Visa requirement waived for Caribbean travellers to the USVI | Loop Trinidad & Tobago – Loop News Trinidad & Tobago

Travellers from Caribbean countries may be able to enter the US Virgin Islands without a visa.

This move comes as theVirgin Islands Visa Waiver Act (H.R. 5460) was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in a bipartisan vote of 24-14.

The Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act would allow the Department of Homeland Security to consider approving nonimmigrant visitor visa waivers for entry into the US Virgin Islands for up to 45 days primarily for residents of neighbouring Caribbean countries.

Congresswoman Stacey E Plaskett, representative for the USVI, made the announcement after the Act was passed.

I and my team have worked steadfastly with the House Judiciary Committee over several years on the Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act. I would like to thank my Republican colleague, Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky for his vote in favour of this bill.

She said such a nonimmigrant visitor visa waiver program is already being utilised successfully in both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands for nationals of other countries.

This legislation would extend this same program to the USVirgin Islands. This limited visa waiver program would better enable the Virgin Islands to compete economically with other islands and nations in the Caribbean community. A nationwide USVisa Waiver Program already allows nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. This bill would apply solely to the US Virgin Islands and because the Virgin Islands is outside the UScustoms zone by law, it would not allow entry into any other part of the United States," she said via a press release.

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Visa requirement waived for Caribbean travellers to the USVI | Loop Trinidad & Tobago - Loop News Trinidad & Tobago