Taiwanese will no longer need visas to visit U.S.

[High_Gravity]

Taiwanese will no longer need visas to visit U.S.

Yi-Shen Chou has spent more than 30 years in the U.S., first as a motel operator and now as a Monterey Park retiree who enjoys line dancing and computer games.

His family — a half-dozen brothers and sisters and numerous nieces and nephews — remains in Taiwan. Occasionally, Chou reunites with them on one side of the Pacific or the other, but for the most part, he is alone here.

Chou, 71, may soon be able to see his relatives more often. Starting Thursday, Taiwanese citizens will no longer need a visa to visit the U.S., eliminating a cumbersome and expensive process that deterred some people from making the trip at a time when few Taiwanese are seeking to settle here permanently.

The reaction from mainland China, which normally opposes any granting of diplomatic benefits to Taiwan, has been muted, with a spokesman saying the change will not have much of an effect on cross-straits relations.

Taiwan will join countries such as France and Germany in a visa waiver program that the U.S. government reserves for nationalities that it deems pose little security threat and that are not major sources of illegal immigration.

Taiwanese travelers will no longer have to wait in line at the U.S. Consulate in Taipei or pay a $164 fee and convince an interviewer that they will return home. The visas were good for short-term stays within a five-year period, but some people never braved the initial hurdle.

"I'm really very happy for Taiwanese citizens. This is really a huge step forward," said Chung-Chen Kung, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles. "Taiwanese citizens all have a lot of friends, relatives and classmates in the United States, especially in Southern California."

The Taiwanese government projects that the number of visitors from the island may increase from 400,000 to as many as 600,000 a year, a boon for local hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and amusement parks.

The visa waiver also represents a rare diplomatic victory for Taiwan, which at China's insistence is not officially recognized by most countries.

Citizens of the 37 visa waiver countries, which include Japan and South Korea, can stay in the U.S. for 90 days after filling out an online travel authorization form and paying a nominal fee.

To qualify for the program, a country must meet a list of security-related requirements, including border control standards and low rejection rates for visa applications. The U.S. government may withhold approval, even if all the criteria are met.

Taiwanese will no longer need visas to visit U.S. - latimes.com

 

[Mr. H.]

Let's Taiwan on.

 

[TNHarley]

Can we go there without a visa?

 

[Mr. H.]

Ya can't get there from here.

 

[High_Gravity]

Can we go there without a visa?

I don't think we can.

 

[TNHarley]

Can we go there without a visa?

I don't think we can.

Of course not. That shit really chaps my ass! All started when I heard about the latinos bitching about our laws (that we dont even fucking enforce), and I looked at Mexicos.. You would be better off to just get shot in the head than get caught there!

 

[Oddball]

But I can't go to fucking Canada without a passport.

 

[High_Gravity]

Americans have to jump through hoops to visit most countries, but we let people just come over and chill. We are some big ass pussies.

 

[Dreamy]

But I can't go to fucking Canada without a passport.

The Taiwanese no longer need a visa for Canada either.


Visa Waiver Program (VWP)