+1 (323) 800 6001Visa Information
Are you planning to fly to the United States? Then here’s all that you need to know about Visa Information, a vital component for any travel from a foreign country.
If you are visiting the USA from a foreign country then you will first of all need a visa, which can be an immigrant visa for a permanent stay in the country, or a nonimmigrant visa for a temporary stay.
The nonimmigrant visas can be obtained for tourism (visa category B-2), business (visa category B-1), or for both combined (B-1/B-2). It is granted for a temporary stay in the country. The visitor visas for birth tourism are strictly prohibited. It has been often seen that people make desperate attempts to obtain visitor visas for the sole purpose of giving birth to a child in the USA so that a naturalized citizenship is granted to the child, and resulting benefits to the child’s parent. The U.S. government keeps a strict watch on such visitors and doesn’t grant them visa specifically for this purpose alone.
A visa is however not required by either citizens of Canada or Bermuda to enter the USA, whether their purpose of visit is for business or tourism temporarily. Those who are citizens and permanent residents of Mexico are required to obtain a Border Crossing Card, also called a “Laser Visa”. The U.S. government has now started providing DSP-150 document (which is a combination of the B-1/B-2 and the Border Crossing Card) aimed at making entry to USA even smoother for the citizens of Mexico.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are the sole authorities to decide whether to grant approval for a visa or not. After you gain entry to the USA, the CBP official will provide you a paper Form I-94 or an admission stamp. The period of stay may also be extended after due approval by the authorities concerned. Overstaying or failing to depart from the United States will however make you out of status and automatically voided under Section 222(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Also, you will be barred future entries in the United States even if in possession of a multiple entry visa voided under the said Act for being out of status. You also won’t be granted visa in the future too.
Even if have a valid U.S. visa in an expired passport it will continue to be valid until its expiration date, unless it is cancelled or revoked. Your valid visa in expired passport may always be used along with a new valid passport to enter the United States.
A visa-free entry for up to 90 days of stay is offered to the citizens of a country participating in the USA’s Visa Waiver Program. Please click (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html) to see more details on Visa Waiver Program. To gain visa-free entry you will need to produce the electronic travel permit ESTA, failing which your entry will be barred. You can apply for ESTA online up to 72 hours before departure. The ESTA is valid for 2 years offering multiple entries on a valid passport within the same period.
Fond Travels strongly recommends that only after finally obtaining a U.S. visa you need to make travel plans or buy flight tickets. It will be your sole responsibility to verify your own travel documents required to legally enter a country or during transit. If you are however denied entry or transit into a country due to lack of proper travel documents then we won’t be accountable or responsible for this in any way whatsoever.