Mr. President. I rise today to speak about my amendment to S. 2611. the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. This amendment will clarify the process for countries to enter the visa waiver program. which enables foreign nationals of member countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. In doing so. the program facilitates international travel and commerce. In addition. the visa waiver program eases the workload of consular officers who are already struggling to process a significant backlog of visa applications. Since 1986. when it first began as a pilot program. the visa waiver program has been a success. Over 27 countries have become certified to participate in the program in the past 20 years. and our Nation has realized substantial diplomatic and economic rewards. Relationships with our allies have been strengthened by the gesture of good will and the increase in tourism due to the visa waiver program has greatly benefitted the Nations tourist economy. Admission into the visa waiver program has never been an easy task. At this time. to qualify for the program. a country must do all of the following: it must offer reciprocal privileges to U.S. citizens. it must have had a nonimmigrant visa refusal rate of less than 3 percent for the previous year. it must certify that it has established a program to issue its citizens machinereadable passports that are tamperresistant and incorporate a biometric identifier into their passports. In addition to these requirements. the Secretary of Homeland Security. in consultation with the Secretary of State. must also determine that the countrys inclusion into the program will not compromise the law enforcement objectives or security of the United States.. As current law dictates. once all of these requirements have been met. the Attorney General may then designate the country a member of the visa waiver program. This means that even if a country has expended the time and effort to go through this rigorous process and has met our Governments stringent standards. its application could still be denied or. at best. indefinitely delayed by the Attorney General. This amendment addresses two issues. First. it will revise the current law to reflect changes in the administration of the visa waiver program since 9/11 and codify those into law. While the Department of Justice continues to play a role in the designation of visa waiver program countries. the final certification of a visa waiver country is now made by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. DHS. rather than the Attorney General. My amendment will ensure that the Secretary of DHS is specified as the final authority on this matter. Second. this amendment will designate a nation a member of the visa waiver program as soon as all of the requirements have been met. In doing so. this amendment provides potential member countries with the assurance that their applications will not be held up by bureaucratic redtape or inefficiencies. It also advances our attempts to build positive relationships based on good faith with applicant countries. The visa waiver program is one means by which we can recognize our affinity with nations who share our principles and goals for a future of peace. justice. and freedom. Consequently. quicker inclusion into the visa waiver program once the requirements have been met is vital to fostering and maintaining close cultural and economic ties with friendly nations. In addition to helping build strong diplomatic relations between nations. the visa waiver program has become key to the ongoing success of our tourism industry and business community. By eliminating the visa requirement. the program has facilitated international travel to our Nation for both business and for pleasure. In 2004. 15.9 million visitors entered the United States under the visa waiver program. constituting 58 percent of all overseas visitors. The program encourages foreign visitors to plan their vacations in the United States. which can result in increased economic growth and tourism dollars for the United States. Over the years. the visa waiver program has played a vital role that has become critical to our Nations tourist industry. According to the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. all but 1 of the top 10 ten tourismgenerating countries to the United States are visa waiver program nations. For states such as California. Florida. and my own home State of Hawaii which depend heavily on the tourist industry. the visa waiver program is integral to the strength of our economy. Clarifying the mechanism for countries to enter the program would strengthen the program and. in doing so. strengthen the economy on both a local and national level. Given the considerable benefits that the visa waiver program affords the United States. it is imperative that nations who are interested in engaging in the lengthy and complicated process to become a visa waiver program feel confident that. if they strive to meet our strict security standards. they will be allowed to participate in the program. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to support this amendment which will update current legislation to more accu52. Pt. 7 9397 rately reflect the post9/11 administration of the program and perhaps. more important. confirm our commitment to those nations which would like to participate in the program that as soon as they have fulfilled our requirements. we will fulfill our promise.
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visa Immigration