Visitors for Business or Pleasure (Visa Waiver Country)
Citizens of the countries listed on the previous page may be eligible under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to enter the United States without first obtaining a visa from a United States Consulate if their visit is for 90 days or less. The 90-day period may not be extended, and the visitor may not study or work in the United States.
International travelers who seek to travel to the United States under the VWP are now subject to enhanced security requirements via the online Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and are required to pay an administrative fee. Given the possibility that travel authorization may be denied, Ortega-Medina & Associates recommends that VWP travelers apply for authorization to travel to the United States via ESTA well in advance of their planned travel dates.
Authorization to travel to the United States may be denied based on several factors including, but not limited to, the following:
- Past violations of US visa or immigration laws, including overstays;
- Past arrests, cautions or convictions;
- Medical Inadmissibility, including drug and alcohol abuse;
- Security issues, including name similarities to identified terror suspects.
In the event that you are denied authorization to travel and are referred to an embassy, consular office or diplomatic mission of the United States, Ortega-Medina & Associates strongly recommends that you immediately contact an experienced US immigration lawyer to discuss your options.
Once the ESTA-authorized visitor arrives at the United States border post, an immigration official may issue a form to the visitor, which shows the exit date. The visitor must leave the United States no later than the exit date, or else they will be in violation of the visa, and will risk denial of entry to the United States in the future.
Important : A visitor to the United States may be denied entry by the immigration official at the border if she suspects the visitor intends to remain in the United States. Therefore, it is very important to have in your possession for presentation to the immigration official adequate proof of your intent to leave the United States.
Ortega-Medina & Associates can help you assemble a visitor’s non-immigrant intent package that will substantially reduce the risk that you will be denied entry to the United States.
