The House and Senate made new provisions to the Jobs Originated through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act in order to create more jobs while maintaining national security.
The provisions make long-term reforms to the visa system that both improve and expand the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Under the proposed JOLT Act, additional countries will be considered for admission once they meet stringent security and law enforcement co-operation requirements. The full changes include:
The new JOLT Act (H.R. 5741, S.3199) includes the following provisions:
Amends the VWP to allow additional countries to be considered for admission once they meet stringent security and law enforcement co-operation requirements
Permits Canadian visitors to stay in the United States for an additional 60 days per year
Develops a pilot program for premium visa processing
Increases transparency by making historical data on visa processing wait times available to the public
Allows Customs and Border Protection to add foreign nationals to Global Entry after it has signed a bilateral agreement with their government
Sets a goal to conduct 80% of all nonimmigrant visa interviews within 15 business days of requesting an appointment.
