2nd LD Writethru: U.S. tightens Visa-Waiver Program amid security concerns

The White House on Monday announced steps to tighten the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) for citizens of 38 foreign countries in the wake of the deadly Paris terrorist attacks.

New changes include more aggressive steps by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect information from VWP travelers on past travel to countries regarded by the United States as a terrorist safe haven and possible pilot programs for collecting biometric information from VWP travelers, said the White House in a statement.

The DHS would start to identify any VWP partner countries that are "deficient in key areas of operation," and recommend options to the White House on how to force compliance by a range of penalties and incentives, it said.

New changes also include efforts by the DHS to seek authorities from the Congress to increase fines for air carriers which fail to verify a traveler's passport data, the statement said.

Under the current Advance Passenger Information System, an electronic data interchange system that governs the provision of certain traveler data from airlines to the destination state, failure to supply in advance passenger information can land airlines with fines of up to 5,000 U.S. dollars.

The White House said it was seeking authority from the Congress to raise the fine to 50,000 dollars.

The VWP currently permits visa free travel for 20 million visitors each year to the United States for citizens of 38 program partner countries.

After the Paris terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, which killed at least 130 people and wounded over 300 others, U.S. lawmakers and government officials worried that the current VWP, which allow citizens from partner countries to enter the United States for as long as 90 days without a visa, could pose a security threat to homeland security. Enditem