Visa Waiver Program for Ukraine

[Rwlaird 18]

Not about turmoil.

[Rwlaird 18]

Poland has several neighbors in the VWP (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary). They should get with the program.

[MacUK 983]

Poland has several neighbors in the VWP (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary). They should get with the program.

So your logic for a country to be in the VWP is that their neighbours are in the VWP?

North Korea has a neighbour to the south that's in the VWP, should they get it too?

[Dakine10 5,452]

Nothing about Ukraine statistically favors this, and it's not going to get better now. There was already massive government corruption and a high risk for immigration fraud, and now they need the IMF to bail them out and all the austerity measures that goes along with that.

Good luck. It will never happen for immigration reasons, and it's wrong to do it for political reasons.

[kzielu 1,153]

Poland has several neighbors in the VWP (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary). They should get with the program.

Well, VWP in Poland is perceived as "no visas needed to come to US permanently" as in the media it is typically described as "No visa requirement for poles". There will be some people thinking they can just come here to work and live. And media are also driving perception of eligibility due to participation in most of the US military operations...

Anyway - point I am trying to make is - your petition has no chance of getting anywhere and at this point Ukraine with everything going on there is least like to become part of VWP and there will be hundreds of people willing to flee the country.

[Rwlaird 18]

Well, VWP in Poland is perceived as "no visas needed to come to US permanently" as in the media it is typically described as "No visa requirement for poles". There will be some people thinking they can just come here to work and live. And media are also driving perception of eligibility due to participation in most of the US military operations...

Anyway - point I am trying to make is - your petition has no chance of getting anywhere and at this point Ukraine with everything going on there is least like to become part of VWP and there will be hundreds of people willing to flee the country.

It is not "my" petition. It is a petition already signed by over 18,000 people.

[Rwlaird 18]

Nothing about Ukraine statistically favors this, and it's not going to get better now. There was already massive government corruption and a high risk for immigration fraud, and now they need the IMF to bail them out and all the austerity measures that goes along with that.

Good luck. It will never happen for immigration reasons, and it's wrong to do it for political reasons.

The country sure has a difficult past but we hope for a bright future. Of course it is a long shot but I'm an optimist.

[aaron2020 11,651]

I would not expect anyone who displays such an ignorance about the situation in Ukraine to sign such a petition to support people who are fighting hard to rid their country from tyrannical leadership and tyrannical neighbors. Ukrainians are proud of their country and would no more flood our country than other visa waivers countries such as Latvia, Singapore, or Greece. This would be another tool to show support of the Ukrainian people's aspirations of stronger ties to the west - not any sort of rescue vehicle to bring them to our lifestyle. Clueless!

I can understand your frustration with the situation in the Ukraine and you want to help.

But insulting people who have a different view is not a way to show you value freedom. It's your way only is more like being Putin.

Expanding the VWP is not going to help the Ukraine.

Expanding the VWP would be an escape hatch for all those visitors to claim refugee status or asylum.

Expanding the VWP would help Putin get rid of all those who would oppose him.

[aaron2020 11,651]

It is not "my" petition. It is a petition already signed by over 18,000 people.

Over 100,000 people signed to expel Bieber.

Just because people sign a petition, it doesn't mean that the government must act or consider the petition if the merits are not there.

Pretty sure you can get 100,000 Filipinos, Mexicans, mainland Chinese, and Indians who would sign a petition to eliminate separate family preference categories which means their families wait longer than everyone else's.

[Rwlaird 18]

I can understand your frustration with the situation in the Ukraine and you want to help.

But insulting people who have a different view is not a way to show you value freedom. It's your way only is more like being Putin.

Expanding the VWP is not going to help the Ukraine.

Expanding the VWP would be an escape hatch for all those visitors to claim refugee status or asylum.

Expanding the VWP would help Putin get rid of all those who would oppose him.

Expressing a different view is not the same as displaying a lack of understanding about a particular place and its people. Lack of understanding = ignorance. Clearing up a mischaracterization is not the same as deliberately insulting someone. Helping the industrious and intelligent people of Ukraine travel more freely and expand their horizons would increase their understanding of the modern world and true democracy and solidify their opposition to kleptocratic rulers such as Putin. I agree that the asylum process needs reform but that should not hold up other good policy decisions such as this.

[Asia 2,499]

Can you explain how giving VWP to Ukraine will help Ukrainian people with fighting against Putin and all the Russians who are invading Ukraine?

Maybe it's ignorance on my part, but I can't see the connection here.

Apart from giving people the easier way (than applying for B2 visas) to leave the country supposedly to visit the US, but never returning.

[LibCampFireClub 635]

Nothing about Ukraine statistically favors this, and it's not going to get better now. There was already massive government corruption and a high risk for immigration fraud, and now they need the IMF to bail them out and all the austerity measures that goes along with that.

Good luck. It will never happen for immigration reasons, and it's wrong to do it for political reasons.

Special consideration on the backs of Americans. Nothing new here.

[kzielu 1,153]

It is not "my" petition. It is a petition already signed by over 18,000 people.

It's very cool, but I am just telling you that you're stacking it against multi-year effort by Polish president, Polish government, US senators with polish origins and others including mentioned before troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq - response unchanged - your visa rejection rate is too high.

Also, internet petitions (I think) became entirely irrelevant now - there's couple of them every day, being White House or whoever addressee is, would make special place in a trash bin for those.

[Rwlaird 18]

It's very cool, but I am just telling you that you're stacking it against multi-year effort by Polish president, Polish government, US senators with polish origins and others including mentioned before troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq - response unchanged - your visa rejection rate is too high.

Also, internet petitions (I think) became entirely irrelevant now - there's couple of them every day, being White House or whoever addressee is, would make special place in a trash bin for those.

I can't disagree. All good points. I'm not unrealistic, just thought it was worth sharing.

[kzielu 1,153]

Expressing a different view is not the same as displaying a lack of understanding about a particular place and its people. Lack of understanding = ignorance. Clearing up a mischaracterization is not the same as deliberately insulting someone. Helping the industrious and intelligent people of Ukraine travel more freely and expand their horizons would increase their understanding of the modern world and true democracy and solidify their opposition to kleptocratic rulers such as Putin. I agree that the asylum process needs reform but that should not hold up other good policy decisions such as this.

Be realistic - my guess is your have Mother in Law that got rejected for a visa, and you're raising stink on the VJ about it. Understand that rules punish people with good and honest intentions, but your arguments don't make a lot of sense. Nobody here thinks people of Ukraine are not intelligent, just but basic rules of statistics you can take a guess that people are equally intelligent all over the world regardless of the country they live in.

It's pretty obvious all VWP would cause is increase in illegal immigration. Same thing would happen to Poland which at this point is way more stable country than Ukraine - and I am personally against VWP for Poland even though there is some chance some member of my family may not be able to get a B2 visa in the future.