site.btaPercentage of US Visa Refusals Drops Significantly

Visa refusal rates have decreased substantially, with official figures to be presented soon, said Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov and Adam Hunter, Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the US Department of Homeland Security.

The two met Monday at the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry said in a press release.

The sides discussed Bulgaria's progress in meeting the criteria for joining the US Visa Waiver Programme. They also discussed the necessary steps that all countries need to take, as stipulated in the US Immigration and Nationality Act, the Foreign Ministry said.

Assistant Secretary Adam Hunter congratulated Bulgaria on the significant progress in meeting the criteria for accession of the programme and on the efforts to strengthen bilateral security cooperation. The two sides agreed to continue working together to achieve this common goal in the context of the upward development of relations with the US and their strategic nature.

Progress on the issue of Bulgaria's accession to the US Visa Waiver Programme in recent weeks was reported at a meeting between caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and Adam Hunter.