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Blog on ESTA visa waiver news and updates

Restrictions for Travelers entering the U.S. from China, Iran, Italy and South Korea

Updated: Jun 07, 2023 | Tags: Border Security, ESTA, COVID-19

COVID-19 Travel Restrictions have been lifted Effective from 12:01 am Eastern Daylight Time on May 12, 2023, foreign individuals traveling on nonimmigrant visas or ESTA are no longer required to demonstrate that they have received a full course of an approved COVID-19 vaccine before boarding an aircraft bound for the United States. To provide some historical context, initial COVID-19 testing rules…

Why does the ESTA Application require Employer Information?

Updated: Aug 24, 2023 | Tags: ESTA Application, ESTA Employment Information

Introduction Employment information is used by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to help determine if ESTA applicants are intending to illegally enter the United States to become economic migrants. The specific section related to this law is in the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act Section 214b. ESTA applicants are required to provide employment information as evidence of having substantial economic…

Visa Waiver Program Arrivals Statistics Between 2014 and 2018

Updated: Jun 14, 2020 | Tags: ESTA Arrivals Statistics, Visa Waiver Program

Introduction The U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) arrivals statistics by country of citizenship from 2014 to 2018 have been analyzed and consolidated in this article. These statistics are released on an annual basis by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the results for 2019 are still being processed. This article will share some of the findings discovered on meaningful results extracted from…

U.S. Travel Restrictions for Immigrants from Nigeria and Five other Nations

Updated: Feb 06, 2020 | Tags: USA Visa Restrictions, USA Visa Requirements

Introduction At the end of January 2020, President Trump announced he was restricting immigration from six new countries including Burma, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), these countries have been added to the list of nations already subject to the existing travel ban because they were not complying with information sharing…

Trump Administration Planning to Extend the 2017 Travel Restrictions

Updated: Jan 28, 2020 | Tags: USA Visa Restrictions, USA Visa Requirements

Introduction At the Davos summit last week, President Trump announced that he was going to add more countries to the controversial 2017 travel ban list under Executive Order 13769. The White House seems to be suggesting that several countries not currently included on the list are no longer complying with US security requirements. While the president did not specify which additional countries would…

Terrorist Travel Prevention Act Impacts on the Visa Waiver Program

Updated: Aug 25, 2023 | Tags: Visa Waiver Program, ESTA Eligibility

Introduction In January 2016, the U.S. government started to implement changes to the Visa Waiver Program through the Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of the previous year. This act aims to exclude citizens of countries deemed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be state sponsors of terrorism, including people from Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria. The act was first amended…

Questions and Answers on Permitted Business Activities under the Visa Waiver Program

Updated: Aug 25, 2023 | Tags: ESTA for Business, ESTA Requirements

This article covers a range of questions and answers on how an ESTA can be used for conducting business related activities in the U.S. while traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). We received a number of the following questions in response to the information on using an ESTA for business purposes and thus have provided more information to travelers with case-specific enquiries. …

Updates on Iranian-Americans Detained at Canadian Border and on the Status of Asylum Seekers Entering the U.S. from Mexico

Updated: Jan 07, 2020 | Tags: USA Immigration, Border Security

Americans of Iranian origin temporarily detained at the border with Canada Iranian-American families are anxious for the future amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. A Muslim rights group claims that over 60 U.S. citizens of Iranian origin have undergone questioning and delays when reentering the United States at the border in Blaine, Washington State. CAIR, the Council for American-Islamic…

How does a country get admitted to the Visa Waiver Program?

Updated: Aug 25, 2023 | Tags: Visa Waiver Program, Border Security

Introduction The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows visa-free travel for over 20 million visitors annually to the United States for citizens of 41 participating countries globally. The VWP uses a multi-layered security system to stop potentially dangerous individuals from entering the USA. These security measures include comprehensive screening before a traveler departs to the United States and upon…

What are the categories of U.S. visas and visa waivers?

Updated: Sep 05, 2023 | Tags: USA Visa Requirements, ESTA Requirements, ESTA Eligibility

Introduction Foreign nationals visiting the United States will need to either obtain a U.S. visa or a visa waiver. The visa application process usually involves submitting a form and passport-style photograph online, paying a non-refundable fee as well as attending an embassy appointment for applicants aged between 14 and 79. The visa waiver application process is conducted entirely online and requires…