Immigrating to the United States of America
A simple guide to help you get there and set yourself up on arrival
The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens of certain developed countries travel to the United States for up to 90 days without the requirement
of a visa. Any time spent in Mexico, Canada and adjacent islands counts towards these 90 days. If you exceed this 90 day stay you
will have trouble entering the United States in the future, and you may even find yourself in legal trouble.
The requirements
for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) are as follows:
- You must have a return or ongoing travel ticket (or prove that you can afford
one)
- You must be able to show that you have sufficient funds to support yourself financially for the time you will be in the country
- You must have complied with all requirements on prior visits
- Prior to commencing your travels a you must complete the newly introduced online form ("Electronic System for Travel Authorization", or ESTA form), preferably 3 days in advance.
- You must never have been arrested of a serious crime
- You must only be entering the country for tourism or short term business matters
- You must be a passport holding citizen of one the following countries:
- You must be able to show that you have sufficient funds to support yourself financially for the time you will be in the country
- You must have complied with all requirements on prior visits
- Prior to commencing your travels a you must complete the newly introduced online form ("Electronic System for Travel Authorization", or ESTA form), preferably 3 days in advance.
- You must never have been arrested of a serious crime
- You must only be entering the country for tourism or short term business matters
- You must be a passport holding citizen of one the following countries:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, Noray, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
United Kingdom
VISA WAIVER PROGRAM
Electronic System for Travel Authorization form (ESTA)
As of January 12th 2009 this new step is mandatory to the Visa Waiver
Program. This form is used to replace the old I-94W form that was filled out on the plane whilst travelling towards the United States
Once
completed the ESTA form is valid for two years and can be used on multiple occasions during this time (unless the traveller's passport
expires).
Other helpful advice:
If your country is not on the visa waiver eligibility program you will need to apply for a tourist visa
at your local embassy.
If you are asked for the nature of your trip, do not panic. If you have interviews scheduled and have
documents to prove this, the nature of your trip will be "business". If not, say "pleasure", because this is true. Keep it simple.
If
you have not received a job offer before your stay exceeds 90 days you will need to leave the United States and all bordering countries.
Time spent in Mexico, Canada and adjacent islands counts towards your 90 day maximum stay, so you will need to travel overseas. You
may return for another set of 90 days to continue your job search, but you must meet the criteria for the Visa Waiver Program again.
If you have received a job offer you will also need to leave the United States before your stay exceeds 90 days. You may apply
for most visas at any US Embassy worldwide- it does not necessarily have to be one in your home country. However, you cannot apply
at a US Embassy in Mexico or Canada as these countries border the United States. You will need to travel overseas.
Next, visit our pages on finding a job, attaining a work visa and finding accommodation in the United States.
