Two senior officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security—Under-Secretary Rob Law and Deputy Assistant Secretary John Gountanis—wrapped up a two-day visit to Nicosia on 14 July, holding talks with Deputy Minister to the President Irini Piki and other cabinet members. The agenda ranged from regional security to cyber-defence, but business audiences focused on one item: Cyprus’ long-running bid to join the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Cypriot officials briefed the delegation that all technical benchmarks—biometric passports, information-sharing agreements, low overstay rates—have now been met. The U.S. side confirmed the dossier is under inter-agency review in Washington, but declined to give a timetable. If approved, Cypriot citizens would be able to travel visa-free to the United States for tourism or short-term business trips of up to 90 days using the ESTA system, mirroring arrangements already enjoyed by most EU nationals. Beyond the VWP, the two sides agreed to expand training for Cypriot border guards in document fraud detection and to launch a joint tabletop exercise on maritime-migration contingencies in the Eastern Mediterranean this autumn. A memorandum of understanding on cyber-threat intelligence sharing is also in the works, officials said. For multinational employers, VWP membership would eliminate the need for B-1/B-2 visa appointments for Cypriot executives, reducing lead-times for U.S. travel from several weeks to a matter of minutes. Until that decision is made, companies should continue to budget for standard U.S. visa processing but monitor DHS announcements closely—approval could come with little warning and take immediate effect.
Source: KNEWS (Kathimerini Cyprus)
