Within the perception of Latin America, Legal entry to the United States whether you are a tourist or a resident is not an easy task due to all the requirements considered by the US consular authorities The time of denial or denial of the requested visa.
however, There are a selection of countries whose citizens do not need to present a visa on arrival to the United States. There are 40 countries in the world that are part of the Visa Waiver Program (Visa Waiver Program – VWP) provided by CBP.
This exemption program allows citizens of some countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business (the goal of visitor visas) for stays of 90 days or less without the need to obtain a visa, according to the specialist portal Ustraveldocs.
Although it is an advantage for the countries on the list, In order for a citizen of these countries to be able to get the benefit, they must register in advance in which they request authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
These people can also be screened by immigration authorities already on US soil, where they are registered in the database of the Department of Homeland Security.
Among the countries that are members of the Visa Waiver Program are: Germany, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein and Lithuania Luxembourg and Malta.
As for Latin America, it is Chile is the only country in the region to benefit from this measure. This agreement was reached in 2014 between the two countries.
There are also countries such as Monaco, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, the Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Korea and the Slovak Republic.
goal for colombia
In recent days, a glimmer of hope has opened up that Colombia will be part of this group of countries.
The Colombian government headed by President Gustavo Petro, Suggest that the diplomatic authorities of the United States cancel the tourist visa requirement for Colombians who wish to travel to that countrya decision that will be analyzed by the government of US President Joe Biden.
The argument for the state to ask the United States to consider the procedure is framed within the framework of the existing cooperation between both countries, i.e., The visit of citizens to the United States should be facilitated, since Colombia has been repeatedly referred to as a “strategic partner”.
The initiative comes after a visit to Colombia by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, a senior Biden administration official who had a meeting with President Petro several days ago in Casa de Nariño.
The Embassy of Colombia in the United States is proceeding to formally submit the petition to the United States authorities.so that the requirement to obtain a tourist visa can be abolished.
Regarding problems at the time of obtaining or renewing a visa, it was noted that cases were detected with a delay of more than 850 days from the moment a citizen was given the appointment until the document was delivered.
