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US House to Consider Visa Waivers This Week


FILE - Migrants wait to cross the border from Austria near Freilassing, Germany, Sept. 17, 2015. The U.S. House of Representatives, which recently voted to suspend Syrian refugee resettlement, plans to take up a bill on visa waivers, an emerging risk.
FILE - Migrants wait to cross the border from Austria near Freilassing, Germany, Sept. 17, 2015. The U.S. House of Representatives, which recently voted to suspend Syrian refugee resettlement, plans to take up a bill on visa waivers, an emerging risk.

The U.S. House of Representatives will take up a bill this week to help tighten border control in the wake of the November 13 terrorist attacks in France by toughening entry requirements for those traveling from "visa waiver" nations, a top Republican said on Wednesday.

"Now we're looking at the visa waiver program – those gaps and vulnerabilities in that," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on CNN. "You're going to see a bill roll out later this week and pass next week as well."

Under the program, travelers from 38 countries, including much of Western Europe, can embark for the United States without first getting a visa from a U.S. consulate or embassy in their home country.

About 20 million visitors a year enter the United States under the program, which allows them to stay 90 days.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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