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Visa Update
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DHS
announces ESTA for
Visa Waiver travelers
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The United
States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced
it intends to implement the Electronic System for Travel
Authorization (ESTA) for travelers entering the US on
the visa waiver program. Visa waiver countries are:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino,
Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United
Kingdom.
The program allows citizens of the above
countries to enter and remain in the US for up to 90
days without requiring a visa issued by a US embassy or
consulate. ESTA will require visa waiver travelers to
enter information on a DHS website ( https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
) to determine if they will require a visa prior to
traveling. The information entered into ESTA will be the
same as that currently entered on the I-94W form, and
the intention is to eventually eliminate the necessity
for this form.
ESTA is designed to screen
travelers to identify potential security risks and
ensure the traveler is eligible for visa waiver travel
in advance of their departure for the US. If a traveler
is authorized, ESTA will provide a nearly immediate
response of approval, which will be valid for all travel
to the US for up to two years or until the expiration of
the traveler's passport, whichever occurs sooner. If
ESTA returns a denial response, the traveler must obtain
a visa from a US consulate before being permitted to
travel to the US.
ESTA will be available
beginning 1 August 2008 and is planned to become
mandatory on 12 January 2009. The DHS recommends that
ESTA requests be submitted at least 72 hours in advance.
Last-minute requests will be accommodated, but if the
ESTA is denied, a visa will be required from a US
consulate, and last-minute visa appointments are
generally not available.
For further information, review the DHS
announcement of ESTA located
here.
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If you have any
questions about these
regulations or your
particular situation,
contact InterLynx
Relocation Management
Limited
905 882-2266 or
1-800-561-5957, or by
email at
visa_info@ilynx.ca
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