{ "id": "R46300", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R46300", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "title": "Adding Countries to the Visa Waiver Program: Effects on National Security and Tourism", "retrieved": "2021-12-09T04:04:01.113332", "id": "R46300_4_2021-10-27", "formats": [ { "filename": "files/2021-10-27_R46300_da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709.pdf", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46300/4", "sha1": "da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709" } ], "date": "2021-10-27", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "typeId": "R", "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R46300", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 621533, "date": "2020-04-01", "retrieved": "2020-04-01T22:09:06.110005", "title": "Adding Countries to the Visa Waiver Program: Effects on National Security and Tourism", "summary": "The Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows citizens of certain countries to visit the United States for up to three months without a visa, has two explicit missions: to enhance national security and to boost the U.S. travel and tourism sectors. On November 8, 2019, the United States designated Poland into the VWP, bringing the number of participating countries to 39. A concern for Congress is whether the VWP exposes the United States to security threats, despite implementation of strict security requirements over recent years. At the same time, because of longstanding congressional interest in promoting the U.S. travel and tourism sectors, many lawmakers support adding more countries to the VWP.\nA key goal of the VWP is to improve standards for aviation security, travel documents, and law enforcement in countries around the world. To qualify for the VWP, countries must issue electronic passports, report information on all lost and stolen passports to the United States through the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and share information on travelers who may pose a terrorist or criminal threat. Every VWP traveler must obtain preclearance to board a flight to the United States through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Supporters of the VWP see admission into the program as an incentive for foreign countries to increase their security infrastructure and information sharing with the United States. A competing view is that despite security improvements following the 2015 terrorist attacks in Europe, such as screening of passengers entering under the VWP based on past travel to a country known as a terrorist sanctuary, the program remains a national security vulnerability.\nAnother objective of the VWP is to facilitate and encourage foreign business and leisure travel from high-volume and low-risk countries to the United States. In FY2018, 22.8 million nonimmigrant visitors\u2014constituting nearly one-third of all visitor admissions to the United States\u2014arrived through the VWP. Figures from U.S. Travel, the industry group representing travel and tourism organizations, show that nationals from VWP countries generated an estimated $190 billion in economic activity and supported close to 1 million jobs in the United States in 2017. In addition, the U.S. government\u2019s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) reports that a record 80 million international travelers visited the United States in 2018, with the number falling slightly in 2019. The number of foreign visitor arrivals in 2019 indicated that the United States would likely fall short of the goal set by the federal government\u2019s travel and tourism strategy of attracting 100 million visitors annually by the end of 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has sharply reduced foreign tourism in 2020 as countries have discouraged international travel and required arriving passengers to quarantine themselves for extended periods, probably putting the 2021 goal out of reach. Nonetheless, advocates for the U.S. travel and tourism industries argue that adding more countries to the VWP would further promote tourism, trade, and commerce by increasing the number of overseas visitors traveling to the United States. \nActivity in the 116th Congress related to the VWP seeks to expand the number of countries by changing the qualification criteria or designating specific countries. Other bills would rename the VWP to \u201cSecure Travel Partnership\u201d to reflect one of its main goals of securing U.S. borders. Legislation in the 116th Congress also addresses the ESTA fee paid by VWP applicants. In December 2019, Congress authorized the continued use of the ESTA fee to partially fund Brand USA, a national tourism promotion program, through September 30, 2027. Congress also raised the ESTA fee from $14 to $21 (Division I, Title 8 of P.L. 116-94). 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