CHILE UPDATES #4
Chile to Join US Visa Waiver Program
Chile to Join US Visa Waiver Program
Date: June 3, 2013
It was announced this week that starting in 2014, Chile should be the next country to join the US Visa Waiver Program (if you are a Spanish speaker, you can listen to the CNN Chile story here or http://www.cnnchile.com/noticia/2013/05/27/chilenos-podran-viajar-a-eeuu-sin-visa-a-partir-del-2014).
This isn't exactly shocking news to those who have been paying attention to the situation. Chile has been on the "road map" list of countries waiting to join the program for years. The final approval still hasn't been granted but in September, a group of US officials will visit Chile in order to see if all the requirements have been met.
So what does Chile's joining the Visa Waiver Program really mean?
1. If approved, it means Chilean's will be able to travel to the US without having to go through the time consuming and costly process of applying for a visa (my Chilean friend's are quite excited about being able to visit New York and Miami much more easily).
2. Chile will likely become better known in the USA. Let's face it, most Americans still know next to nothing about Chile. As Chilean's become increasingly wealthy and have more disposable income, they are starting to travel more and as more of them go on vacation or shopping sprees in the US, American's will eventually start to learn to about this relatively small country of 17 million people.
3. There will inevitably be more information sharing between the US and Chile (I'm here to tell you the facts, not just the things people want to hear). I know some people down here who aren't thrilled about this and are worried about politicans throughout the world being "in cahoots" more and more everyday. I agree, however, it's a situation that's NOT unique to Chile and unfortunately, this will be happening just about everywhere on the planted in the near future.
4. Chile could become a better option for Americans seeking an alternate residency/passport, if they are considering renouncing US citizenship one day. As the movement to ditch the US passport grows, Chile will become an increasingly attractive option. There are plenty of people who would like to renounce US citizenship but still would like to have the option to travel to the US occasionally, without the headache of applying for a visa. Obtaining Chilean citizenship would allow them to do that.
Interestingly enough, it looks like Chile may actually be in the process of raising the requirements for foreigners trying to obtaining residency/citizenship in the country. I'll have more on that soon as well as an article about the "Etiquette of Applying for Second Residency/Passports" soon (in response to a flood of emails I've been receiving about the matter).
This isn't exactly shocking news to those who have been paying attention to the situation. Chile has been on the "road map" list of countries waiting to join the program for years. The final approval still hasn't been granted but in September, a group of US officials will visit Chile in order to see if all the requirements have been met.
So what does Chile's joining the Visa Waiver Program really mean?
1. If approved, it means Chilean's will be able to travel to the US without having to go through the time consuming and costly process of applying for a visa (my Chilean friend's are quite excited about being able to visit New York and Miami much more easily).
2. Chile will likely become better known in the USA. Let's face it, most Americans still know next to nothing about Chile. As Chilean's become increasingly wealthy and have more disposable income, they are starting to travel more and as more of them go on vacation or shopping sprees in the US, American's will eventually start to learn to about this relatively small country of 17 million people.
3. There will inevitably be more information sharing between the US and Chile (I'm here to tell you the facts, not just the things people want to hear). I know some people down here who aren't thrilled about this and are worried about politicans throughout the world being "in cahoots" more and more everyday. I agree, however, it's a situation that's NOT unique to Chile and unfortunately, this will be happening just about everywhere on the planted in the near future.
4. Chile could become a better option for Americans seeking an alternate residency/passport, if they are considering renouncing US citizenship one day. As the movement to ditch the US passport grows, Chile will become an increasingly attractive option. There are plenty of people who would like to renounce US citizenship but still would like to have the option to travel to the US occasionally, without the headache of applying for a visa. Obtaining Chilean citizenship would allow them to do that.
Interestingly enough, it looks like Chile may actually be in the process of raising the requirements for foreigners trying to obtaining residency/citizenship in the country. I'll have more on that soon as well as an article about the "Etiquette of Applying for Second Residency/Passports" soon (in response to a flood of emails I've been receiving about the matter).