Starting January 12, 2009, Pre-Travel Authorization Required for Foreigners to Enter U.S. Under Visa-Waiver Program

Yes, this is still the Disney blog. You haven't found some US Immigration website.

I'm highlighting this because Disney gets a lot of visitors from Europe, and especially the UK, not to mention, a huge contingent coming in from Canada (this new regulation doesn't apply to them). So in case that there are visitors planning on visiting WDW or Disneyland after January 12, this new regulation will apply to them. Hopefully, it doesn't create too much of a hassle.

The Department of Homeland Security has finalized a rule requiring all foreign nationals who wish to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to obtain permission from the Department's Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before embarking on their travel. The rule takes effect January 12, 2009.

The VWP allows citizens of certain countries to visit the United States for business or pleasure for up to 90 days without first obtaining a nonimmigrant visa. The countries currently enrolled in the VWP are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lichtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

ESTA is an automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the VWP. It requires the same information as the paper I-94W form that VWP travelers currently fill out immediately prior to their entry to the United States. ESTA was created as part of the Implementing the Recommendations of the 9/11 Act of 2007.

ESTA applications can be completed at www.cbp.gov/esta. The website is already operational. Travel authorization is valid for two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever comes first. A visitor may make multiple entries to the United States during an authorized period. There is no fee for the ESTA application.

ESTA approval does not guarantee admission to the United States. In all cases, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer will still question the traveler upon entry to make a determination as to admissibility. If an individual is denied authorization under ESTA, he or she will be required to apply for a visa at a U.S. consular post abroad.

Canadians may enter the United States for business or pleasure purposes without a visa but are not part of VWP. This new requirement does not apply to them.

Zz.

Disney's Lobbyists Win Visa Victory

It looks like a Disney-pushed measure to include more countries in the visa-waiver program might be signed into law.

Under the new law, more countries could qualify to send tourists to the United States without visas for up to 90 days. Only 27 nations can do that now, but tourism officials hope others will be added if required security improvements are made.

"The easier we make it to travel to Orlando, the better," said Danielle Courtenay, who does global publicity for the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The group has targeted Brazil and Argentina as two countries where it wants to expand tourism.

Oh great! We're going to have more Brazilian high school kids at the park!

:)

This certainly is quite a change in policy, considering that just a year ago, there was talk of reducing or even eliminating the visa-waiver program after several UK citizens were involved in highly-publicized terrorist acts. Signing this into law would certainly open up a large portion of the world that could potentially be more inclined to visit Orlando/WDW.

Zz.

US Looks at Disney To Change Image

This is a no-brainer. Since Sept. 11, tourism from international visitor has dropped significantly. With the poor image of the US among many, this simply adds to the drop. The process of applying for a visa, and the non-welcoming atmosphere at various airports simply are scaring many visitors away from the US.

This report indicates the effort being done by the Homeland Security and the Dept. of State in changing that by consulting with Disney and other theme park operators. However, as far as I can tell, it certainly hasn't amounted to anything substantial. Until this is implimented across the board, and immigration officials treat visitors with more respect, the impression will remain. And the strange thing is that having these officials simply smile or being friendly while they do their jobs isn't THAT difficult either! That is certainly a simple FIRST STEP in all of this and could easily make an impact to these visitors.

Zz.

Visiting US Among the Worst Process

Considering how much places such as WDW depends on international tourists, it is difficult to know why this remains such a tedious process, even years after Sept. 11. A survey of international visitors indicated that the process of getting into the US was one of the worst experience, including rude and arrogant officials. That is hard to comprehend. While it is difficult to change the process itself, that last part on the attitude of US visa and immigration officials, either at the various US consulates and at entry points, should be corrected immediately.

It is interesting to note that once these visitors got past their bad introduction, their experience improved considerably. It's too bad that many simply would not even attempt to apply for a visit simply because of the hassle of the process.

Zz.