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| US shifts Visa Waiver Program authorization to Internet |
| 2008-10-17 |
| Travellers from Japan, western Europe and a number of other countries must request authorization to enter the United States on the Internet from January 2009, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Thursday. These countries are currently exempt from visa requirements to enter the United States for short visits under the Visa Waiver Program, and the new program will keep travel to the United States "visa free" for travelers from VWP countries. Instead of travellers filling out paper I-94 visa waiver cards en route to the United States, the new measure requires online registration. In a statement, the DHS said mandatory prior visa authorization is required for travelers from January 12, 2009. The service has accepted voluntary visa applications for over two months, since August 1. "Over 200,000 travelers have sought electronic travel authorization in the weeks since the site went live, and 99.6 percent of them have been approved the vast majority in under one minute," said DHS assistant secretary for policy Stewart Baker. "Obtaining this advance information makes visa-free travel more secure, an enhancement that allows us to expand the valuable Visa Waiver Program." The new measure is among the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which sought to promote laws that tighten border security in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001. The DHS recommends that applications are submitted as soon as an applicant begins making travel plans. Upon authorization, travelers can enter the United States for 90 days for business or pleasure. The website is https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Instructions on how to obtain travel authorization are available on the website in English and 13 other languages -- Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Slovene, Spanish and Swedish. No Arabic. Good. Citizens of 27 nations -- including several EU member states as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Brunei -- are covered by the Visa Waiver Program. Which countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program? |
| Posted by:ed |
| #5 On-line applicants can begin waiver submission immediately and will automatically be registered to vote in Ohio, which can also be done via the internet or US Postal service. |
| Posted by: Jennifer Brunner 2008-10-17 09:02 |
| #4 EC, the bureaucrats are just keeping their masters happy. We already have enough such people to fill Congress, no need for more competition. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-10-17 07:47 |
| #3 New method also requires them to identify themselves electronically. Heh. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-10-17 07:12 |
| #2 B) Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance; or been arrested or convicted for two or more offenses for which the aggregate sentence to confinement was five years or more; or been a controlled substance trafficker; or are you seeking entry to engage in criminal or immoral activities? Bureaucrats never change |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2008-10-17 00:33 |
| #1 Also: Sources: US to waive visa rules for 7 countries President Bush will announce Friday that Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and South Korea will be added to the U.S. visa waiver program as early as next month, the aides told The Associated Press. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-10-17 00:18 |