Posted on 05/23/22
| News Source: Arutz-7
While Israel is waiting until September to see if the rate of Israelis denied entry to the United States falls below the 3% threshold, US officials say the figure looks “encouraging”, Kan 11 News reported on Monday.
In recent months, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid have been making efforts to end all bureaucratic and security issues vis-à-vis the US administration by September, in order to lead to an exemption from visas for Israelis.
The exemption plan, if approved, will free Israelis from the need to obtain a visa for a visit of up to three months in the United States.
Today, the rate of refusals for Israelis is higher than 3% because of the high rate of Israelis caught working in the United States without a permit.
The White House said last August, after a meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that Biden emphasized "his administration would strengthen bilateral cooperation with Israel in ways that would benefit both US citizens and Israeli citizens, including by working together towards Israel’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program."
In March, Public Security Minister Omer Barlev signed an agreement with the United States to share information on civilians convicted of serious criminal offenses.
As part of the process of Israel's entry into the Visa Waiver Program, Israel is required to meet a number of international thresholds that will allow it to enter the program. The information sharing agreement signed on Wednesday is one of those steps. As part of the information sharing, the two countries will be able to submit to each other about 1,000 queries a year about citizens convicted of serious criminal offenses.
The agreement was signed with Under Secretary of Homeland Security Robert Silvers, and in the presence of Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked.