US visas get new scrutiny after attacks

WASHINGTON: Visas used by foreigners to travel to the United States are getting new scrutiny in the wake of shooting massacres in California and France.
House lawmakers passed legislation tightening controls on visa-free travel and requiring visas for anyone who has been in Iraq or Syria in the previous five years.
Some lawmakers said they also planned to re-examine a visa used by Tashfeen Malik, the Pakistani wife accused in the San Bernardino attacks that killed 14 people, to come to the country.
Here’s a breakdown of how some of these visas work:
The visa waiver program lets citizens of 38 countries travel to the United States without a visa for stays of 90 days or less.
Travelers must submit data through an electronic counterterrorism screening program maintained by the Department of Homeland Security before boarding a plane, but aren’t required to show up at a local consulate and apply for a visa as tourists from other countries must do.
Those who fail to pass the screening are required to apply for a visa.
About 20 million visitors come to the United States each year for business or tourism under the program, largely from European countries.