There are about 30 or so nations whose citizens don't require visas to enter into the US, including most of Europe, Canada and (I believe) Japan.
To 8 and 10:
Given that most of europe aleady does not need a visa - what's the hue and cry all about?
Instead of "EU will help ..get rid of visas" shouldn't we be saying "Visas need to be reinstated for everyone - period"?
[sorry about the unintended private post]
You are correct. There are 27 countries which qualify for the visa wavier program. To qualify, a country must meet the following criteria
In order to qualify for VWP participation, the nonimmigrant visitor ("B-1/B-2" visa category) refusal rate for nationals of a country who have applied at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in that country must average less than 3% for the previous fiscal year.
Once a country meets the refusal rate criteria, a number of other factors must be evaluated before a decision on VWP nomination can be made:
Reciprocity
VWP candidate countries must provide reciprocal visa-free travel for U.S. citizens. Passport security
A country must have a machine readable passport (MRP) program in place in order to qualify for VWP participation. In addition, VWP candidate countries must demonstrate that adequate safeguards against fraudulent use of their passports are in place, including proper storage of blank passports and sufficient screening of passport applicants. Consideration will also be given to the ease with which host country citizenship can be obtained. Political and economic stability
Countries under consideration for VWP participation must be sufficiently stable to ensure that conditions which could affect VWP qualifying criteria (such as overstay rates in the U.S.) are not likely to change dramatically in the future. Border controls
VWP candidate countries must demonstrate that effective border controls are in place for all territory under their control.
Factors taken into consideration include the thoroughness and consistency of entry checks as well as the extent to which the country's territory is used as a transit point for alien smugglers. Law-enforcement cooperation
The degree to which host country law enforcement agencies cooperate with U.S. counterparts as well as international entities such as Interpol will be considered. The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of State, must evaluate the nominee country's interest in enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, and the existence and effectiveness of extradition agreements with the U.S., including extradition of its own nationals who violate US laws.
The Attorney General must submit a report to Congress on the country's qualification for designation that includes an explanation of a favorable determination. Security concerns
Any security concerns that could be raised by a country's admission into the VWP program will be considered.
Countries in the Visa Wavier Program are: Andorra (MRP) Iceland, Norway,Australia, Ireland, Portugal Austria, Italy, San Marino,Belgium (MRP), Japan, Singapore, Brunei (MRP), Liechtenstein (MRP), Slovenia (MRP), Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Finland, Monaco, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, and United Kingdom.
The program was established by the State Department with Congressional approval to enable easier entrance into the US for tourism and business purposes. It also saves the administrative costs of having additional consular officials and staff overseas.