A statement released by U.S. Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett confirms the approval of her Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act (H.R. 5460).
According to Plaskett, The Act would allow the Department of Homeland Security to approve nonimmigrant visitor visa waivers for entry into the U.S. Virgin Islands for up to 45 days, primarily for residents of neighboring Caribbean countries.
“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 U.S. Visa Waiver Program already allows nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa,” the Congresswoman said.
“This bill would apply solely to the U.S. Virgin Islands and because the Virgin Islands is outside the U.S. customs zone by law, it would not allow entry into any other part of the United States,” she added.
The release also notes that a similar nonimmigrant visitor visa waiver program has already been “utilized successfully” in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands for nationals of other countries.
It has not been specified yet which Caribbean countries the waiver program would apply to.