(JNS) Israel is one of four countries being considered by the United States for visa waiver status, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced.

“We have four candidates in the pipeline: Israel, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania; we’re very focused on the program,” Mayorkas told a travel-industry gathering, reported Reuters.

Mayorkas also pointed to the economic and other “benefits” of allowing non-citizens to visit America for up to three months without a visa, according to the report.

Following Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s meetings in August with U.S. President Joe Biden, the White House stated that the latter emphasized that his administration would strengthen bilateral cooperation with Israel in multiple ways, “including by working together towards Israel’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program.”