Romania is on the home stretch in terms of meeting the admission criteria to the Visa Waiver program, according to Romania’s ambassador to the US Dan-Andrei Muraru.

„We are on the home stretch, that is before the end of the American fiscal year, which ends on October 1 this year; we are convinced that the criterion of being below 3% refusal rate of all applications of Romanian citizens for visas in the US will have been met. The U.S. Embassy has issued a huge number of visas this year, I think they will be close to 50,000, maybe 60,000. There are many applications coming from both the private and government sectors and we believe that it is a very good opportunity. Last fiscal year, which ended on October 1, 2023, we had a visa refusal rate of over 8%, so we can be below 3% this year,” Muraru told AGERPRES.

He said that Romania still has a number of security measures to meet, in addition to this criterion, of being below 3% visa refusal rate in a US fiscal year.

„On the other hand, in addition to this criterion, we still have a series of security measures to fulfil. The government and Parliament have made this commitment that they will fulfil these measures, security agreements for the exchange of information on the fight against cross-border crime and terrorism and there are several agreements concluded or in the process of being concluded and, as soon as we know that we have met all these obligations, the American side will be notified, an evaluation mission will come to Romania, probably at the end of this year or in the first half of next year, and the US Department of State and the Department of National Security will ascertain Romania’s meeting these criteria and award Romania membership of the Visa Waiver program.”

Asked if there is an option to obtain a waiver from the US, should Romania fail to meet the criteria required by the US for admission to the Visa Waiver program, the ambassador replied: „A waiver is impossible.”

„From my point of view, a waiver is impossible, because there is a whole discussion about illegal immigration in the United States and it is difficult. Not even Israel has received such a waiver, or Poland h,” Muraru added.

However, Romania’s ambassador to the US said he was „very optimistic” about Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver program.

Muraru participated on Sunday in „Romania Day on Broadway”, an event that debuted in 2000, organised in partnership with the Embassy of Romania in the US, the Consulate General of Romania in New York and the Romanian Cultural Institute. AGERPRES was the media partner of the event.

AGERPRES