Romania has been trying for years to enter the Visa Waiver Program so that Romanians can travel to the US without visas, but the visa refusal rate for Romanian citizens still significantly exceeds the minimum 3% threshold accepted by US authorities for visa waivers.
According to the latest official data, this threshold dropped below 10% in 2019 after several years, but it is still insufficient for acceptance into Visa Waiver.
Two bills, currently under debate in Congress, can however facilitate the lifting of visas for Romanians as well.
In accordance with the US Immigration and Nationality Act, countries wishing to join the Visa Waiver Program must have a refusal rate of less than 3% for non-immigrant visas, or a 2-year average of less than 2%.
Poland has already entered the Visa Waiver Program, with its citizens able to travel to the US without visas starting November 11, 2019, even though the visa refusal rate was above 3%.
In 2014, the refusal rate for Romania dropped below 10% for the first time, to 9.8%, from 24.8% in 2010, but later reached over 11% again. Thus, the refusal rate in 2017 for Romania was 11.76%, and in 2018 a visa refusal rate of 10.44% was recorded. In fiscal year 2019, according to official data, the refusal rate for US visas requested by Romanian citizens dropped below 10% again, to 9.11%.
Two bills, which aim to apply exceptions to the 3% threshold for Visa Waiver acceptance, are under debate in the US Congress. A first project considers raising the refusal rate to 10% for countries that, for example, have information exchange agreements with the US in the field of defense and security, as is the case with Romania. A second project also allows an exception to the 3% threshold for US partner countries that allocate at least 2% of GDP to defense, a criterion also met by Romania in recent years.
Source: Profit
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum refusal rate threshold for entering the Visa Waiver Program?
Normally, U.S. law requires a visa refusal rate of less than 3% for a country to be eligible for visa-free travel.
What was the refusal rate for Romanian citizens in fiscal year 2019?
In 2019, the refusal rate for U.S. visas requested by Romanians dropped to 9.11%, marking the second time in history it has fallen below the 10% threshold.
What legislative exceptions could facilitate Romania’s entry into Visa Waiver?
There are bills in the U.S. Congress proposing to raise the threshold to 10% for security partners or for countries that allocate 2% of GDP to defense.