US visa rejections for Romania dropped to 25% in 2008, compared to 37.7% in 2007

US State Department published a preliminary data regarding the US visa rejection rates for 2008 and they show that Romania’s situation improved since last year. Currently the rejection rate is still high by this year it dropped by 12.5% since last year. In 2007 Romania had the biggest rejection rates in the Union, with 37.7%. In order for our country to be included in the Visa Waiver program the maximum rejection rate should not exceed 10%.

Romania made significant progress this year regarding US Visa rejections but the percent continues to be very high. President G. W. Bush announced last week that the US will maintain the visa requirement for Romania while citizens in the Czech Republic (rejection rate of 5.2%), Estonia (3.9%), Hungary (7.8%), Lithuania (9.0%), Latvia (8.3%), Slovakia (5.3%) and South Korea (3.8) will be able to enter the US without a visa.

The Visa Waiver admission also involves the compliance with several technical criteria: electronic passport, information exchange for terrorist suspects, report of stolen/lost passports and Air Marshals program for US direct flights.