US Lists 8 Countries Impacting Visa Waiver Program Eligibility

The US government has announced that visitors from eight specific countries could jeopardize the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) eligibility for nationals of participating countries. Under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, any citizen or national of a VWP country who has traveled to or been present in the listed countries—Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—on or after March 1, 2011, is no longer eligible to travel to the US without a visa.

Such individuals must apply for a standard visitor (B) visa prior to entering the United States. The VWP allows eligible citizens to visit the US for tourism for up to 90 days without a visa, provided they have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

Exceptions to the disqualification apply only to those traveling for diplomatic or military purposes in direct service of a VWP country. Individuals uncertain about their eligibility are advised to apply for a visitor visa.