Romania has been excluded from the United States’ Visa Waiver Program watchlist, a move that delays the country’s chances of being added to the actual list allowing its citizens to travel to the U.S. without a visa, reports the Baltimore Chronicle with reference to DHS.gov.
This change was noted in an updated report published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which regularly monitors the progress of countries seeking entry into the Visa Waiver Program. Previously, Romania had been part of a shortlist of nations working toward fulfilling the necessary requirements. Its removal indicates a setback in those efforts.
Romania, a member of the European Union, has been striving to meet the criteria of the U.S. visa-free travel scheme for several years. The most critical benchmark is maintaining a non-immigrant visa refusal rate below 3%. The DHS report did not specify the exact reason for the removal but suggested that Romania may not have demonstrated sufficient progress or compliance with essential program standards.
Countries currently still under consideration for future inclusion include Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Israel. Meanwhile, nations such as Croatia have successfully joined the program in recent years after meeting all conditions.
The Romanian government has yet to provide an official response regarding the change in status.
Earlier we wrote that Zelensky refuses to sign U.S. subsoil agreement.