Israeli passport holders visiting the US on tourism and business could be included in the US visa waiver program by next year, as talks on the matter speed up. Last week a US senior delegation examining the matter visited Israel. The delegation included representatives of the US Department of Homeland Security and Department of the Interior.
At the same time Israel's Ministry of Interior is completing a questionnaire on the matter with about 300 questions on Israeli policy such as immigration policy.
Gil Bringer, who serves as a consultant to the Israeli Ministry of Interior's Population and Immigration Authority and is in charge of the issue of Israel's admission to the US visa waiver program, told "Globes" that the talks are moving ahead fast and that Israeli passport holders could be eligible for the visa waiver program by the first quarter of 2023.
He said, "There is agreement at the highest level between the sides and the involvement of people at various government ministries including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Interior and Defense and the Israel Security Services (Shin Bet). After the questionnaire is completed, a process that all countries enter into that is required for the visa waiver, we have accelerated both the virtual and physical talks to clarify what we are asking from the US administration, for example regarding the issuance of biometric documents and the process of biometric identification."
Israel's desire to join the visa waiver program should also benefit the US tourist industry as it strives to recover from the Covid crisis, as Israelis are often deterred by the arduous process of obtaining a US tourist visa.
If all goes to plan then Israeli passport holders will be admitted to the US through the ESTA Travel Authorization Electronic System through which tourists can pay a $14 fee and apply on line to enter the US for up to 90 days. There are already 39 countries that have already been admitted to the US visa waiver program including most EU members, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Chile.
At present 6.5% of Israelis who apply for a US visa are refused and this percentage must be cut to 3% for Israel to qualify for the visa waiver program. Most of the refusals are for technical reasons and the Ministry of Interior will embark upon a campaign to ensure that Israelis fill in and submit the current US visa application form according to the instructions such as attaching up-to-data photographs, signed parental approval for children seeking a visa and not submitting defective passports.
Minister of Interior Ayelet Shaked told "Globes," "The arrival of the delegation is more proof of the seriousness that the Americans are demonstrating to the joint process that we have begun. US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and myself hold a Zoom meeting once a month on the status of the issue and now his representatives have come for a physical tour of the points we are talking about and this is another significant step in the process.
"In addition, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides is fully behind this process and we talk each week and frequently meet in order to progress solve obstacles to the waiver.
"At the start of the process, I made a commitment that the visa waiver for Israelis will not be removed from the agenda until the task is completed. There are more procedures to overcome but progress to this point has been reasonable. I am full of optimism and believe that this time, with the help of strenuous efforts from both sides, we will be able to bring good news to Israeli citizens."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 20, 2022.
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