US Delegation Will Finalize Visa Waiver Review for Taiwan
January 19, 2012 – This year, a delegation from the US will be sent to Taiwan in the aim of finalizing the review of the US Visa Waiver Program or VWP. Taiwan has been chosen as the venue as it is also one of the countries included in the program.
The American Institute of Taiwan or AIT, the quasi US Embassy in Taiwan, announced last December 22, 2011 that one of the country’s diplomatic goals is to be included in the VWP. However, it was added by Eric H. Madison, acting Director of AIT, that the only thing is that there is no definite or specific time when Taiwan will qualify for the said program.
Should Taiwan already qualify for the Visa Waiver Program, citizens would already be allowed to travel for tourism or business to the United States for at most 90 days without having to obtain a US visa. This currently costs NT$4,340 or $135.
Instead, Taiwanese will only have to apply for an ESTA visa through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization before they depart for the US. This ESTA to USA, however, will not guarantee non-US citizens entry to the US as only after inspection and interview by border security and immigration officers will they be determined eligibility for entry.
ESTA forms for ESTA applications are available online.
In order for a country to qualify for the VWP, there must be a 3 percent USA visa rejection rate. There should also be the adoption of biometric electronic passports, as well as in-person passport application procedures for first-time applicants.
There are already 36 countries included in the VWP.
Source:
migrationexpert.com
