(VOVworld) – On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives voted 407 to 19 for the Visa Waiver Programme Improvement Act of 2015 to impose travel restrictions on visitors to Iraq, Syria and other countries who support terrorism.

The House of Representatives voted 407 to 19 in support of the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015. (Photo: AFP)

The new law bars people who traveled after March 1, 2011, to Iraq, Syria, Iran, or Sudan, from participating in the visa-free programme, requires the use of electronic passports by all visa-free participating countries and calls for those countries to share more data on suspected terrorists and criminals. Citizens of nations participating in the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) who hold a dual citizenship from Iran, Iraq, Syria, or Sudan are no longer eligible to participate in the programme.

Some 20 million visitors come to the U.S. annually under the visa waiver program. This poses great security risks to the US, following recent terrorism attacks in France. The suspected perpetrators of those attacks are Belgian and French citizens who have ties to the Islamic State.