The New Electronic Pre-Screening is Still a Visa

QUESTION: You mentioned that the ROME WEC may be the last in Europe. If a VISA is required starting in 2021, does that effectively mean the political end for pro-immigration politicians in the EU? Seems to me the VISA requirement is incompatible with the entire notion of free movement across borders. Maybe the EU will be effectively dead by the time 2021 comes around?

TWE

ANSWER: Believe it or not, these people who create the regulations just want to know everything. Even when our staff flies these days, the question becomes do you transport any cash for your boss? I am not entirely sure that they are trying to stop the migrants or are they preparing for a cashless society? Nevertheless, this program is really a quasi-visa no matter what they claim. It could stop all immigration but they would never admit that.

You have to apply first for what they call “pre-screening,” so the difference is you cannot even get on the plane without pre-approval. Today, you can hop on a plane and receive the visa upon landing. That visa is generally good for 90 days. Free travel as it currently stands between the USA and Europe is without pre-visa applications. They are calling this new process “pre-screening,” so it is a digital visa where you have to be cleared before you can get on a plane.

Even when I land in the USA and go to one of those machines, it already knows the flight I came in on. The information manifested is transmitted to the USA and they too know who is arriving on the plane. Therefore, they do not call this a “visa,” but in reality, it very much is where you must apply for one before getting on the plane to China or Russia. The freedom of travel is coming to an end. They will know everyone and every plane.

I was flying to Paris. I had a one-way ticket because I was then flying to Switzerland and off to Athens. I would return from Athens to JFK in New York. I had to buy a first-class refundable round-trip ticket to Paris to get into the country, for they required a round-trip ticket. Once in, I had to cancel the ticket to go on from there. This was a stupid requirement based upon an assumption that I would go to Paris and just stay. When dealing with governments, there is never any common sense.