Croatia has become a destination for many Balkan citizens, and tourism is not the reason. Since July 2, the country began operating flights to and from New York, leading travelers from the Balkans to use this route to reach the United States.
However, despite holding a valid visa and providing proof that they had been outside a restricted area for more than two weeks, some travelers were prohibited from boarding at the airport. Dubrovnik airport, Schengen VisaInfo.com Reports.
Additionally, authorities said they could not travel to the United States due to lack of clearance from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Due to the COVID-19 situation, US authorities have closed their doors to a large number of international travelers, including those from European countries, in an effort to keep the coronavirus situation under control.
In February, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that the number of Croatians being denied tourist and business visas to the United States had fallen to 2.69 percent, meeting the latest American criteria of less than three percent refusal. That being said, Croatia was officially eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows Croatian citizens to travel to the United States for business and tourism without a visa.
“It’s official! The final refusal rate for Croatian tourist/business visa applicants fell to 2.69 percent last year, a critical step in joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. We hope that Croatians will soon travel to the United States without a visa,» The American ambassador to Croatia, Victoria Taylor, tweeted.
Following this, on August 3, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken officially nominated Croatia to join the VWP. by affirming that the country had marked “huge progress” and that they looked forward to strengthening ties between the United States and Croatia.
After Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania are potential candidates for the visa waiver program, but these countries have not yet worked on their rejection percentages, as they are well above three percent. According to Heritage.org, the visa refusal rate in Bulgaria currently stands at 12.52 percent, compared to 10.14 percent in Romania.
According to the latest U.S. fiscal year released in March 2020, nonimmigrant overstay rates for 2019 show that the United States expected 2,646 departures, of which 66 overstayed, a total overstay rate stay of 2.49 percent.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens to travel to the United States for tourism and business purposes for 90 days without a visa by presenting the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). This automated system indicates the holder’s eligibility to travel to the United States.