What US INA Visa Waiver Program (8 USC 1187): Eligibility, ESTA and Program Country Designation requires
Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), codified at 8 U.S.C. 1187, establishes the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), under which nationals of designated program countries may be admitted to the United States as nonimmigrant visitors for business or pleasure without first obtaining a visa, administered by the Department of Homeland Security in consultation with the Department of State. Section 1187(a) sets the conditions of eligibility: the alien must be applying for admission as a nonimmigrant visitor for a period not exceeding 90 days; must be a national of, and present a valid passport issued by, a country designated as a program country; must present a passport that is machine-readable and, as required, an electronic (e-) passport meeting international standards; must, under section 1187(a)(11), obtain an approved electronic travel authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before boarding; must have waived any right to review or appeal of an admissibility determination or to contest removal other than on the basis of an application for asylum; and, if a previous participant, must not have failed to comply with the conditions of any previous admission. Section 1187(c) governs the designation (and termination) of program countries, conditioned on factors including a low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate, reciprocal visa-free treatment of US citizens, issuance of machine-readable and electronic passports, and cooperation on security and information-sharing. Section 1187(h) requires the ESTA system to determine, in advance of travel, each applicant's eligibility to travel under the program. The VWP is the framework that governs visa-free business and tourist travel to the United States and the carrier and traveler obligations that attach to it.
Pillar: Immigration & Border Control · Authority: US Congress / Department of Homeland Security and Department of State · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated:
Primary source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2022-title8/html/USCODE-2022-title8-chap12.htm
SHA-256 integrity: 5b81ddcdef7ed7b3a11544434079d853358b2bbee47f116e8a1667872edbe9a6
Primary Citations — 8 traced to source
- Immigration and Nationality Act 217, 8 U.S.C. 1187(a) - establishment of the Visa Waiver Program and the requirement to apply for admission as a nonimmigrant visitor for a period not exceeding 90 days.
- Immigration and Nationality Act 217, 8 U.S.C. 1187(a) - requirement that the alien be a national of a designated program country and present a valid passport.
+ 6 more citations (full bibliography, deterministic workflow, actionable schema and crosswalks) included in the vault unlock — $0.01 via Skyfire / L402 / Direct Base USDC.
Access
- Discovery (free): /api/v1/nodes/us-ina-visa-waiver-program-8usc1187.json — 6-field metadata
- Vault (full node): /api/v1/vault/nodes/us-ina-visa-waiver-program-8usc1187.json — full 13-key payload, $0.01 USDC (L402/Skyfire/Direct Base)
- Canonical URL: https://bidda.com/intelligence/us-ina-visa-waiver-program-8usc1187
- Back to registry: Browse all 10,090 compliance nodes