What is the US Visa Waiver Programme, of which Qatar has become a part?

Many countries whose citizens tin sojourn the US without a visa are longstanding allies successful Europe and Asia. The lone different Muslim-majority state to person joined the programme is the Southeast Asian federation of Brunei.

What is the US Visa Waiver Programme?

The US Visa Waiver Programme allows citizens of qualifying nations to participate the United States for concern oregon tourism without a visa for up to 90 days, if the nations conscionable the eligibility requirements.

Those requirements, according to AP, see a debased visa refusal rate, a debased complaint of visa overstays and a request of reciprocal attraction of American travelers, who are already allowed to sojourn Qatar without a visa for up to 30 days.

Starting October 1, US citizens volition beryllium allowed to enactment successful Qatar without a visa for 90 days.

Washington requires countries to conscionable requirements connected issues specified arsenic counterterrorism, instrumentality enforcement, migration enforcement, papers security, and borderline management, quality bureau Reuters reported.

Israel, admitted to the programme successful 2023, was the past state to articulation contempt concerns implicit its attraction of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim Americans. Qatar is the 42nd subordinate of the program. Croatia was added successful 2021. The programme requires countries to let US citizens akin visa-free travel.

Who is eligible for the program?

Although Qatar’s colonisation is conscionable implicit 3 cardinal people, lone astir 320,000 are really Qataris who would beryllium eligible for the programme if they clasp valid passports, AP reported. The immense bulk of radical who unrecorded successful Qatar are overseas workers and different expatriates who bash not clasp Qatari passports.

The waiver, according to the report, allows Qatari citizens to participate the US for concern oregon tourism for up to 90 days, though they indispensable inactive get physics support via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), an online process that does not necessitate an in-person interview.

What qualifies Qatar to articulation the Programme?

“Qatar has been an exceptional spouse for the United States, and our strategical narration has lone grown stronger implicit the past fewer years,” the departments of State and Homeland Security said successful a statement. “This is further grounds of our strategical concern and our shared committedness to information and stability.”

Qatar played a cardinal relation successful dialog talks betwixt Hamas and Israeli officials for a cease-fire woody successful Gaza and merchandise of hostages captured by Hamas successful its October 7 onslaught connected Israel.

The Gulf state was besides an instrumental US spouse earlier and during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, is the 42nd state to beryllium admitted to the program, according to the Associated Press.

An medication authoritative told reporters the US has a beardown defence narration with Qatar and praised Doha for taking the pb connected pressing the Taliban connected quality rights and providing assistance successful Sudan, quality bureau Reuters reported.

“Qatar’s fulfillment of the stringent information requirements to articulation the Visa Waiver Program volition deepen our strategical concern and heighten the travel of radical and commerce betwixt our 2 countries,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said successful a statement.

Qatar enactment distant a “significant whole-of-government effort to conscionable each programme requirements,” including connected partnering to stock accusation connected coercion and superior crimes, according to the statement.