Israel to Join US Visa Waiver Program Nov. 30

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the list of Visa Waiver Program countries memorized. On my morning commute today, I learned that the VWP program does not currently include Israel. But, as of November 30, it will. Apparently, Israel has wanted to be a part of the VWP program “for decades.”

Here’s the 4-minute NPR story that caught my attention:

Key sticking points apparently included:

• US concerns about Israel giving passports to “new immigrants” including Russians. Israel will now have “stricter rules” for issuing passports.
• US concerns that Israel treat all US passport holders the same, even if they are dual citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, or Lebanon… or even Palestinian-American. They now do.

-KitJ