USA restricts visa-free travel from Hungary as well

According to hvg.hu, the US House of Representatives adopted a law on tightening the visa-free entry policy on Tuesday in response to the terrorist threat. The legislation applies to 38 countries that benefited from the USA visa-free program before,  including Hungarians.

As a result of the Paris attacks with 130 victims and the massacre of San Bernando, where 14 people died, the law has been adopted by an overwhelming majority, and it is certain that the Senate will also approve it, and President Barack Obama will sign it as well.

By law, those citizens of the 38 beneficiary countries of the visa-waiver program, including the ones from Hungary, who visited Syria, Iraq, Iran or Sudan in the past 5 years, have to apply for visa.

The law requires the beneficiary country to share information about terrorist suspects with the USA. According to the legislation, countries that do not cooperate sufficiently with the American government in the fight against terrorism can be excluded from the program, hvg.hu wrote.

Iraq and Syria are high-risk countries because of the expansion of the Islamic State (IS); Iran and Sudan were ranked among the countries supporting terrorism.

Kevin McCarthy, Republican House Majority Leader drew attention to the fact that as far as they know, there are 5 thousand people who are subjects to the visa waiver program, who have Western passports and visited those countries in the last 5 years.

With the visa waiver program about 20 million people visit the USA every year, where they can stay up to 90 days. The program, which was launched in 1986, served the purpose to boost tourism and make the relations with the allied states closer.

 based on the article of hvg.hu
translated by BA

Copy editor: bm

Source: http://hvg.hu