[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4413 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4413

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make permanent the visa 
    waiver program and to authorize, under certain conditions, the 
  designation of the European Union as a visa waiver program country.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 1994

Mr. Mazzoli (for himself and Mr. Frank of Massachusetts) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make permanent the visa 
    waiver program and to authorize, under certain conditions, the 
  designation of the European Union as a visa waiver program country.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PERMANENT VISA WAIVER PROGRAM.

    Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187) 
is amended--
            (1) by amending the section heading to read as follows:

             ``visa waiver program for certain visitors'';

            (2) in the heading of subsection (a), (a)(2), and (c) by 
        striking ``Pilot'' and ``pilot'' each place either appears and 
        inserting ``Visa Waiver'' and ``visa waiver'', respectively;
            (3) in subsection (a)(1) by striking ``during the pilot 
        program period (as defined in subsection (e)),'';
            (4) in subsection (c)(3) by striking ``(within the pilot 
        program period) after the initial period'';
            (5) in subsection (c) by striking paragraph (4);
            (6) in subsection (e)(1)(A) by striking ``(a)(1)(A)'' and 
        inserting ``(a)(1)'';
            (7) by striking ``pilot'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``visa waiver''; and
            (8) by striking subsection (f).

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN MEMBER STATES OF EUROPEAN UNION UNDER THE 
              VISA WAIVER PROGRAM.

    Section 217(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1187(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Designation of certain member states of european 
        union.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A country that is, and has been 
                since January 1, 1994, a member state of the European 
                Union may be designated as a visa waiver program 
                country if it meets the requirements of this paragraph 
                and subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (2).
                    ``(B) Qualifications.--A member state of the 
                European Union may not be designated as a visa waiver 
                program country unless the following requirements are 
                met:
                            ``(i) Low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate 
                        for previous 2-year period.--The average number 
                        of refusals of nonimmigrant visitor visas for 
                        all nationals of member states of the European 
                        Union eligible for designation under 
                        subparagraph (A) during the two previous full 
                        fiscal years was less than 2.0 percent of the 
                        total number of nonimmigrant visitor visas for 
                        all nationals of such member states of the 
                        European Union which were granted or refused 
                        during that year.
                            ``(ii) Low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate 
                        for each of 2 previous years.--The average 
                        number of refusals of nonimmigrant visitor 
                        visas for all nationals of member states of the 
                        European Union eligible for designation under 
                        subparagraph (A) during either of such two 
                        previous full fiscal years was less than 2.5 
                        percent of the total number of nonimmigrant 
                        visitor visas for all nationals of such member 
                        states of the European Union which were granted 
                        or refused during that year.
                    ``(C) Data.--In applying subparagraph (B), data on 
                visas granted or refused to nationals of a member state 
                of the European Union which has previously been 
                designated shall be the data used for purposes of the 
                first designation of that member state under this 
                subsection.

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