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GAO-06-835R 1 (2006-07-28)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptatqz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SGAO Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 July 28, 2006 The Honorable Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. Chairman Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives Subject: Process for Admitting Additional Countries into the Visa Waiver Program Dear Mr. Chairman: The Visa Waiver Program enables citizens of 27 participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without first obtaining a visa.' The program was created to promote the effective use of government resources and to facilitate international travel without jeopardizing U.S. national security. Indeed, in fiscal year 2004, more than 15 million travelers entered the United States under this program. The United States last expanded the Visa Waiver Program's membership in 1999 with the addition of Portugal, Singapore, and Uruguay;2 in recent years, other countries have expressed a desire to become members. In addition, Members of Congress have recently introduced bills calling for the expansion of the program. In February 2005, President Bush announced that the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and State (State) would develop a strategy, or Road Map Initiative, to clarify to prospective candidates the statutory requirements for designation as a participating country-and work with countries to help them comply with these requirements. In response to your request, this report describes (1) the process for gaining admission into the Visa Waiver Program and (2) the U.S. government's plans for admitting additional countries into the program. To examine the criteria for expanding the Visa Waiver Program, we reviewed laws establishing the program, agency protocols governing the 1The United States also issues visas to those who intend to immigrate to the United States. In this report, we use the term visa to refer to nonimmigrant visas only. According to the Department of State, the Visa Waiver Program is a substitute entry mechanism for nonimmigrant, short term, business, and tourism visas only; it does not apply to students, temporary workers, and others who require visas to enter the United States. 2In 2003, the Attorney General removed Uruguay from the Visa Waiver Program, stating that Uruguay's participation in the program was inconsistent with U.S. interests. According to a 2002 Federal Register notice on the subject, Uruguayan nationals were, on average, two to three times more likely than all nonimmigrants to have been denied admission at the border. Uruguayan air arrivals had an apparent overstay rate more than twice that of the average apparent overstay rate for all nonimmigrant air arrivals. In addition, Argentina was removed from the program in 2002, following an economic crisis in that country and an increase in the number of Argentinean nationals attempting to use the Visa Waiver Program to live and work illegally in the United States. 3See also GAO, Border Security: Stronger Actions Needed to Assess and Mitigate Risks of the Visa Waiver Program, GAO- 06-854 (Washington, D.C.: July 28, 2006). GAO-06-835R Visa Waiver Program

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