The government of Cyprus has announced plans to join the US visa-free program by 2025. In particular, the state leadership has already submitted to the Parliament a draft law on the ratification of the agreement signed with the USA within the framework of joining the program. Find out what will change for citizens of Cyprus in the near future

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On June 17, the governments of Cyprus and the United States of America signed an intergovernmental agreement in Washington on the exchange of travel information, including risk assessments for persons deemed unsafe to enter either country. A few days ago, the next step was taken, as part of the procedure for granting Cypriot citizens visa-free travel to the USA, Cyprus submitted a draft law on the country's membership in the US Waiver Program. The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives and required ratification of the previously signed agreement.

The main purpose of such actions is to allow citizens of Cyprus to travel to the US without a visa.

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What and when will change for Cypriot citizens planning to travel to the US?

Once Cyprus joins the Visa Waiver Program, they will not need to apply for a visa at an embassy or undergo an interview at a US consulate. Holders of Cypriot biometric passports will be able to arrive in the US and immediately receive permission to travel within the country for up to 90 days for tourist and business purposes.

According to representatives of the government of Cyprus, citizens will be able to enter the USA without visas by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.

This is an important step, because Cypriots actively travel to the USA, in 2023 alone, the American government approved more than 5,500 visa applications from representatives of this country.

What are the obstacles to approval of the visa-free regime?

The only obstacle to the visa-free regime is technical requirements. The program requires a participating country to have a visa rejection rate of less than 3. That is, out of 100 applications submitted by Cypriot passport holders, less than three must be rejected. Last year, Cyprus was already very close to this indicator. Therefore, the state leadership hopes that this year it will be possible to overcome the barrier and then the agreement will be signed.

Overall, the only EU countries that have not yet joined the US visa waiver program are Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria.

As a reminder, read about 6 proven ways of legal migration to the USA here. Detailed instructions for those who want to take part in the green card draw in the USA at the link.

Igor Usyk - Head of Migration department at VisitWorld

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