USA Immigration: Travel to the USA
If you are planning a trip to the US, there are a couple things you need to know about the USA immigration procedure. You have to follow a number of rules to travel to the US. Make sure to get information about the immigration procedures, visa and other regulations to avoid problems getting in and not being able to enjoy your vacations or make it to your business meeting.
Visa requirements to travel in the USA.
Depending on the purpose of your visit in the USA, you will have to apply for different types of visa. Travelers always apply for a non immigrant visa. What defines you as a traveler? The Department of Homeland Security defines as traveler as any person visiting the USA for a tourist, business or medical visit. Your visit is temporary. Within the category of non immigrant visas, you find different visas for different travel purposes. You can find the list of visa with the description of who they related to under Immigration classifications and Visa Categories Table.
You must apply for your visa in advance. The embassy gets a lot of visa applications every day, so you need to give them enough time to process your application. It is important to understand, how to file your visa application, and fill it out very carefully. An application is easily rejected for any little mistake you make. Be aware that certain visas require an appointment at the Embassy of the USA in your country, and you need to sign up for it at least 1 month before your departure date so that you will get the visa on time. I would recommend at least 2 month, just to be on the safe side. Remember holidays are busy travel dates, and less officers are working. So take this into consideration. Also note that you are required to have an electronic passport to enter the USA that is still valid for 6 months after your departure. So if you don’t have one, you will need to take care of that first, so that your visa can be printed in the right passport.
Visa Waiver Program
35 countries have a special agreement with the US immigration, that allows citizens from these countries to travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. You can find additional information about the US visa waiver program and a list of these countries here. When you are a citizen of one of these countries, you do not have to apply for a visa, but simply fill out the green I94 online and you are good to go!
Be aware, numerous companies have tried to charge travelers for the service. This is a free application, you shouldn’t in any case pay for this. The ESTA is in charge of this service. Use their page to do it. Now what is this application all about? It asks you a series of question about yourself and the purpose of your trip. If you have traveled in the USA before, it is the equivalent of the green sheet you had to fill out on the plane. But still plan to have a pen with you on the plane! As this is a new system, you will still need to fill out the green I94 form on the plane just in case there are any bugs in the system! Make sure you fill it out carefully and try to have the address where you will be staying for the first few nights.
Questioning process at the border before entering the USA.
Once you get off the airplane at the first airport in the US, you will be directed to the US Immigration. At this point you should have 2 forms at hand: your immigration form (green I94 for non immigrant) and the Customs Declaration Form. That last one declares which goods you are bringing into the country. Now you just need to be patient and wait in line. Most likely it’s going to take a while, so remember to plan enough time to catch your connection flight! When you get to the officer that is checking your visa, you will be asked a series of questions. When I said to fill out the forms very carefully previously, I meant really carefully. If the officer can’t read it, or if you missed an answer or scratched out something, you are sent back to the end of the line and asked to fill out the form again. The officer usually asks you, why you are traveling in the USA, how long you are planning to stay, what are you going to do… They are not very patient, so try your best to understand what they ask! Then the officer will take your picture and scan your finger prints ( right thumbs alone, then the 3 other fingers together, and same with your left hand). If there is a problem with your visa, or if they need a special officer to take care of the paperwork you will be sent to an immigration office before getting you bags. He will give you your passport back and you can then get your suitcases at the baggage claim. Welcome to the USA.
During your time in the US, make sure to not lose the green I94 card. Attach or staple it to your passport. Immigration will take it out of your passport once you leave the country to record your departure. If you loose your I94, the US government does not have any record of you leaving the country, so you could run into problems, when you travel to the US in the future.
Although this seems like a long and complicated process, you must understand that there are a lot of people traveling in and out of the country, and the USA immigration must therefore be careful and control it. The regulations to follow to travel in the USA are really not that complicated. You just need to be aware of them and follow them carefully, and everything will be fine. Enjoy an amazing trip to the USA!
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