America looks to end Visa Waiver Programme (VWP)

SteveUK · Post by **SteveUK** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 8:59 am

Many of you in the US probably do not even know that this exists. However, it does and it is how many nationals from many countries gain entry to the US. All EU nationals plus New Zeland, Canada, South Africa etc. do not require a Visa to enter the US for up to 90 days provided they have a machine readable passport or biometric passport and do not have a criminal record and the journey is for pleasure or business only.

Well, the US Government now want to end this and make everyone get a VISA in person at a US embassy before going to the US. This will mean enormous queues at US embassies and a high cost to the traveller.

In retaliation, the EU and other countries have got together and said that if this happens US Citizens will have to obtain Visas for their trips abroad. At present 15 countries issue a one Visa for all those countries (not UK or Ireland). The EU said they will stop this and Americans will have to get a Visa for every country they visit. If they cross an open border and they are caught in a country that they don't have a Visa for, they will be deported and NEVER allowed back in to ANY European Economic Area Country again!

The US government say that that is not fair!!!!

What do you all think? I ask this cos I have just come back from mainland Europe and it was very easy for me to travel as a EU Citizen.

eaglecatcher · Post by **eaglecatcher** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 10:29 am

I don't think that that is fair, to make every single person get a visa, on either countries part. That would kill tourism, political relations, and everything else. I agree that something needs to be done to secure our borders, mainly building a huge ass fence along the entire mexican border, and get more patrol, but punishing the rest of the world, for terrorists, and illegals, isn't right. I would agree with more screening in airports, because that can take only a little while longer, compared to having to go an apply for a visa.

Post by **jomotopia** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 11:25 am

using only your post as my information, i think it should stay the way it is, not requiring VISAs. i would hate to think that one day i might travel around Europe and inadvertantly get banned for life from a whole country.

SteveUK · Post by **SteveUK** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 1:05 pm

jomotopia: If this were to go ahead you wouldn't be banned from one country, you would be banned from all 25 EU countries (NB set to become 27 in 2007) plus 4 others (not including all the British Colonies and other nations colonies). That would be well over 35 states you could not enter.

I have dealt with immigration Canadian style and American style.

Canada:

"Your passport please/Votre passeport svp"

I hand over my passport and due to the persons accent I believed them to be French speaking so I addressed them in French when handing it over.

Ce qui est votre raison de visiter le Canada?

Je suis en vacances avec mon ami.

Votre Français est tout à fait bon.

Il n'est pas bon il est très mauvais, mais j'essaye de parler en français si possible

Well anyway you get the point. The immigration officer was polite, pleasant and interested in me as a person.

United States of America

Passport!!

Here you go

Why are you here?

I am on holiday with my friend

Do you have a job in England?

Yes, I am a Specialist Nurse in the United Kingdom.

Do you have any money on you?

I have US dollars, Travellers' Cheques and my credit and debit cards.

Why are you here?

Like I have already said, I am here on holiday with my friend.

The interigation went on for some time and I was not best pleased with it. This is the first impression that a visitor gets when entering the US - not a good one.

The US authorities have got it wrong. They should be working with other countries, not issueing demands and interogating inocent people. I would revisit Canada in a heartbeat, but the US - I am not so sure.

eaglecatcher · Post by **eaglecatcher** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:20 pm

I hate that we always get involved in other countries wars, because they ask us for help, and then all the other countries get mad, and if we didn't help, it would be the other way around. I personally think we should not go into wars that do not pertain to us, like the war between israel and hezbollah. I htink we shoudl've just let them duke it out.

marcman1987 · Post by **marcman1987** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:55 pm

WOW! A fence around the mexican border! Youre joking right?? That made laugh out loud!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! I'm starting to wonder about the people who post on this forum!

As for the OP, I think it is ridiculous on the US part to do this! This is supposed to PREVENT terrorism? Hmmm, since when does alienatingyourself from the world help with terrorism? I wonder what kind of utopia G. Dubya is trying to create?

I think the EU is justified in doing the same thing right back to them! Not that I agree with this tactic, but I think in the long run it will hurt the Americans much more economically, politically. But then when you've got people who think a wall should be built around the US border, I guess they arent going to be too concerned about not being able to travel to some of the most amazing places in the world!

dklkse · Post by **dklkse** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 7:21 pm

marcman1987 wrote:I'm starting to wonder about the people who post on this forum!

Me too. Seems like some people here like to belittle the opinions of others.

Great attitude, big guy.

eaglecatcher · Post by **eaglecatcher** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 7:36 pm

a fence is not going to do anything...

unless they spend enough money, and do it right.

My personal preference, would be an electric fence, with sniper towers all within sight range of eachother, and just flat out shoot down anyone that tries to come across. That would be my perfect world.

One of my friends made a joke, and said that they should put machine guns all along the fence, and put a website, where you can go on, and take control of them, and pick off anyone that comes across.

Ok, those are a bit radical, but thats what this world is coming to.

hsingarajah · Post by **hsingarajah** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 9:09 pm

The US is just going to get hated on even more, and Canada will still be the friendliest nation/

eaglecatcher · Post by **eaglecatcher** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 9:14 pm

exactly why I'm getting out. I love living here, great place, but I fear that WWIII is almost upon us, and I don't want to be in the superpower nation, that is going to get nuked, which probably will happen, with us pissing of iran and all the other nations we have angered (just about every other one).

then, the aussies will all be like WTF Mate!
(haha, thats from the flash movie if you haven't seen it)

LS1Leader · Post by **LS1Leader** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 11:48 pm

eaglecatcher wrote:exactly why I'm getting out. I love living here, great place, but I fear that WWIII is almost upon us, and I don't want to be in the superpower nation, that is going to get nuked, which probably will happen, with us pissing of iran and all the other nations we have angered (just about every other one).

then, the aussies will all be like WTF Mate!
(haha, thats from the flash movie if you haven't seen it)

You're in TX... don't worry about it. It's only the coasts that will get nuked, like CA and all its hippie liberals.

Seriously though, building a fence along the Mexico line is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Why spend money to keep out the people that let us buy fruit for pennies and do all the jobs nobody here seems to want to do? It's just politics pandering to the bible belt.

They built a fence along the CA/Mexico border. Now, the illegals just cross in AZ.

You can't beat ambition and desperation, and they'll find a way around no matter what you do. Besides, you Texans are allowed to shoot them if they trespass on your property anyways, so it doesn't seem like that big a problem.

I do think giving illegals drivers' licenses is pretty frickin dumb, though.

I think the US should stop meddling in the rest of the world. They take us for granted now, and they bitch when we don't do anything, then they bitch when we do do something. Let the rest of the world rot to hell in a handbasket, and pick up the pieces after it's all over.

eaglecatcher · Post by **eaglecatcher** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 11:53 pm

LS1Leader wrote:
eaglecatcher wrote:exactly why I'm getting out. I love living here, great place, but I fear that WWIII is almost upon us, and I don't want to be in the superpower nation, that is going to get nuked, which probably will happen, with us pissing of iran and all the other nations we have angered (just about every other one).

then, the aussies will all be like WTF Mate!
(haha, thats from the flash movie if you haven't seen it)
You're in TX... don't worry about it. It's only the coasts that will get nuked, like CA and all its hippie liberals.

Seriously though, building a fence along the Mexico line is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Why spend money to keep out the people that let us buy fruit for pennies and do all the jobs nobody here seems to want to do? It's just politics pandering to the bible belt.

They built a fence along the CA/Mexico border. Now, the illegals just cross in AZ. You can't beat ambition and desperation, and they'll find a way around no matter what you do. Besides, you Texans are allowed to shoot them if they trespass on your property anyways, so it doesn't seem like that big a problem.

I do think giving illegals drivers' licenses is pretty frickin dumb, though.

I think the US should stop meddling in the rest of the world. They take us for granted now, and they bitch when we don't do anything, then they bitch when we do do something. Let the rest of the world rot to hell in a handbasket, and pick up the pieces after it's all over.

I honestly don't know if fences will work, but we sure as hell have to do something. I literally live about 2 blocks away from little mexico. There are so many trash apartments around here, and so much crime. I live in a respectable neighborhood, and about a block away from my house, where I drove my bike past all the time, one guy had a meth lab, and was found murdered. That scares the crap out of me. And guess who it was, a mexican. Not that mexicans are bad, several of my best friends are mexican, but all of the gangs at our school, and either mexican, or black, with a few white people thrown in.

marcman1987 · Post by **marcman1987** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 1:29 am

I did not mean disrespect to anyone. If I offended anyone I apologize. However, I find the notion of building a wall to 'keep them out' very troublesome. It's basically the easy way to solve the 'problem'. Basically it's out of mind out of sight.

I'm not gonna go any further because I'll just rant on and on about this and end up sounding a bit 'loco'.

Cheers guys!

eaglecatcher · Post by **eaglecatcher** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 1:32 am

I agree, they need to be kept out, and the ones here need to go. If they want to live in america, they can do it the right way. Plus, when I move to canada, if they cant get into the u.s., they can't get into canada. Thats one huge wall protecting me from them.

marcman1987 · Post by **marcman1987** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 1:48 am

No, no, no, that's not what I meant at all!!! Ask yourself, why do they want to come into 'your' country? Have you ever heard of the North/South dichotomy? The reason that 'they' want to come into the US is because the economic situation is much more prosperous in the North than in the South. And why is this? NAFTA may have something to do with this... So what is the solution then to your problem? Perhaps the US could do something to help boost the Mexican economy, therefore, making it more viable. Then you wouldn't have all these Mexicans coming into your country.