It’s always nice to see that US officials are optimistic about Taiwan being included on the US visa-waiver program. It would be nice to see some sort of time frame. Six months from now? A year? Five years?
US optimistic on visa waiverAn official of the US Department of Homeland Security on Thursday expressed optimism about Taiwan being included on the US visa-waiver country list. Robert Perez, US Customs and Border Protection New York operations director, also praised Taiwan’s issuing of electronic passports since late 2008. Airports in the greater New York area report several cases of suspects using forged Republic of China passports every year, Perez said, and the new passport could mitigate the problem. The e-passport, or chip passport, is the same as a regular passport, but includes a small integrated circuit (computer chip) embedded in the back cover. Perez made the remarks during a meeting with Kao Jen-chuan (高振群), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, to exchange views on a range of issues including assisting Taiwanese in clearing customs, airport security, prevention of human trafficking, and sea and air cargo safety.
