Polish Students Appeal to White House on Visa Waiver
The Polish Student’s Organization from New York is asking the Obama Administration to include their country in the Visa Waiver Program. (File photo via Nowy Dziennik)
An organization of Polish students from New York has joined the chorus of people asking the Obama Administration to include their country in the Visa Waiver Program, which would allow Poles to visit the U.S. for tourism or business without a visa, Nowy Dziennik reported. The story was translated from Polish.
Yet another initiative supporting the inclusion of Poland in the Visa Waiver Program has emerged. This time, Polish students attending American universities are putting pressure on U.S. authorities to grant their country the visa waiver.
On Sept. 27, the Polish Students’ Organization from New York (PSO) posted a petition on the White House’s website next to other petitions and appeals addressed to the administration of Barack Obama.
The PSO is calling on the U.S. government to undertake the necessary measures to include Poland in the Visa Waiver Program. They are arguing that families of Polish students and young professionals can’t visit them while they are studying or working in the U.S. because of the visa requirement.
The Visa Waiver Program enables nationals of 37 participating countries to travel to the U.S. “for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa,” according to the U.S. Department of State website. Earlier this year, legislators introduced two bills in the Senate and House that would allow more countries into the program.
The PSO also made reference to a statement made by Obama in 2010 saying that “the issue would be solved during my presidency.” Students point out that the president’s first term is running out, but they still “see no hope that the promises will be kept.”
The PSO is also arguing that Poland has for many years been a great ally of the United States and still supports the U.S. in international matters.
“President Obama has the power to sign an executive order or create a lobbing group in Congress in order to solve the issue,” the authors of the appeal said.
Since the United States has included many Central and Eastern European countries in the Visa Waiver Program, the Polish students from New York don’t want to wait anymore, fearing the issue will be jeopardized once term of the current Congress runs out.
In order for the petition to make it to the President’s desk, it has to be signed by 25,000 people by Oct. 27. The petition can be found at: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/take-action-include-poland-visa-waiver-program/5PVFRQpj.
The petition is not the only initiative from the PSO aimed at creating momentum around the problem of visas. Soon the group plans to announce other actions.
