The United States Visa Waiver Program allows residents of eligible countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business stays of 90 days or less without a visa. Those who travel with the VWP are required to have a machine-readable passport. Not all residents of eligible countries will be able to enter the United States without a visa under the VWP. Those applicants may be required to apply for a B-1 Business Visa or B-2 Tourist Visa.
Tourist visas are required for citizens of VWP countries who wish to visit the United States for tourism or recreation. Those who are residents of VWP countries are required to obtain a tourist visa if they play to stay longer than 90 days, or to change status to non-immigrant visa, or get a Green Card for permanent residency once they enter the country. The maximum stay for those who have a tourist visa is six months, but the immigration officer may grant a longer time limit.
By law, those who have a tourist visa are not allowed to work or accept any kind of payment while in the United States. United States Foreign Nationals who wish to work must apply for a work visa.
Currently, there are 36 countries included in the Visa Waiver Program. In order to be inducted, a country must pass various security requirements. Countries are required to have heightened and highly-skilled security and law enforcement, time-proficient reporting of lost and stolen passports, and competency in sharing security-data with the United States. They must maintain high counter-terrorism, border control and document security standards. Though a country may meet all of the requirements, the decision to allow a country into the program is ultimately left with the United States government.
