Immigration Law

Pre-Screening for Visa Waiver Country Visitors

By Robert Kraft

Citizens of one of the 35 countries listed in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) who seek to visit the United States for less than 90 days for either business or pleasure must now be pre-screened before boarding their flights. The Electronic System Travel Authorization (ESTA) is an application system that requires travelers from these 35 VWP countries to apply for travel authorization 72 hours prior to boarding. The application is available online at: http://www.esta.us/travel_authorization.html The travel authorization is valid for two years.

Currently, the 35 countries participating in the VWP are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

Nationals of countries that are not part of the 35 countries listed above should apply for a B-1 Business Visitor or B-2 Tourist visa. Foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States for a short period of time must show the following:

...         Limited duration of time to stay in the U.S.

...         Intent to depart the U.S.

...         Maintenance of a foreign residence

...         Adequate financial arrangements

...         Reason for trip to the U.S.

Please call us at 214-999-9999 for more information.

Full post as published by Immigration Law Answers Blog on March 11, 2009 (boomark / email).