This Bill would make it easier for countries like Poland to be added to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Currently 38 countries are included in the VWP, but Poland is not. The VWP enables citizens of participating countries to securely travel to the United States for business or tourism purposes for up to 90 days without having to go through the visa application process.
The JOLT Act, in echoing the Kirk-Mikulski Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act, would allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive the visa refusal requirement up to 10 percent. This change would benefit a nation like Poland, whose refusal rate requirement is currently 6 percent. In 2013, more than 19.5 million citizens of other countries traveled to the United States through the Visa Waiver Program. Senator Kirk joined Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Al Franken (D-Minn.) Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in introducing the JOLT Act today.
We have learned that The JOLT Act, in echoing the Kirk-Mikulski Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act, would allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive the 3% visa refusal rate requirement, up to 10%.
In other words, the Secretary would have the discretion to waive other countries into the program as long as their refusal rates don’t exceed 10%.