15

Approved carriers are exclusively airlines and cruise lines.

With a one way ticket (or a long term round trip one) you may not get on the plane to the US in the first place. Airlines are the first line of defence in the visa waiver enforcement and if they think you will be refused entry you will be refused boarding

16

thanks heaps for your speedy replys, thats confirmed it for me, looks like its the visa road then =)

17

Can you not fly from LAX (or wherever) to somewhere in Central America, so Belize but not Mexico, and then get a flight from there to wherever in Mexico you wish to start your land travel? Depends on costs I guess, versus the visa and bus cost / inconvenience.

18

fair point and I'll definately investigate it but a quick check on jetabroad.com puts a LA to Belize flight at $850 Aust as opposed to 350 for Cancun, and my quoted round the world has the maximum miles allowed already. ill do some more research, good suggestion

19

Good answers. I have some questions.

My brother in law will be coming alone, and can't speak more than a few words of English. He'll be staying with my wife and I for 90 days.

1. Really, how much money does he need to show? He will probably bring cash. Right now, he has about $1000 US (1,000,000won Korean).
2. Does he need to convert all the money to US dollars, because the immig officer won't know exchange rates?
3. He is coming by plane. Some of the web sites seem to suggest there's no requirement to show sufficient funds if you have a round trip ticket - they indicate that only for by-land visits. Is that so?

In practical terms, does he need:
4. Travellers Health Insurance?.
5. Some kind of letter from employer showing a Full Time Job Waiting at Home - that he's on holiday? It would be in Korean, but we might be able to get it translated.
6. A written letter from my wife and I, inviting him to stay in our home for 90 days, at no cost?
7. A current Apartment Lease (showing dates)? It would be in Korean - not English, but the dates might be good.

In other words, does anyone really know from experience, exactly what he'll need?

20

#19, your answers:
1 It's not a set amount--it's a judgement made made by the official he gets. Simply showing a credit card could work... or not. However, I am fairly certain $11 per day won't help his chances.
2. No.
3. Yes, he must show sufficient funds, regardless.
4. Not for entry, but it would be wise.
5. That will be very helpful, if translated.
6. This could be helpful, or could get him denied. No way to know.
7. Could also be helpful, if translated.

"Experience" in this case doesn't matter. One tourist can show up with $100 per day with all those letters and be denied entry, whereas another could show up with $50 per day and none of those letters and get in. There is no way to know for sure until he gets here what will happen.

Read FAQ 252 for further information, including the link he needs to apply.

21

Be sure he registers online before traveling. If he is pre-approved, his entry is still not guaranteed, but the chances certainly increase. If he is not pre-approved, he cannot enter without a visa or clearing up other problems (such as having the same name as someone who is on a terrorist list.) Electronic System for Travel Authorization. Note that although the help information is available in Korean, he must "provide all responses in English." You may want to review the application and help him fill it out. You can also fill it out for him. "An application may be submitted by a third party on behalf of a Visa Waiver Program traveler." In that case, you should review everything so you can collect all the right information.

If his English is so poor that he cannot answer questions at Immigration, then the airline that flew him in will be asked to provide a translator.

22

So, great thread. There must be an anser to this mess.

My situtation: I am Swedish. I live in Mexico. I am currently in the US on business for two months, then back to mexico for a few monhts, and the the US again. I will need to travel back and forth between USA and Mexico, staying about 2 month at the time at each place. I mean I do not go to Mexico in order to renew the waiver, I go because its part of my job.

Is there anyway I can know if this works, i.e. re-newing the waiver every time, or will it be a gamle every time I go??

Thankful for answers and links that helps clear this mess out.

23

This is the kind of situation where a full B1/2 business/tourist visa is a good idea You want to be sure to get the combined visa, so that you can come to the US for work or toruism. It is good for multiple entry over 10 years, for most people. On each entry, you will usually be given 180 days. You can apply in Mexico, since that is where you live.

If you also hold Mexican citizenship, you can apply for a Border Crossing Card

Each tie you cross into the US, it is up to the immigration official whether or not to let you in. There is no fixed amount of time you must be gone from the US or fixed number of times you can come under the waiver during a year, the official may question why you are coming so frequently. It is, as you say, a gamble

24

Hi everyone

This thread has already been of great help, so thanks for the contributions ;)

My case seems to be slightly different so if someone could confirm that I should be fine it would be much appreciated. I shall be studying in the US as an exchange student for a semester and travelling in Central America for some time before that. Plans are as follows:

Fly into New York from Europe, entering on the visa waiver program. Certified carrier and all
Travel overland to Miami (2 weeks)
Fly to Panama
Travel for 3-4 weeks overland to Mexico (Cancun)
Fly from Mexico to Miami, entering US on J-1 visa around 2 weeks before the exchange programme begins
Fly back home after 4 months

If I understood correctly, I should be good as long as I hand in my I-94 card before leaving for Panama, right?

25

You will not get an I-94 form. That has been discontinued for Visa Waiver arrivals by air. The immigration officer will simply stamp your passport.

When you fly to Panama, your airline will give the US a list of everyone who is onboard. The US will match that to the list of people admitted under the waiver, and record you as having departed.

If you want to be absolutely sure there are no problems, keep pieces of paper that show you were in Panama. Airline ticket stubs. Receipts that show you made a purchase in Panama. Hotel receipts, etc.

Don't forget to get your ESTA pre-clearance. You can't board your flight to the US without it.

---

Nutrax

The plural of anecdote is not data.

26

Hi, I am a German citizen and am currently in the U.S. under the VWP.

I am an art student in Illustration working on my Master's thesis project. I was originally admitted to the US with a Student Visa to do an exchange study at a US university for one semester. I went to Canada for two months after the Student Visa expired and then returned by bus and was admitted under the VWP. The green I-94W form I got from Customs expires on June 22nd, but I have planned my travel in the US to go beyond that date.

My plans are to drive from Rhode Island to the west coast during the summer and then I plan to stay with a friend in the Midwest. I have a booked flight back to Germany in the middle of August. The friend is a US-born citizen and the same person I will be traveling with, so she would be there each time at border control to vouch for me. (Does this have any effect?)

My question is, if we drive to Canada and I have a US citizen who is vouching for me, proof of sufficient funds, and proof of an airline ticket departing from the US within 90 days, how likely is it that a customs officer would re-admit me under the VWP program?

Also, how would I make sure that the US has recorded proof of my departure from the US so things move more smoothly upon my attempted re-entry into the United States from Canada? And how long would we have to stay in Canada before re-entry?

Any help or insight on this would be very much appreciated.

Thank you!
Ulrike

27

By rule, hopping the border does not reset your clock. You need to leave 'North America' (US, Canda, Mexico, and Caribbean) to do so.
However, all officials have discretion, so you could be let back in. If you do this before your time expires, you would likely be let back in for the remainder of your time, not for a new 90 days.

I'd suggest taking a trip to Central America.

Also, in the future, please start your own thread rather than revive and hijack an old one.