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| US undersecretary for strategy at the department of homeland security Rob Law with deputy minister to the president Irene Piki |
Cyprus’ bid to join the United States’ visa waiver programme remains on hold, as Washington undertakes a re-evaluation of the scheme and continues to withhold new admissions.
According to competent sources reported in the Cyprus News Agency, the technical progress made by Cyprus towards meeting the requirements for inclusion has been confirmed by American authorities.
The US government, however, is currently reassessing the programme as a whole and has not added any new countries to it.
The update follows US undersecretary for strategy at the department of homeland security Rob Law’s visit to Cyprus last month, during which it was reaffirmed that Cyprus had completed the required technical criteria.
A statement issued after his meeting with deputy minister to the president Irene Piki said that further consideration of Cyprus’ application would proceed in accordance with internal US procedures.
The programme allows eligible travellers to enter the United States for tourism or business for up to ninety days without a visa.
Inclusion would require Cyprus to maintain a non-immigrant visa refusal rate below three per cent, alongside the use of secure travel documents and close cooperation with US law enforcement and immigration authorities.
Cyprus’ path towards membership gathered pace last year, when a US delegation carried out a technical assessment of the country’s security systems during a visit described by President Nikos Christodoulides as “absolutely constructive.”
At the time, officials indicated that Cyprus stood to become the forty third country admitted to the scheme, with 24 of the 27 EU member states already participating.
The process has involved several legislative and diplomatic steps, including the ratification by parliament of an intergovernmental agreement allowing Cyprus and the United States to exchange information on individuals suspected of or under investigation for serious crimes.
The agreement built on the prevention and combating of serious crime agreement signed by the two countries in December 2015.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis had previously described the visa refusal rate threshold as one of the final hurdles facing Cyprus, saying the country had come “very close” to the target.
