I am wondering about getting a tourist visa though, as I would like to stay longer than the 90 days. Does anyone know how to go about getting this? Do I have to have an appointment at the Embassy and prove all sorts of things?
I am planning on going to USA to travel. I can travel there without a visa as I come under and qualify for the visa waiver programme.
I am wondering about getting a tourist visa though, as I would like to stay longer than the 90 days. Does anyone know how to go about getting this? Do I have to have an appointment at the Embassy and prove all sorts of things?
In addition to this I plan to go to USA on a one-way ticket. This is becasue I do not know how long I will stay for as yet - but I will not overstay my welcome of course, it is just dependent on when my money is about to run out. And I plan to go from USA directly to Iceland.
I read somewhere briefly on the internet that in order to get through immigration when entering the USA that you have to have proof of a return ticket home, or some sort of proof that you will be leaving the country. Is this true?
Would I have problems if I didn't have a return ticket? Or would me saying to them that I plan to book my ticket when i know when I want leave, but it will be within my restrictions be sufficient?
I wouldn't want to get all the way there and then be turned away at the port of entry!!
Any advice or help is most welcome!
Thanks.
Reply to this As a US Citizen I obviously havn't gone through the process myself, but hopefully these links will provide some more information for you:
Obtaining a US Visa: Application Process
US Visa Homepage
Tourist Visa Info
According to the website, getting a tourist visa is a fairly "simple process" although applicants from certain countries and (I didn't know this) men age 16-45 must now complete a supplemental application as well as the standard application form.
Reply to this Did a little more looking into your situation and found out the following:
- to apply for an extension to the 90 days you must petition for an
Extension of Stay from the Department of Homeland Security's United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
field office using form I-539 after you arrive in the US.
- if you were admitted through customs through the Visa Waiver Program you cannot extend your stay beyond 90 days
So it would seem like to you would need to 1) apply for a tourist (non-immigrant) visa at the US Embassy 2) travel to the US and then 3) apply for an extention of stay. It would probably be more helpful if you could hear about it from someone who's done it.
Best of luck!
Reply to this I would highly recommend having a return ticket (or an on-going ticket to another country), as I have had problems time and time again trying to enter the US without a return ticket (I'm Canadian but also a resident of the US - we're not supposed to have issues entering the US).
I have found that entering the US really becomes a game of who you get as an immigration officer. Sometimes you're lucky, with no problems, other times it's a huge hassle.
If you don't have an on-going ticket, you could say you plan to visit Canada or Mexico by bus or car and you're uncertain of the exact dates. I've tried that and it worked (I've also tried it and it failed). But the immigration officer has to buy that story, so if you're landing in the middle of the country no-where near a border and you don't actually have plans to cross a land-border, chances are you'll have hassles.
I'm not really sure this helps at all. Basically, you're gambling without a return ticket. My suggestion is either try apply for a tourist visa and extend the stay (good luck, Immigration is famous for sending you in circles of red tape), or buy a ticket to Iceland for the date that coincides with the 90-days. Bring proof of the on-going ticket with you when you enter the US, and if you choose a flight with flexibility, then you can change the date if necessary. That's probably the easiest.
Of course, luck will have it that you'll do all this, and get a really nice immigration officer who doesn't care who you are or where you're going. Murphy's Law.
Good luck!
Reply to this You need to make an appointment at the nearest American Embassy to you and apply for a 'B2 Visa' (Visitor for Pleasure).
This will allow you to stay in the US for up to 6 months. It's easy to apply and the interview is nothing more than a formality.
Longer than 6 months is much harder though. Reply to this I don't quite understand this visa waiver programme thing.
As a British citizen, I plan to stay in the USA for less than 90 days anyway. Do I need to fill out anything before I go or on my way to the USA (I will be travelling from Canada into the States). I will have proof of an outgoing bus back to Canada, therefore that would be sufficient?
Reply to this Hi David,
When flying over you get a small green slip of paper on the way into the US which you fill in. When you leave the US you surrender the paper and it eventually gets entered into their computers to say you've left the US.
You fill in this visa waiver form before you hit customs, then you present it to the customs agent who will ask you a few questions about your intended visit to the US. When they ask when you plan to leave, then you tell them about your plan to leave for Canada and be ready to present the ticket - they just want to make sure you're there for pleasure and have firm plans to leave before your 90 days are up.
Kind regards,
James
Proud
Orlando villa owner Reply to this Hi James,
Thanks for the reply. I won't be flying into the US though, probably by MegaBus, so I'm assuming it's the same procedure on there? So I don't have to fill out this form until I'm in Canada ready to go to the States? I also read that as soon as I leave the US back to Canada, I can still go back straight away (like a week after), is this true?
Reply to this You can re-enter the States as often as you want, as the 90-day visa is valid from the first day you enter the States. Say you enter May 1st...your visa allows you to stay or re-enter until July 29th. After that, you need a new visa.
As far as entering by bus, it does depend on the border. Some bus routes will have you fill out your paperwork before you reach the border (for example, Vancouver-Seattle), while others have you fill out paperwork at the border (Montreal-NY).
Also, for the visa waiver program, double check you have the right passport. You might need to have the expensive one with the chip. Otherwise, I'm not sure what the options are.
Reply to this Oh, I understand now! I believe the visa paperwork are around $10. I don't know how many times I will be entering the States, so I don't mind paying that a couple of times.
I shall look into that chipped passport, but as long as I can get into the States on my current one, then I don't mind if it's chipped or not.
Thanks for the info guys and happy travelling.
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