美国加拿大收紧签证要求

With the New Year comes new laws in North America. CCTV's Jim Spellman takes a look at some of the changes.

Citizens of 38 countries, including most of Europe, currently do not need a visa to visit the United States for stays up to 90 days. It's called the Visa Waiver Program.

But soon anyone who is a dual citizen of countries including Iraq, Syria, Iran and Sudan or anyone who has visited those countries since early 2011 will require a visa when travelling to the United States. Legislators say it is intended to stop potential terrorists from entering the US. Critics say it could block legitimate travel. It's not clear when the new rules will go into effect.

Many travelers heading to Canada will soon need to enroll in the Electronic Travel Authorization program.

Starting March 15th, foreign nationals entering Canada from a visa exempt country will need to be enrolled in the program, which mirrors a similar U.S. system. Later in the year, citizens of Brazil, Bulgaria, Mexico and Romania will be eligible for the program and will no longer need a visa.

Some U.S. workers will get a raise for 2016.

Fourteen states begin the new year with increased minimum wages. Some states now have a minimum wage over 10 dollars an hour, but many are sticking with the federal minimum wage of 7.25 an hour.