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I wish to know if immigration will accept (therefore grant me entry) as an onward ticket say, San Diego to Tijuana on a greyhound bus or the like, something very cheap & simple anyway.
Any advice or help on the matter will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
From the embassy in Tokyo (and it applies to all VWP nationalities):
Could you tell us more about your journey though, from and to where is your flight ticket, how many days do you spend in the US, how many days in Mexico, where do you go from Mexico, when and from where do you eventually go back to Australia?
Flexibility is my goal.
I will be flying fr Australia on an aussie passport. I realize my max stay is 90 days. I don't want to commit to any destination in particular until i've travelled around the states for a while.
I only suggested mexico cause it' was a cheap bus ticket i cld just as easy go to the Caribean or Canada depending on how i feel at the time.
After I'm finished with that part of the world i wish to go to Europe.
Cheers
Then when your onward plans are firmed up, refund that ticket and buy a discounted un-refundable one.
And as noted above - Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean do not count as reset or expiry destinations, in terms of your 90-day limit under WHV entry. And I assume you have your ESTA approval in place?
Alternatively, you can not transit through the US (if you haven't yet bought or can change your ticket),fly to Mexico or Canada directly, and arrive overland. There is no onward ticket requirement for overland entry (see the rule above). You will still need to satisfy the immigration officer you plan to leave within 90 days, as well as abide by Candian/Mexican entry requirements.
The way I read his posts is he intends to travel around North America for a while, more than just US, then eventually at some point head to Europe. If this is the case, buying a r/t to Central America doesn't seem like a good use of money, and would require him to buy his ticket out of the US before that trip if he intends to use the return, or he might not be allowed to fly back.
Probably the best option, but would that mean lying to the immigration officer upon entry?
I don't see why - their intent seems to be to fly on to Europe before the 90 days expire ... having a refundable ticket just means you might want to change the ticket (and the date) - it doesn't mean you are going to change your plans at all - so no lying involved.
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Onward Ticket Quiery
I'm travelling thru the states from Australia on the visa waiver program soon (90 days max) & don't wish the wasteful expense of buying a plane ticket out of the country (just to satisfy customs entry requirements) that i will probally never use.I wish to know if immigration will accept (therefore grant me entry) as an onward ticket say, San Diego to Tijuana on a greyhound bus or the like, something very cheap & simple anyway.
Any advice or help on the matter will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
2
37 CFR 217.2:(c) Restrictions on manner of arrival—(1) Applicants arriving by air and sea. Applicants must arrive on a carrier that is signatory to a Visa Waiver Pilot Program Agreement and at the time of arrival must have a round trip ticket that will transport the traveler out of the United States to any other foreign port or place as long as the trip does not terminate in contiguous territory or an adjacent island; except that the round trip ticket may transport the traveler to contiguous territory or an adjacent island, if the traveler is a resident of the country of destination.
(2) Applicants arriving at land border ports-of-entry. Any Visa Waiver Pilot Program applicant arriving at a land border port-of-entry must provide evidence to the immigration officer of financial solvency and a domicile abroad to which the applicant intends to return. An applicant arriving at a land-border port-of-entry will be charged a fee as prescribed in §103.7(b)(1) of this chapter for issuance of Form I–94W, Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Form. A round-trip transportation ticket is not required of applicants at land border ports-of-entry.
(bold added)From the embassy in Tokyo (and it applies to all VWP nationalities):
If I fly into the U.S. and out of Canada or Mexico, do I need a visa?
It will depend on your itinerary. If you have an onward ticket for each stage of your journey, including the journey between the United States and Canada or Mexico, you may travel without a visa. Should you choose to travel this way, you must be in possession of the tickets for each stage of your journey on your initial entry to the United States. You cannot buy the ticket for the journey between the United States and Canada or Mexico on your arrival in the U.S. If you will depart the U.S. for Canada or Mexico by private transport, you will require a visa.
3
US immigration usually do not ask about an onward ticket, and it is NOT a requirement to apply for entry, HOWEVER, the airline with which you are flying into the US may require one, and this, if anything, is more likely to be a problem with your trip.Could you tell us more about your journey though, from and to where is your flight ticket, how many days do you spend in the US, how many days in Mexico, where do you go from Mexico, when and from where do you eventually go back to Australia?
7
Hi MaxFlexibility is my goal.
I will be flying fr Australia on an aussie passport. I realize my max stay is 90 days. I don't want to commit to any destination in particular until i've travelled around the states for a while.
I only suggested mexico cause it' was a cheap bus ticket i cld just as easy go to the Caribean or Canada depending on how i feel at the time.
After I'm finished with that part of the world i wish to go to Europe.
Cheers
10
Can't you just buy a fully refundable onward ticket (NYC to London, say) before you leave Australia?Then when your onward plans are firmed up, refund that ticket and buy a discounted un-refundable one.
And as noted above - Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean do not count as reset or expiry destinations, in terms of your 90-day limit under WHV entry. And I assume you have your ESTA approval in place?
12
I suggest buying a round-trip ticket to some place in Central America. Spend a few days as a break from the US, somewhere around two-thirds of the way through your 90 days. By that time, you should know when you plan to leave for Europe, and you can buy your onward ticket then. This will allow you to abide by the rules, yet still maintain much (but not all) of your flexibility.Alternatively, you can not transit through the US (if you haven't yet bought or can change your ticket),fly to Mexico or Canada directly, and arrive overland. There is no onward ticket requirement for overland entry (see the rule above). You will still need to satisfy the immigration officer you plan to leave within 90 days, as well as abide by Candian/Mexican entry requirements.
13
I suggest buying a round-trip ticket to some place in Central America.
The way I read his posts is he intends to travel around North America for a while, more than just US, then eventually at some point head to Europe. If this is the case, buying a r/t to Central America doesn't seem like a good use of money, and would require him to buy his ticket out of the US before that trip if he intends to use the return, or he might not be allowed to fly back.
Can't you just buy a fully refundable onward ticket (NYC to London, say) before you leave Australia?
Probably the best option, but would that mean lying to the immigration officer upon entry?
14
Probably the best option, but would that mean lying to the immigration officer upon entry?I don't see why - their intent seems to be to fly on to Europe before the 90 days expire ... having a refundable ticket just means you might want to change the ticket (and the date) - it doesn't mean you are going to change your plans at all - so no lying involved.
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