing a program to issue tamper-resistant, machine-readable visa

86 P.L. 107-173. The original bill, H.R. 3525, was sponsored by Representative F. James Sensenbrenner.
87 The act tasked the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with developing the biometric standard.
88 Signed into law on August 9, 2004.
89 For example, see letter from Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., to Luc Frieden, President of the European Counsel of
Ministers, and Franco Frattini, Vice-President of the European Commission, April 7, 2005.
90 The original bill, H.R. 2845, was sponsored by Senator Susan M. Collins and signed into law on December 17, 2004.
Congressional Research Service
19

Visa Waiver Program

documents that incorporate biometric identifiers which are verifiable at the country’s port of
entry.
Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007
Signed into law on August 3, 2007, §711 of P.L. 110-53 (H.R. 1) allowed the Secretary of DHS,
in consultation with the Secretary of DOS, to waive the nonimmigrant refusal rate requirement
for admission to the VWP on the date on which the Secretary of DHS certified to Congress that
an air exit system is in place that can verify the departure of not less than 97% of foreign
nationals that exit through U.S. airports. In addition, the Secretary of DHS also had to certify to
Congress that the electronic travel authorization system (discussed below) is operational, prior to
being able to waive the nonimmigrant refusal rate requirement. Until June 30, 2009, the air exit
system did not need to incorporate biometric identifiers; however, after that date, if the air exit
system is unable to match an alien’s biometric information with relevant watch lists and manifest
information, the Secretary of DHS’s authority to waive the nonimmigrant refusal rate is
suspended until the air exit system has the specified biometric capacity.
For admission to the VWP, a country who receives a refusal rate waiver also has to
• meet all the security requirements of the program;
• be determined by the Secretary of DHS to have a totality of security risk
mitigation measures which provide assurances that the country’s participation in
the program would not compromise U.S. law enforcement and security interests,
or the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws;
• have had a sustained reduction in visa refusal rates, and have existing conditions
for the rates to continue to decline;
• have cooperated with the United States on counterterrorism initiatives and
information sharing before the date of its designation, and be expected to
continue such cooperation; and
• have, during the previous fiscal year, a nonimmigrant visas refusal rate of not
more than 10%, or an overstay rate that did not exceed the maximum overstay
rate established by the Secretaries of DHS and DOS for countries receiving
waivers of the nonimmigrant refusal rate to participate in the VWP the program.
P.L. 110-53 also specified that in determining whether to waive the nonimmigrant refusal rate
requirement, the Secretary of DHS, in consultation with the Secretary of DOS, may take into
consideration other factors affecting U.S. security, such as the country’s airport security and
passport standards, whether the country has an effective air marshal program, and the estimated
overstay rate for nationals from the country.
In addition, P.L. 110-53 made several changes to the criteria to qualify as a VWP country, which
were intended to enhance the security of the program. As previously mentioned, the act mandated
that the Secretary of DHS, in consultation with the Secretary of State, develop and implement an
electronic travel authorization system (the system),91 through which each alien electronically
provides, in advance of travel, the biographical information necessary to determine whether the

91 The system as implemented is known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
Congressional Research Service
20

Visa Waiver Program

alien is eligible to travel to the United States and enter under the VWP. Aliens using the system
are charged a fee that is required to be set at a level so that the cost of creating and administering
the system is covered by the fees.
P.L. 110-53 also required the Secretary of DHS, no later than one year after enactment, to
establish an exit system that records the departure of every alien who entered under the VWP and
left the United States by air. The exit system is required to match the alien’s biometric
information against relevant watch lists and immigration information, and compare such
biographical information against manifest information collected by airlines to confirm that the
alien left the United States.92
Furthermore, under P.L. 110-53, to participate in the VWP, countries are required to enter into an
agreement with the United States to report or make available through INTERPOL information
about the theft or loss of passports. The agreements have to specify strict time limits for the
reporting of this information. In addition, to be part of the VWP, countries have to accept the
repatriation of any citizen, former citizen, or national against whom a final order of removal is
issued no later than three weeks after the order is issued. Also, the countries are required to enter
into an agreement with the United States to share information regarding whether a national of that
country traveling to the United States represents a threat to U.S. security or welfare. The act
requires the Secretary of DHS to provide technical assistance to VWP countries to assist the
countries in fulfilling the requirements of the program.
In addition, P.L. 110-53 requires the Director of National Intelligence to conduct intelligence
assessments of countries. For new VWP countries, the reviews must occur prior to their
admittance into the VWP. For existing VWP countries, the reviews should be done in conjunction
with the biannual country reviews.
The act also requires the Director of National Intelligence to immediately inform the Secretary of
DHS of any current and credible threat of imminent danger to the United States or its citizens that
originates from a VWP country. Upon receiving such notification, the Secretary of DHS, in
consultation with the Secretary of DHS, may suspend a country from the VWP without any prior
notice. Once the country’s participation in the VWP no longer poses a security threat, the
Secretary of DHS shall reinstate the country in the VWP.

Author Contact Information

Alison Siskin

Specialist in Immigration Policy
asiskin@crs.loc.gov, 7-0260



92 This exit system is not necessarily the same as the exit system required for the nonimmigrant refusal rate waiver
authority. DHS appears to have incorporated this requirement as part of the exit portion of automated entry and exit
data system known as US-VISIT.
Congressional Research Service
21