U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) applauds Senate passage of H.R. 3767, a bill amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to make improvements to, and permanently authorize, the visa waiver pilot program for certain visitors to the United States. The program allows citizens of a participating country to forgo visa application at a U.S. consulate abroad and allows them to travel to the U.S. for business or pleasure and make application for entry directly to the INS at a port of entry. The current visa waiver pilot program expired on April 30, and has been extended on a month-to-month basis by the Justice Department pending Congressional action.

In June 1999, Senator Akaka introduced legislation in the Senate to make the visa waiver program permanent (S. 1242). H.R. 3767 passed the Senate yesterday as part of an agreement which lead to passage of S. 2045, legislation to increase the H1-B visa annual cap for skilled foreign workers to 195,000 through FY 2002. H.R. 3767 makes the visa waiver pilot program permanent. This section of the bill is identical to S. 1242. H.R. 3767 also includes provisions requiring participating nations to implement a machine-readable passport program by 2003 and issue machine-readable passports by 2007.

In the ten years since the implementation of the visa waiver program, international visitors from 26 participating countries have abided by the program's requirements and use it routinely. American travelers and citizens from participating countries are able to travel to countries in the program for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. The program has effectively served the purpose for which it was designed, to facilitate the efficient flow of low-risk foreign tourists and business travelers. Simultaneously, the program has afforded Department of State consular officers more time to focus efforts on individuals who visit the U.S. for other purposes, such as employment or study, or those who intend to remain in the U.S. for extended periods.

"Without reservation, this program is a resounding success," Akaka said. "The visa-free admission of millions of short-term business and pleasure travelers to the U.S. benefits our economy and makes travel easier for millions of Americans. In Hawaii, tourism is an $11 billion industry responsible for about one-quarter of Hawaii's tax revenue and one-third of our jobs. The visa waiver program has been a tremendous success for Hawaii. The increased amount of Japanese visitors to Hawaii in the last ten years is a direct benefit of the visa waiver program.

"The U.S. needs this program to remain competitive with the many other nations around the globe who are competing for the finite pool of business travelers and tourists," Akaka noted. "Its unqualified success justifies a permanent program."