Speeches

Letter to the Editors (Print Media)

February 21, 2007

 

Dear Editor:

Recently at the opening ceremony for our expanded and renovated Consular Waiting Room, the Foreign Ministry of The Bahamas expressed a hope that Bahamians will soon be able to enjoy visa free access to the United States. 
I am happy to report that Bahamians have been able to enter the U.S. visa-free since before The Bahamas became a nation. No other independent nation in the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of Canada, has as much freedom to travel to the United States of America. 

Moreover, Bahamian travelers enjoy the luxury of being able to apply for their visa-free entry right here in their own backyard: at the U.S. pre-clearance facilities in Nassau and Freeport. The Bahamas is one of only five pre-clearance locations worldwide -- the others being Canada, Ireland, Bermuda and Aruba.  Once pre-cleared for entry on valid, unexpired passports, Bahamians may fly into any city in the U.S., even those without international arrival terminals, and thereby avoid long immigration lines and delays upon arrival.
U.S. immigration law requires that all visitors to the U.S. must submit a valid, unexpired visa to enter the U.S. Very few exceptions have been granted to that rule (as defined under Section 212.l (a) of Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations).  Bahamian nationals were granted one of those very limited exceptions and may travel to the U.S. without a visa as long as they:
“satisf[y] the examining U.S. immigration officer at the Bahamas, that he or she is clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to admission, under section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, in all other respects.”   8CFR212.l (a) (3).

In other words, if you want to fly to the U.S. by commercial air through the airports and pre-clearance in Nassau and Freeport, you may do so with just a valid, unexpired passport, as long as you are entitled to admission to the U.S. under our laws.

Nationals of some other countries do enter the U.S. under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which enables them to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.  However, inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program would actually diminish some of the visa-free travel rights that the Bahamians currently enjoy.  Under the VWP, nationals can only remain 90 days in the U.S. and can only travel visa-free for tourism or business.  There are no similar restrictions in the visa waiver provisions that apply to the Bahamas.  Under VWP, if a national wishes to change his visa status from tourist to student he or she may not do so.  A Bahamian entering under the Bahamian visa waiver provisions may freely apply to change his status, if he or she so desires.  Other restrictions under the VWP are more onerous than the visa-free travel that Bahamians currently enjoy.

For those Bahamian travelers who require or desire a visa, the newly expanded and renovated consular section will be able to provide smooth and efficient service.  Visas for business and tourism are valid for ten years and for multiple entries throughout those years.  Most approved visas are issued to applicants within one day of their interviews.  Unfortunately some Bahamians have made themselves ineligible for visas due to their prior criminal actions or immigration violations.  The visa section assists these individuals in requesting waivers of their ineligibilities from the Department of Homeland Security, but this process may result in delays in visa issuance.  These ineligibilities must be waived each time a Bahamian applies for a new visa. 

The U.S. Embassy in Nassau values the special relationship that exists between our two countries and is pleased that Bahamians can continue to enjoy visa-free access under one of the most open travel regimes between the United States and any country in the world.

 

U.S. Ambassador John Darrell Rood