US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to tighten entry rules for tourists from Germany and many other countries. Travelers who want to enter the United States will have to provide more information about their personal lives in advance than before. TASR informs about it according to the Sunday report of the press agency DPA.
The deadline for submitting objections and comments to the proposed changes will expire on Monday. After that, CBP will review the submitted proposals and may make additional changes before the reform takes effect. This measure applies to visitors who enter the country with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a common visa-free permit for tourists and business travelers from more than 40 countries participating in the visa-free travel program. This allows you to stay in the US for a maximum of 90 days.
Last December, CBP proposed changes for ESTA applicants, some of which create particular uncertainty. Those who want to enter the US on this basis will in future have to disclose information about their presence on social media for the past five years. However, it is not clear from the proposal published in the US Federal Register what exactly is meant by this.
The reform also states that applicants will have to provide a lot of additional personal data in the future. Suggestions for collecting additional data include, for example, phone numbers used in the past five years and email addresses used in the past ten years.
Also included is detailed information about family members such as dates of birth, places of residence and places of birth. These efforts are part of the tightened immigration and security policies of the administration of US President Donald Trump.
The president accuses the previous administration of being overly lenient with entry and stay rules. The Republican politician has repeatedly warned that visitors are staying in the US illegally while the government has stepped up deportations.
Stricter rules are planned not only for tourists, but also for some visa holders. There has long been a plan to shorten the validity of visas for students and journalists from abroad. This could result in holders having to apply for extensions at significantly shorter intervals.
