Office of Management and Budget
About OMB
President's Budget
Management
Information &
Regulatory Affairs
Legislative Information
Agency Information

March 24, 1998
(House Rules)


H.R. 2578 - Visa Waiver Pilot Program Extension
(Smith (R) Texas)

The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 2578, which would extend the Visa Waiver Pilot Program (VWPP) through September 30, 1999. The VWPP, which will expire on April 30th, permits business and pleasure visitors to enter the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. To qualify for the program, participating countries must have a low visa refusal rate and provide reciprocal treatment for visitors from the United States.

In 1997, 26 countries participated in the VWPP and over 12 million visitors came to the United States under the program. Failure to extend the VWPP could result in significant visa processing delays for the millions of travelers that use the program to travel to the United States each year and a significant disruption for the U.S. tourism industry.

The Administration would oppose any changes to the current program criteria used to determine country participation in the VWPP. The current program criteria are objective, non-country specific, and help to maintain the security and law enforcement interests of the United States.