It's happening: US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, was expected Wednesday to inform the Department of Homeland Security that he did not object to including Israel in the Visa Waiver Program. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is likely to officially announce that Israeli citizens who wish to enter the US are exempt from needing to issue an entry visa as early as this coming November. Here is all that you need to know.
Video: Biden speaks on America's commitment to Israel's security / Credit: Reuters
What has changed?
Instead of the long visa application process, Israelis will have access to the ESTA platform, where they will be able to get entry visas online almost immediately after they apply. No queue at the embassy, no interview, and no long and nerve-wracking wait.
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Until now, Israelis in their 20s suffered the most from the existing process and were often denied entry without apparent reason. Now young people will be able to "discover America" problem-free.
ESTA entry permits are valid for two years and cost $21 – compared to a visa that is valid for 10 years and costs $185. This results in saving $80 over a decade.
What are the drawbacks?
Length of stay: A visa obtained through the long process allows you to stay in the US for six months, with the possibility of getting that extended. The ESTA permit grants a stay of only three months.
The loss of privacy: Israel allowed US authorities to gain access to various databases, including the criminal record registry as a pre-requisite to joining the program. Anyone with something to hide may be in trouble.
What hasn't changed?
- The queue at the border control at the entrance to the US
- The need to get a permit to do business in the US
- The need to obtain a permit to study in the US
- The need to get a permit to live in the US
Who will not benefit from the exemption?
- Those who do not have a biometric Israeli passport (the Ministry of Interior is bracing for a flood of requests to exchange passports).
- Those who are currently prevented from entering the US or have been banned in the past.
- Those who have a criminal record, connection to money laundering or terrorism, or have other problematic information about them.
Who should we thank?
First and foremost, US President Joe Biden. From the moment the American president expressed support for the inclusion of Israel in the program, the process began to progress rapidly. After Biden, we should express our gratitude to the US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Even when he was the deputy secretary, Mayorkas was engaged on the topic because of his personal affection for Israel.
We must also thank Israel's Ambassador to the UN (who also served as the ambassador to the US until 2021) Gilad Erdan, who in 2021 convinced then–Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to raise the issue with Biden. We must thank Ayelet Shaked – the minister of the interior at the time – and the current minister, Moshe Arbel, who both got heavily involved in the matter, which was overseen by Attorney Gil Bringer. The current head of the National Security Council Tzachi Hanegbi, under Netanyahu's guidance, has been coordinating the process since the swearing-in of the government.
And finally, we must thank the hundreds of officials, Americans and Israelis alike (on the Israeli side these include officials within the ministries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Justice, National Security, Defense, the National Security Council, the Shin Bet, and the Embassy in Washington) who have worked very hard over the past two years to meet all the conditions and requirements required. And, we must thank the dozens of Israeli representatives, as high up as foreign ministers and below that, who have tried dozens of times in previous decades to get Israel included in the program. In the end, it was successful.
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