The Ministry imposed this condition last year on countries that it reported were witnessing high rates of overstaying permitted on entry visas, in addition to other security problems, as part of a broader campaign launched by the Republican administration on immigration.
The previous condition includes travelers from 50 countries, including five countries whose teams qualified for the World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada: Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Tunisia.
In this context, Maura Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, said that the United States is looking forward to organizing an exceptional edition of the World Cup, stressing that fans who purchased tickets for the tournament and chose the “FIFA Pass” system, which allows quick appointments for obtaining a visa, will be exempt from the sponsorship requirement as of last April 15.
This amendment represents a limited easing of current immigration policies, and would ease some of the burdens on visitors to the United States during the World Cup, which begins next June 11.
National team players, technical and administrative staff had previously been exempted from this condition, as part of special facilities to speed up visa procedures related to the tournament, while ordinary fans, even ticket holders, remained subject to it until the recent announcement.
The sponsorship system comes as part of measures aimed at reducing overstays on temporary visas, as applicants are required to pay amounts ranging between 5,000 and 15,000 dollars, which will be returned to them in the event of compliance with the residency conditions or the visa application being rejected.
