A welcome reform has been instituted for those who are not security threats but who have overstay their visa while visiting the U.S.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner said that unless they are seen as security risks, these visitors will not be handcuffed, searched or denied entry if it turns out they had stayed a few days longer than they should have on earlier visits.

The new policy affects visitors from 27 countries, the majority in Europe, where travelers to the United States are not required to have a visa for up to a 90-day stay. Bonner said the policy would grant a one-time parole to visitors from these visa-waiver countries who have previously overstayed, allowing them to remain in the United States for the duration of their trip, rather than for a night in a cell and a seat on the first flight home.