MALAYSIA is not getting on the list of countries on the United States’ visa waiver programme anytime soon, said US Ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir.

Kamala told NST today the US did not intend to expand the list in the near future, and that the US president had not set a time frame to lift the freeze on new applications to join the programme.

The news puts paid to hopes that Malaysia would by September be among the countries whose citizens are not required to apply for a visa for entry into the US

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had last year expressed confidence that the country was able to fulfil the conditions for participation in the programme.

He had said that all the conditions were met save one requiring a US visa rejection rate of a maximum 3%.

Reports said Malaysian applications for a US visa were rejected largely due to the applicants’ failure to fill in the forms correctly.

Lakhdhir was quoted today saying that the US Embassy was working closely with the Malaysian government to achieve the minimum approval rate of 97% for business (B1) and tourist (B2)  visas.

She said the US was also “working closely with the Foreign Ministry and the Immigration Department on various border security and passport issues.”

“Apart from visa approval, there are several factors that we are also looking at, such as border security and passport security issues. This for the safety of both Malaysian and American travellers,” she said in Alor Star today.

Meanwhile, she said, the visa approval rate for Malaysians studying in the US rose significantly to 99% last year. – January 17, 2018.