Title: Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act of 2019
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act of 2019
This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a visa waiver program for nationals of certain countries to enter the U.S. Virgin Islands. Countries that are member or associate members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), such as the Bahamas or Barbados, may be part of the visa waiver program. The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands may request additional countries be added to the program.
An individual entering under the waiver program shall be a nonimmigrant visitor to the U.S. Virgin Islands for business or pleasure, and may stay for no longer than 30 days. Such an individual shall waive the right to appeal an immigration officer's determination of admissibility, and also waive the right to appeal a removal decision.
DHS may implement the waiver program as to a country if it determines that it would not pose a welfare, safety, or security threat. DHS shall monitor the waiver program, and shall suspend the program as to any country if it determines that an unacceptable number of individuals from that country are remaining unlawfully or unlawfully entering other parts of the United States, seeking asylum or withholding of removal, or for other good cause.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 407 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 407

 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish the Virgin 
                      Islands visa waiver program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2019

 Ms. Plaskett introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish the Virgin 
                      Islands visa waiver program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. VIRGIN ISLANDS VISA WAIVER PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 212(l) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(l)) is amended--
            (1) by amending the subsection heading to read as follows: 
        ``Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Virgin Islands Visa 
        Waiver Programs.--''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7) Virgin islands visa waiver program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The requirement of subsection 
                (a)(7)(B)(i) may be waived by the Secretary of Homeland 
                Security, in the case of an alien who is a national of 
                a country described in subparagraph (B) and who is 
                applying for admission as a nonimmigrant visitor for 
                business or pleasure and solely for entry into and stay 
                in the United States Virgin Islands for a period not to 
                exceed 30 days, if the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
                after consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, 
                the Secretary of State, and the Governor of the United 
                States Virgin Islands, determines that such a waiver 
                does not represent a threat to the welfare, safety, or 
                security of the United States or its territories and 
                commonwealths.
                    ``(B) Countries.--A country described in this 
                subparagraph is a country that--
                            ``(i) is a member or an associate member of 
                        the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); and
                            ``(ii) is listed in the regulations 
                        described in subparagraph (D).
                    ``(C) Alien waiver of rights.--An alien may not be 
                provided a waiver under this paragraph unless the alien 
                has waived any right--
                            ``(i) to review or appeal under this Act an 
                        immigration officer's determination as to the 
                        admissibility of the alien at the port of entry 
                        into the United States Virgin Islands; or
                            ``(ii) to contest, other than on the basis 
                        of an application for withholding of removal 
                        under section 241(b)(3) of this Act or under 
                        the Convention Against Torture, or an 
                        application for asylum if permitted under 
                        section 208, any action for removal of the 
                        alien.
                    ``(D) Regulations.--All necessary regulations to 
                implement this paragraph shall be promulgated by the 
                Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with 
                the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
                State, on or before the date that is 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of the Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act 
                of 2019. The promulgation of such regulations shall be 
                considered a foreign affairs function for purposes of 
                section 553(a) of title 5, United States Code. At a 
                minimum, such regulations should include, but not 
                necessarily be limited to--
                            ``(i) a listing of all member or associate 
                        member countries of the Caribbean Community 
                        (CARICOM) whose nationals may obtain, on a 
                        country by country basis, the waiver provided 
                        by this paragraph, except that such regulations 
                        shall not provide for a listing of any country 
                        if the Secretary of Homeland Security 
                        determines that such country's inclusion on 
                        such list would represent a threat to the 
                        welfare, safety, or security of the United 
                        States or its territories and commonwealths; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) any bonding requirements for 
                        nationals of some or all of those countries who 
                        may present an increased risk of overstays or 
                        other potential problems, if different from 
                        such requirements otherwise provided by law for 
                        nonimmigrant visitors.
                    ``(E) Factors.--In determining whether to grant or 
                continue providing the waiver under this paragraph to 
                nationals of any country, the Secretary of Homeland 
                Security, in consultation with the Secretary of the 
                Interior and the Secretary of State, shall consider all 
                factors that the Secretary deems relevant, including 
                electronic travel authorizations, procedures for 
                reporting lost and stolen passports, repatriation of 
                aliens, rates of refusal for nonimmigrant visitor 
                visas, overstays, exit systems, and information 
                exchange.
                    ``(F) Suspension.--The Secretary of Homeland 
                Security shall monitor the admission of nonimmigrant 
                visitors to the United States Virgin Islands under this 
                paragraph. If the Secretary determines that such 
                admissions have resulted in an unacceptable number of 
                visitors from a country remaining unlawfully in the 
                United States Virgin Islands, unlawfully obtaining 
                entry to other parts of the United States, or seeking 
                withholding of removal or asylum, or that visitors from 
                a country pose a risk to law enforcement or security 
                interests of the United States Virgin Islands or of the 
                United States (including the interest in the 
                enforcement of the immigration laws of the United 
                States), the Secretary shall suspend the admission of 
                nationals of such country under this paragraph. The 
                Secretary of Homeland Security may in the Secretary's 
                discretion suspend the United States Virgin Islands 
                visa waiver program at any time, on a country-by-
                country basis, for other good cause.
                    ``(G) Addition of countries.--The Governor of the 
                United States Virgin Islands may request the Secretary 
                of the Interior and the Secretary of Homeland Security 
                to add a particular country to the list of countries 
                whose nationals may obtain the waiver provided by this 
                paragraph, and the Secretary of Homeland Security may 
                grant such request after consultation with the 
                Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of State, 
                and may promulgate regulations with respect to the 
                inclusion of that country and any special requirements 
                the Secretary of Homeland Security, in the Secretary's 
                sole discretion, may impose prior to allowing nationals 
                of that country to obtain the waiver provided by this 
                paragraph.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Documentation requirements.--Section 212(a)(7)(iii) of 
        the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(7)(iii)) 
        is amended to read as follows:
                            ``(iii) Special visa waiver programs.--For 
                        a provision authorizing waiver of clause (i) in 
                        the case of visitors to Guam, the Commonwealth 
                        of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the United 
                        States Virgin Islands, see subsection (l).''.
            (2) Admission of nonimmigrants.--Section 214(a)(1) of such 
        Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(a)(1)) is amended by inserting before the 
        final sentence the following: ``No alien admitted to the United 
        States Virgin Islands without a visa pursuant to section 
        212(l)(7) may be authorized to enter or stay in the United 
        States other than in the United States Virgin Islands or to 
        remain in the United States Virgin Islands for a period 
        exceeding 30 days from date of admission to the United States 
        Virgin Islands.''.
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