In fiscal year 2000, a
record 33.7 million visitors, students, and temporary workers
passed through U.S. borders. In a post- 9/11 world, visas are a
front line of defense against terrorism, but also the means by
which millions gain access to the American Dream. A sound visa
policy must combine security needs with opportunities for workers
and students "yearning to breathe free." Visas are also an
important part of U.S. relations with allied countries, and the
U.S. must use visas to help our friends and strengthen our
relationships. Heritage research has focused on how to reform visa
programs to ensure these goals are met. Transferring visa oversight
to the Department of Homeland Security and consolidating
intelligence and screening procedures increases security and helps
fight terrorism. Expanding the Visa Waiver Program will help bring
allied nations closer and promote our common goals. Reshaping
temporary worker programs will help our economy and give the right
people a chance at the American Dream.
Visa Waiver Initiative
in Senate Immigration Bill Falls Short
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
WebMemo #1099
The Visa Waiver
Program (VWP) allows most visitors from participating countries to
enter the United States for up to 90 days without a visa if they
have valid passports from their countries. The program can be an
effective way of both facilitating travel and frustrating the
efforts of terrorists seeking to enter the United States. Since
9/11, however, nothing has been done to expand the use of this
tool.
A Visa Reform Plan for
Congress
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
Executive Memorandum
#1001
Foreign travel to
America has still not recovered to pre-9/11 levels, and
congressional inaction threatens to undermine the competitiveness
of U.S. society. By developing an action plan to speed the visa
process and expanding the Visa Waiver Program, Congress can both
reestablish America's reputation as a welcoming country and make
the nation more secure against foreign threats.
The SAFE Visa: A Good
Starting Point for a Truly Temporary Guest Worker Proposal
by Kirk
A. Johnson, Ph.D.
WebMemo #1087
Sen. Hutchison's SAFE amendment to the
Senate's immigration bill would create a reasonable guest worker
program that is truly temporary in nature, does not give amnesty to
those here illegally today, and otherwise respects America's rule
of law. This proposal should replace the flawed H-2C guest worker
program.
Road Maps for Visa
Waiver Program Lead Nowhere
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
Executive Memorandum
#993
The proposed "road
maps" for countries interested in participating in the Visa Waiver
Program are a good first step, but they are not sufficient to meet
U.S. economic and security concerns and do not address all of the
legal criteria for VWP admission. Congress needs to give the
Administration authority to negotiate more aggressive plans for VWP
expansion.
With a Little Help from
Our Friends: Enhancing Security by Expanding the Visa Waiver
Program
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
Executive Memorandum
#991
The VWP enhances security by setting common
standards and promotes economic growth and cultural ties. Congress
should use the VWP more effectively by giving the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) broader authority to expand the program to
other countries.
"Recapturing" Visas: A
Sensible Temporary Fix for America's Foreign Worker Problem
by Kirk
A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Tim Kane, Ph.D.
WebMemo #886
The United States continues to be the land of
opportunity, and immigrants want to come here to take part in the
American Dream. Foreign workers factor prominently into that
philosophy, and Congress should make sure that America continues to
allow productive individuals into the country.
The Visa Process:
Strategic Direction for a 21st Century System
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
Testimony
September 13,
2005
As the Congress looks at the broad scope of
visa issuance and management programs, in addition to rethinking
the overall strategic direction of these efforts, there are several
specific issues that it might consider: a visa waiver program, a
terrorist screening center, state and local support for immigration
enforcement, the consolidation of border support agencies, a visa
security program, and a homeland security university.
Including South Korea
in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program
by
Balbina Y. Hwang
Backgrounder #1872
As the United States works to improve its
alliance with South Korea, it should demonstrate that America
is committed to working with its partner to develop a mature
relationship by paying attention to issues such as visas that,
although seemingly minor from the U.S. perspective, affect South
Korean pride and sensibility. South Korea's inclusion in the
VWP will go far in improving relations with one of America's most
important allies.
Building the Alliance
for Freedom: An Agenda for Improving and Expanding the Visa Waiver
Program
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Richard Weitz, Ph.D.
Backgrounder #1850
The imperative to expand the network of
free nations that share security and economic concerns argues that
the United States must work to enlarge the VWP, not by reducing
requirements to "lower the bar," but by working with countries to
help them meet the VWP criteria.
Insource More Jobs by Raising the
H-1B Visa Cap
by Kirk
A. Johnson, Ph.D.
WebMemo #585
The H-1B visa program is one way for U.S.
companies to recruit highly trained and specialized workers from
other countries. Currently, the demand for new visas greatly
exceeds the supply set by Congress. The limit on such visas should
be expanded or eliminated so that more technical jobs and
opportunities-as well as the attendant economic benefits-can be
realized here in America.
E-Passports: A Strategy
for Long-Term Success
by Ha
Nguyen, Paul Rosenzweig, and James Jay Carafano,
Ph.D.
Executive Memorandum
#921
Effective implementation of the e-passport
program is essential to homeland security. To this end, the Bush
Administration should push the ICAO to promulgate clear and
cohesive international e-passport guidelines, and Congress should
consolidate all visa operations within the Department of Homeland
Security.
Better Intelligence
Sharing for Visa Issuance and Monitoring: An Imperative for
Homeland Security
by James
Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Ha Nguyen
Backgrounder #1699
Better intelligence sharing for the visa
issuance process is a crucial aspect of the war on terrorism.
Through legislation like the USA PATRIOT Act and the
Administration's organizational initiatives such as the TTIC and
the TSC, the Administration and Congress have laid out a road map
for achieving better intelligence sharing.
Providing Security,
Fairness, and Efficiency in the Immigration Deportation
Processes
by Michael Scardaville
Backgrounder #1670
The DHS must establish a
more efficient screening process to identify individuals who should
be detained based on intelligence data, not coincidence. At the
root of this effort should be the establishment of a Removable
Alien Screening and Clearance Center in the Bureau of Immigration
and Customs Enforcement, dedicated to investigating arrested aliens
for ties to terrorism.
Why The Department
of Homeland Security Should Control Visas
by John
J. Tkacik, Jr.
Testimony
July 15,
2002
The DHS Visa
Office must take the responsibility of training, indoctrinating and
equipping visa officers abroad, and ensuring that they or their
supervisors have access to the relevant intelligence and name-check
databases needed to screen alien visa applicants effectively.
Why the Department of
Homeland Security Should Control Visas
by John J. Tkacik, Jr.
Backgrounder #1569
Section
403 of the Administration's proposed Homeland Security Act
recognizes that effective homeland defense requires the new
Department of Homeland Security to control visa policies and
functions, and that the Secretary of Homeland Security have
exclusive authority over the process. Moreover, the DHS must have a
meaningful presence overseas. Giving DHS control and authority is
meaningless unless the Visa Office in the Department of State,
which controls visa policy, is transferred to
DHS.