Allow Ukrainian Citizens 90 day entrance into the USA on passport, without Visa

[BelleZeBoob]

URGENT ALL!  In the U.S. government trying to promote a new petition. Its essence is in order to give the citizens of Ukraine without visa entry into the United States for up to 90 days. The petition was published on February 26. Her term expires on March 28, before this time you need to collect 100,000 signatures. All not indifferent, as well as those who support the need to sign a petition. Friends who have doubts about the veracity of this site. This is the official page of the white house, so please take 2 minutes. And register and sign this petition!!!

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/allow-ukrainian-citizens-90-day-entrance-usa-passport-without-visa/m0BDgkb5

[WestCoast]

Needs less than 5,000 signatures by March 28th. Unfortunately I can't see something like this happening. It sounds like a nice idea but in today's world it's not reality.

[Mikeav8r]

Can they please do the same for Russia? 

[BelleZeBoob]

As of today:

Signatures needed by March 28, 2014 to reach goal of 100,000 - 4,125
Total signatures on this petition  - 95,875

[bigdaddy71978]

I signed it and posted it on FB for all to help (now how many actually do I don't know, hopefully all of them!)

[BelleZeBoob]

It is going fast!
Signatures needed by March 28, 2014 to reach goal of 100,000 - 3,131

[bigdaddy71978]

only need 1961 as off 6:03pm EST

[Vinnvinny]

only need 1961 as off 6:03pm EST

Perhaps some Russians from Crimea could finish the job. It would only take 981 of them.

[B.B.]

Signed.  It's below 2k needed now.

B/B

[bigdaddy71978]

Thanks BelleZeBoob for bringing this up to our attention! 

[Millaa]

Can they please do the same for Russia? 

Lets start another petition 

[andrewfi]

And so what?
Nothing is going to happen.  A petition is not a binding document whereby a specific number of 'likes' or signatures ensures that the petition will be granted.

Only if granting visa waiver status to Russians suits the US will anything change and for that to happen, notwithstanding any other political roadblocks, the propensity to overstay by those Russians granted visas under current rules will have to fall quite a lot. As I recall there is a hurdle rate which once crossed means that addition to the visa waiver program can be considered.

Want to get the visa waiver scheme available to Russians - get your countrymen to stop overstaying on visas that are currently being issued.

By the way, visa waiver does not mean an awful lot given that one still needs to apply for what is in practical terms a visa before travel anyway. The ESTA program still enables the US to deny access even before starting travel, without ESTA approval you ain't gonna get to the Promised Land.

[mendeleyev]

I saw that the initial goal had been met but am doubtful of any movement on this issue.

For several years I was a board member of the Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and for a long time the Orchestra toured the USA every summer. It was a great way to sell CDs, calendars, photo books, etc, as the funds helped pay musicians salaries and the Orchestra funded a weekly food basket program for elderly pensioners in Kiev.

The Orchestra toured the Eastern USA one year and then the Western USA the following year. Each year board members met with the musicians to stress the importance of visa integrity. We explained that the activities of a few put the salaries of the rest in jeopardy, not to mention the charitable programs funded by the group.

You'd think that professional musicians who were in highly skilled occupations not easily transferable in the USA without a valid visa would follow the rules. Nonetheless each tour we staffed an additional "utility" person for each Orchestra section and each Chorus section because every single year they'd return with 5 or 6 fewer persons than had started the trip. The most common cities to lose musicians were NYC, Chicago and the area of Northern California/Seattle.

Losing 5 to 6 annually out of a 200+ member group is a significant percentage in the eyes of the US State Department and the red tape, vetting in Kiev (for a time the visas were issued in Poland when there was no Embassy in Ukraine) and the financial guarantees to the US government forced us to schedule the tours every other year, then every third year. As these tours were a major source of income, the rouge actions of a small minority hit the honest and hardworking musicians in the pocketbook as their salaries were based in part on percentages from Western tours. It also limited the funding of local charity projects in Kiev.

For every person who disregards the rules and overstays a visa, it hurts the truly decent and honest applicants who are in line.

[JayH]

What a pack of small minded spoilsports. The petition gets the right to take it to the next stage-- ie it gets a hearing and is taken seriously-- so all in all--it's a start. Given the propensity to reject Ukrainian applications at what almost seemed regardless of background--this has the capacity to at least be treated on merit-not some preconcieved prejudice that seems to have been applied in the past.

Given all the other circumstances current-- there is more than a fair chance that visa for Russians and the processing will be slowed or restricted-- so it will make space to process Ukrainians more easily!!

[kievstar]

Was going to comment yesterday - tried to post and internet went down so maybe it did post somewhere on this board. 

Does anyone know about the petition to export Justin Beiber back to Canada it got more than 100,000 signatures in time period.  http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/536580/20140130/barack-obama-justin-bieber-deportation-petition-canada.htm

USA has a policy if you get 100,000 USA citizen signatures (key is USA citizen) and you send it to them they will respond.  It used to be 25,000 signatures but they changed it back in January of 2013 to 100,000.  Why ? - because of all the stupid positions.

some of my favorite petitions in the past - ugly women have to cover their face in public, cocaine should be legal,  etc.

[andrewfi]

Same same in the UK. It is a bit of fun, not more.

I'd bet that some of the petitions that turn up are planted in order to take the temperature on some issues. However, while the petitioner might get a response there is not going to be more happening, unless the petition falls into place with current policies.

Small minded, no. Realistic, yes.