At arm's length, for now
The chances that Poles will be able to visit the US without visas have grown slimmer, despite the best efforts of Polish diplomats - which have included the hiring of a lobbying firm and personal discussion between Presidents Lech Kaczyński and George W Bush. This is because the US Congress has adopted new rules on countries participating in the American Visa Waiver Program which state that any country entering into the program must have a less than 10-percent rejection rate for visa applications. Poland's rejection rate, however, currently stands at 26 percent.
The passage of the bill disappointed many, especially those who had linked the prospect of visa waivers with Poland's participation in the war in Iraq or the US missile-shield project. This disappointment was palpable in the US as well as in Poland. On the day of the bill's passage, Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), a proponent of visa waivers for Poland, issued a statement saying that he would continue to fight for the country's inclusion in the program.
"Poland is a first class friend and you cannot treat your first class friend as a second class citizen. Expanding the visa waiver program is an important step towards providing our closest allies with the opportunity to visit to the United States," Emanuel's statement read.
Putting a positive spin on it
Not everybody sees the legislation as a slap in the face, though. "We need to consider the issue from the perspective of US and its immigration policy," Sergiusz Trzeciak, the president of the Sobieski Institute, told WBJ. "It is hardly probable that they will make exceptions for just one country, however close an ally it is," he said. Of course, due to its contributions in Iraq or involvement in the missile shield, Poland should receive certain benefits, but apart from issues of prestige - such as visas - there are much more tangible things, like security or new investments, explained Trzeciak. He also points out that in relations with the US, Polish authorities should manifest less emotion and more pragmatism.
It also seems that participation in the Visa Waiver Program depends to a large extent on Poland itself. "For the US, the number of the visa rejections reflects the potential that immigration law will be broken," said Trzeciak. According to Andrew Schilling, the press attache of the US embassy in Warsaw, in many cases it is easy to see that a visa applicant's intentions are different from those declared.
Some also think that the issue could resolve itself naturally. Paweł Śpiewak, vice president of the Sejm Foreign Affairs Committee, notes that the number of visa applications to the US should decrease as job opportunities in the US become less tempting in comparison to the lucrative - and nearby - EU markets. As a consequence, Poland's refusal rate could fall to meet the necessary criteria.
