Cyprus is getting closer to joining the US Visa Waiver program, as it has marked progress in combating serious crime – one of the requirements that needs improving in order to be eligible for joining the visa-free travel programme.
A Foreign Ministry official has informed the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign and European Affairs that significant progress has been made and that some technicalities remain to be resolved before presenting the report to the US State Department and Congress, VisaGuide.World reports.
Despite the progress in certain fields, Cypriot officials had concerns about the data exchange, which is also one of the criteria for Cyprus to enter the US Visa Waiver Programme. However, a police official explained that this requirement does not mean that the US has unrestricted access to Cyrpus’ databases, highlighting that this requirement will not harm Cyrpus’ confidentiality.
Cyprus Plans to Have Visa-Free Travel to US by 2025
Konstantinos Letymbiotis, the Cyprus government spokesperson, previously stated that Cypriots could be traveling visa-free to the US by the end of 2024 or by the beginning of 2025.
Countries that have joined this program have a visa-free travel agreement, meaning that Cypriot nationals will be exempted from applying for a visa to enter the US.
Cyprus has been dedicated for years to entering this program, while Bulgaria and Romania are also on this journey. Recently, Romanian authorities have announced that the country has met all of the necessary requirements and that Romanians will soon travel visa-free to the US.
US Becoming Increasingly Popular for Cypriot Nationals as Visa Application Rates Are on the Rise
According to data by the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the US Department of State, Cypriot nationals have been issued 5,537 visas in 2023. This number is up by 50.4 percent compared to 2022, when the US authorities granted Cypriots a total of 3,681 visas.
During the pandemic, including the years between 2020 and 2021, Cypriots were granted the lowest number of visas, but this could be strongly related to the travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another criterion that candidate countries have to meet in order to be eligible for entering the US Visa Waiver program is the rejection rates, which have to be below three percent. This was one of the requirements that countries often struggle to meet, as was the case with Romania.