The recent visit of the Romanian foreign minister in the U.S. reopened talks on lifting visas for Romanians. Minister Cristian Diaconescu was optimistic about including Romania in the Visa Waiver program, stressing the only impediment is the high refusal rate. Diaconescu gave as a deadline to let go of visas by yearend.
However, in this respect, Gray pointed that lifting visas goes hand in hand with a series of measures. “The designation of any country to be a candidate for the Visa Waiver Program is not a short-term process but involves a variety of measures,” he said in an interview for NewsIn. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said, through the voice of VWP program director, Marc Frey that Romania has made progress on several issues (reporting lost and stolen passports to Interpol in a timely manner), Gray said. Moreover, Frey pledged the DHS is committed to working with Romania to implement the Declaration and monitor developments related to meeting VWP requirements, the consul added.
Moreover, the U.S. official remains reluctant in proposing any timeline for the lifting of visas. “Unfortunately, DHS’s statutory inability to waive the 3 percent visa refusal rate requirement will make it more difficult for countries like Romania to qualify for the VWP. Although qualifying for the VWP will not be a short-term process, DHS encourages Romania to continue to work towards meeting the requirements for VWP membership, and welcomes the constructive dialogue we have on these issues,” Frey was quoted saying.
Romanians are encouraged to visit the U.S. and instructions for visa applicants at usembassy.ro, Gray said, adding there are no technical aspects that create unique difficulties for Romanian visa applicants.
“We have received as many as 600 non-immigrant visa applicants in one day during our peak season, but throughout the year the average would be around 200 applicants,” the official said.
Moreover, meetings regarding the VWP take place frequently both in Washington and in Bucharest, the most recent being on May 14. The legislation governing the Visa Waiver Program requires bilateral arrangements and all parties to these arrangements take measures to protect the privacy of information that is shared for official use only, Gray pointed.
Yet, Romania’s president Traian Basescu said in November last year he is in favor of finding a solution at European Union level and not after bilateral negotiations.
The foreign minister Diaconescu said after a visit to the U.S. that the only problem tied to lifting visas is the high refusal rate, giving the example of neighbor Hungary which succeeded in joining the Visa Waiver Program by institutionally trying to advise citizens on the issue after many requests were denied because they failed to go by certain conditions needed in applying for a visa.
The U.S. is to make accession conditions for the Visa Waiver Program harsher stating July, by lowering the visa refusal ceiling from 10 to 3 percent, which makes it harder for countries like Romania to qualify for the program. The refusal rate for Romania is 25 percent.
