The Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has expressed support for including Poland in the US Visa Waiver Program, claiming that he would deal with this during the first weeks of his presidency.

Poland is currently one of only five EU countries not included in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows visa-free travel into the US for up to 90 days. The refusal rate on Polish visa applications has been too high to allow the country to qualify.

Trump made the comments about the Visa Waiver Program before a speech to the Polish American Congress, during which he repeatedly praised Poland.

Frank Spula, President of the Polish American Congress, said: “I told [Trump] that this visa issue has been around for many years […] Trump told me that if he becomes president, he will deal with this. I replied: 'We will be holding you to your word'.”

Meanwhile Piotr Janicki, the Polish consul in Chicago, said: “[Trump] declared that he will deal with this issue in the first weeks of his presidency.”

Janicki added, “Donald Trump as a candidate is considered to hold harsh views on immigration, but we heard [today] that this will not affect Polish citizens and that he does not see any threat from Poles, who mostly come to the US for tourism.”

Earlier this year the Republican Party adopted a platform at its national convention in Cleveland which included a clause about allowing Poles visa-free travel, though the platform is non-binding. (sl/rg)

Source: PAP