The Following was Originally Posted on our old Bulletin Board:
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Mike Leco
USATourist Administrator
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 101
Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
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 Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2004 6:29 pm Post subject: US Visa requirements |
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We get a lot of e-mail with questions about visa requirements. Unfortunately, we are not experts on US visas. We are simply a private Internet business offering free travel information about the USA. We know a little bit about visitor visa requirements for tourists. We know almost nothing about work visas and immigration visas. You can go directly to this web site of the US Department of State Visa Services page for lots of information about US visas: http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html[
Here is some of the scant information we have about visitor visas (tourist visas). You should not take our word as your final answer, as we may be wrong. You should check the US State Department web pages or contact the US embassy in your homeland for definitive answers.
Visitor Visas
Visitors from some countries do not require visas to enter the USA. Canadian citizens need no visa and citizens of the 27 visa waiver countries do not need a visa to visit the USA for 90 days or less. The US government has reciprocal visa waiver treaties with these 27 countries so their citizens need no visa to visit the USA. The main exceptions are that a visa is required for any visit longer than 90 days, for anyone with a criminal record, for anyone previously denied a US visa and for anyone coming to the USA to work or to study. After October 2004, the US Department of Homeland Security will require all visitors entering without a visa to present a machine readable passport with encoded biometric data.
Visitors from all other countries are required to obtain a US entry visa from the US embassy in their homeland. This usually requires a visit to the US embassy where you may be required to offer positive identification and evidence that you have sufficient economic and social ties in your homeland to guarantee that you will return home.
Work Visas
I do not know much about this type of visa except that it can be difficult to obtain such a visa. There are strict limitations on the issuance of work visas.
Immigration Visas
Again, I do not know much about this except that it can be extremely difficult to obtain an immigration visa to the USA. If you are married to a US citizen or otherwise related to a US citizen, it is easier to obtain an immigration visa. Otherwise, it can be almost impossible to get one. | |