Sponsors (2)
Adds six Asian countries to the Guam/CNMI Visa Waiver Program unless DHS makes a written finding under tightened suspension rules, and sets new consultation, assessment, notice, and review requirements.
The bill expands travel access to Guam and the CNMI for six countries and adds economic review and procedural safeguards to make suspension decisions more transparent, but it still allows rapid emergency suspensions and creates extra administrative work that could harm local economies and create uncertainty.
Travelers from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Mongolia would be eligible to visit Guam and the CNMI under the waiver, increasing tourism and family visits for those communities.
The Secretary must assess economic and fiscal effects before suspending a country's participation, which helps protect Guam/CNMI economies from sudden visitor losses by informing decisions with economic analysis.
The bill adds procedural safeguards (written determinations, interagency and gubernatorial consultation, and consideration of alternatives) that increase transparency and accountability in suspension decisions.
If the Secretary determines suspension criteria are met, residents of Guam/CNMI and businesses reliant on tourists from those countries could face reduced arrivals, harming employment and local revenues.
Nationals of the six named countries could still be suspended quickly under a 60-day emergency authority, creating uncertainty for travelers, families, and businesses that plan on visits.
Additional administrative requirements (consultations, economic assessments, notification to Congress) could delay urgent enforcement actions and increase DHS workload and costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To amend section 212(l) of the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to the Guam and Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program.
Introduced September 10, 2026 by Kimberlyn King-Hinds · Last progress September 10, 2026
Changes to the Guam and Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Visa Waiver Program require the Secretary of Homeland Security to add six named countries as eligible (India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Mongolia) unless specific suspension criteria are met. The bill also narrows and formalizes when and how the Secretary may suspend a country's eligibility, adds procedural safeguards, requires interagency and territorial consultation, mandates economic and fiscal assessments for suspensions, and sets notice and review timelines. The law creates a presumption of eligibility for the six countries while preserving a path for suspending eligibility when there's a written determination based on specific and articulable facts of harms (e.g., unlawful presence, unlawful entry elsewhere in the U.S., large numbers of asylum claims, or threats to safety). It also allows short emergency suspensions with follow-up requirements and regular reviews of any suspension until conditions change.