Israel is one of four countries applying for a visa waiver for U.S. citizens, according to a statement from U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mallorcas.
Currently, Israelis need to issue a visa to enter the United States.
The payment for the visa is about $ 150, the wait during this period is long and many are denied for various reasons.
If the decision is approved, all Israelis, except for exceptions, will be allowed to enter the United States without a visa.
The United States is the leading destination for Israeli flights in the run-up to Corona, but also since the outbreak. Now, following the expected decision, numbers are expected to rise further and many Israelis who have not been able to visit the country so far will be allowed to do so.
US Visa, Illustration, Photo: GettyImages
In addition, in the past year and a half, during the corona period, particularly long queues have been created for visa applications, and many Israelis have been scheduled for long months ahead.
When it was the turn of some of them, they received a rejection notice.
Once the move is approved, it will not be necessary to issue a visa to the United States and Israelis will be able to fly without a special permit for the country.
The current situation is that there are four airlines that operate direct flights between Israel and the United States: El Al, United, American Airlines and Delta. Many Israelis fly to the United States via Turkey with Turkish Airlines and via Canada with Air Canada. From November 8, it will be possible to fly To the US through Europe, since Europeans will also be allowed to enter the US, but at this point, only vaccinated and children will be allowed to enter the US.
The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Gilad Ardan, has been promoting the issue vigorously in recent years.
Apart from Israel, there are other countries that are considering the possibility of exempting their citizens from issuing visas before the flight to the United States, namely: Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania.