US Congress moves to restrict visa-free travel

The US Congress is studying proposals to overhaul a programme that allows people to travel to the US with no visa - a policy which has come under criticism following the Paris attacks.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters on Monday that he was looking at action before the end of the year. Without legislation "I think the country will be less safe", said the California Republican.

The White House has also announced a series of changes aimed at improving the programme, including more terrorism information-sharing with other countries.

The visa waiver programme allows people from 38 countries, mostly in Europe, to visit the US for 90-day stays without obtaining a visa

The visa waiver programme allows people from 38 countries, mostly in Europe, to visit the US for 90-day stays without obtaining a visa.

It has come under scrutiny following the Paris attacks since several of the suspected perpetrators were from Belgium and France, which are countries on the visa waiver list.

McCarthy outlined five changes House Republicans would like to see to the programme.

They include requiring all countries to issue electronic passports; ensuring that all passengers are screened against a database of lost and stolen passports; and kicking countries out of the visa waiver programme if they do not abide by US requirements.

Bipartisan support

Changing the visa waiver programme appears to have the support of both Republicans and Democrats in both the House and the Senate - and general agreement from the White House.

Many lawmakers note that the large scope of the programme, which admits some 20 million visitors to the US each year, makes it a potential security concern.

By contrast, the number of Syrian refugees entering the US is much smaller, numbering fewer than 2,500.

The House voted earlier this month to crack down on the refugee programme, over objections from the White House.

The visa legislation or the Syria refugee legislation could be added to a must-pass year-end spending bill.

Senators Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, and Jeff Flake, a Republican, are working on a visa waiver bill they hope to introduce in the Senate this week.

It would bar anyone who travelled to Syria or Iraq in the past five years from coming to the US under the visa waiver programme. They could still visit the United States, but would have to obtain a visa from their local US embassy before travel.

However, the travel industry is concerned about an approach suggested by Feinstein that would require additional biometric information from travellers before they arrive in the US.

"We certainly understand the desire for more and more layers of security, but we've got to make sure we don't miss the mark here because the stakes are incredibly high," said Jonathan Grella, executive vice-president of public affairs at the US Travel Association.

The changes announced on Monday by the White House are steps that can be taken without congressional approval

'Real' security measures

The changes announced on Monday by the White House are steps that can be taken without congressional approval.

They include capturing more information from visa waiver travellers about their past travel to countries constituting a "terrorist safe haven", and having the Homeland Security Department work directly with visa waiver countries in helping them screen refugees.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest urged Congress to do more. The administration had been in talks with senators for two weeks and wants a bill "that would enhance our national security without undermining the international connections that are critical to the strength of our economy", Earnest said.

"Congress should pass that legislation before they leave," he said.

"We saw Congress a couple of weeks ago pass legislation related to refugees that would not actually do anything to enhance our national security, they were able to take those steps in three or four days. Surely over the course of the next three weeks, they should be able to do something that actually would strengthen our national security."