The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is now mandatory for all Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Travelers

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On November 13, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published this notice requiring travelers using the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to obtain authorization to use the VWP through this DHS website for travel on or after January 12, 2009.  Prospective VWP travelers must be prescreened by the DHS through ESTA before travel.  The airline is now required to electronically verify with the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that VWP travelers have an approved travel authorization on file.  Applications must be submitted through the ESTA at least 72 hours prior to travel and authorizations are currently valid for two years.  All VWP travelers must comply, even non-ticketed infants.  However, authorizations merely confirm that VWP travelers are allowed to use the VWP and do not guarantee admission to the US.

Applicants must provide the following information for travel authorization.  Name, sex, date of birth, country of citizenship, country of residence, telephone number, email address, passport number, passport issuance and expiration date, passport issuing country, airline and flight information including boarding city, destination address in the US and must answer the following questions.

A) Do you have a communicable disease; physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict?

B) Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance; or been arrested or convicted for two or more offenses for which the aggregate sentence to confinement was five years or more; or been a controlled substance trafficker; or are you seeking entry to engage in criminal or immoral activities?

C) Are you seeking to work in the U.S.; or have you ever been excluded and deported; or been previously removed from the United States; or procured or attempted to procure a visa or entry into the U.S. by fraud or misrepresentation?

D) Have you ever detained, retained, or withheld custody of a child from a U.S. citizen granted custody of the child?

E) Have you ever asserted immunity from prosecution?

Updated Rule for Third Country Nationals Applying For a Visa in Mexico

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Third Country Nationals may apply for a US visa in Mexico under certain circumstances.  Third Country Nationals (TCNs) are Non Mexican nationals in the United States on temporary visas who wish to apply for a new visa at a US Consulate in Mexico.  The US Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico has announced on November 3, 2008 that it is changing the application procedure as well as the types of visa application it will accept for all Consulates in Mexico for TCNs.

In order to make an appointment for a visa application, the application must either apply online at http://www.usvisa-mexico.com or by phone at 1-900-476-1212.

TCNs Who Can Apply in Mexico are:

Applicants seeking to renew their visa in any category except B1/2 (tourist/business), if the initial visa was issued in the applicant’s country of former residence; and
Applicants seeking to renew their visa in any category except B1/2 (tourist/business), if the initial visa was issued in the applicant’s country of former residence, and a subsequent visa by a consular post in Mexico.

TCNs Who Cannot Apply in Mexico are:

Applicants for B1/2 visas, including renewals are not accepted from third country nationals who are not resident in Mexico;
Applicants who entered the U.S. with a visa issued in their home country and changed status with Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. who seek a new visa in the new visa category;
Applicants who entered the United States in one visa category and are seeking to re-enter the U.S. in a different visa category;
Applicants who have been out of status in the U.S. having violated the terms of their visas or having overstayed the validity indicated on their I-94s;
Applicants who entered the U.S. under the auspices of the Visa Waiver Program; and
Applicants who obtained their current visa in a country other than that of their legal residence.

For further information regarding Third Country Visas, visit our Third Country Visa webpage.