£67 visa fee needed before you travel to the USA

[Brovion]

I like the bit that says 'on arrival in the US people will have their fingerprints taken'. Suicide terrorists don't have any intention of landing and going through Immigration.

Odd people the Americans. They're the most powerful military nation on earth and yet they're TERRIFIED of the people they're fighting. Look at the way they're treating the prisoners in Guao-thingy-mauto Bay.

 

[tedebear]

Its no different there to the restrictions imposed on normal decent people trying to stay in the UK here...its just that the US are a bit more overzealous about it...

 

[Zeitgeist]

The recent enhanced security arrangements which included the canceling of certain flights to the US, were based on so called "specialist inteligence". Specialist paranoia more like it! We all know how reliable American inteligence is after their data regarding weapons of mass disappearance in Iraq! As usual, the dumbarses who are in charge of US homeland security have got it wrong. Maybe if the FBI had been doing their job properly pre 9/11, none of this would be needed.
Say for example, someone has a passport that expires in Feb 2005. Before that date, that person could travel to the US without a visa. When that person gets issued with an identical passport in Feb 2005, they will require a visa though. Where is the logic with that?! As is the case with most things American, there is no logic! I see no logic in stinging US tourists for a visa who wish to come here. Most Americans don't know what a passport is, let alone a visa. If they want to come and spend their money in this overpriced country, let em come. Why damage our own tourist industry? The Americans are certainly going to damage theirs!

 

[FG aka Football Genius.]

we should charge them the same amount when they come over here better stioll charge everyone that sorta money and use it to clean our country of those illegally over here

 

[bhaexpress]

Jeeze ! I'm in shock, I totally agree with F.G. !!

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Is there not something now that also if you have any conviction, including a speeding fine then our cousins across the pond can refuse you entry?

That's always been the case as far as criminal records goes.

Either you have to apply for a visa, or you lie on the visa waiver scheme form and hope they don't bust you. US officials claim they can check criminal records, but there is some doubt about this as the British authorities have always claimed they have never given any such information out.

I'm the same as BB, I think my passport expires in early 2006, so ideally I'd reapply for it early as I have to travel to the USA in the course of my job. Dammit, if I have to pay £67 for a visa to go there on business, my employer can flaming well fork out for that or I'm staying right here.

 

[bhaexpress]

You don't know the half of it. I have a sick wife in the US who happens to have the misfortune of being a US citizen. Based on a pack of lies from somebody who is about to be convicted of fraud (fact believe me) I am now banned from the US, I cannot see my wife. Oh, incidentally, the fact that I had proof that I am legal have been completely legal make no difference. IT WAS IGNORED, not even looked at. My advice, f*** AMERICA.

You don't have to be a **** to be an American but it sure helps.

 

[Vicar!]

OK My kids and I were transiting from Vancouver to Seattle on Amtrack, when we came across the delights of US immegration. I was put under a lot of pressure with the form filling, this is wrong, that is wrong. Where is the Childs mother? Were you a member of the Nazi party betwenn 39-45 (always gets me that one) blaa blaa

When I explained we all had tickets for the Mariners and were going for a ball game, I was met with 'Well why didn't you say, he then stamped all the forms and could not have been nicer.

Guess you have to play it on their terms.

Vicar

 

[marvin]

That's always been the case as far as criminal records goes.

Either you have to apply for a visa, or you lie on the visa waiver scheme form and hope they don't bust you. US officials claim they can check criminal records, but there is some doubt about this as the British authorities have always claimed they have never given any such information out.

I'm the same as BB, I think my passport expires in early 2006, so ideally I'd reapply for it early as I have to travel to the USA in the course of my job. Dammit, if I have to pay £67 for a visa to go there on business, my employer can flaming well fork out for that or I'm staying right here.

Erm if your going there to work the Wavier scheme does not count.

If working you need a work Visa (apparently Johnathon Pearce needs one to cover the Super Bowl for Ch 5.)

But that aside, its not the cost of the visa that is often the problem, it is that you have to personally go and queue up at the American Embassy and have an interview to get it. Jonathon Pierce has to be at the Embassy 8 am on Monday morning to queue up. He, like me, exclaims 8 am, does it exist!

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

I don't have any proof for this at all, but I bet British muslims have a much harder time getting through US immigration -- biometric passport or not -- than I would, if I were to go.

 

[Sorrel]

As someone says above, the problem is that everyone who wants to go to America, and gets a passport after the 26th of October, will have to queue up at the US embassy.

As for the data they want in the passport - I wouldn't hold out much hope for the UK passport authorities to get it together enough to get it on a passport. If they want to have fingerprints they'll have to fingerprint everyone who applies for a passport in a controlled way. I bet they haven't thought out how they'd do that to the satisfaction of the Americans.

bhaexpress - Your situation sounds awful; I hope you can get something sorted. My brother lives in the USA, and has an American wife, and he has trouble every year due to signing an agreement years ago that he would return to Britain at some point. Once the American Immigration Service have got hold of a case they're a nightmare.

 

[Yorkie]

Not only the American Immigration Service

A lady in Scarborough was born and brought up in Canada. She married a British man in 1951 and has lived here ever since. She has children and grandchildren.

She went with her husband to Amsterdam for a short break and on her return the immigration people collared her.
They asked her to fill out a form and told her she could stay in the country for 6 months.
She protested that she lives here. They said she had no record of leaving the country (how many of us get our passport stamped for European countries) and so she is being treated as a visitor to the country and will be deported after 6 months!!

She was being interviewed on Look North on Tuesday night and has had to get her local MP to look into it.

 

[Storer68]

£67 visa fee needed before you travel to the USA

and for everything else, there's Mastercard


Priceless

 

[US Seagull]

bhaexpress:

I'm sorry that you're having problems, but I'm not that suprised. I don't think there is any way they are going to let you into the country on a visa waiver if they know you are married to a US citizen. They figure you are a dead cert to overstay. You're going to need the right visa which I believe would probabaly be a K-3 visa in your case (details ).
It sucks, but they get very funny about these things.
You probably pissed them off by calling them the INS, they call themselves the USCIS now

 

[Bwian]

Visit Canada instead...much more civilised, has all the same good things as the US and you don't need a visa. Yet!

 

[bhaexpress]

bhaexpress:

I'm sorry that you're having problems, but I'm not that suprised. I don't think there is any way they are going to let you into the country on a visa waiver if they know you are married to a US citizen. They figure you are a dead cert to overstay. You're going to need the right visa which I believe would probabaly be a K-3 visa in your case (details ).
It sucks, but they get very funny about these things.
You probably pissed them off by calling them the INS, they call themselves the USCIS now

ISCIS ? To me they're just a bunch of lying ****s. I spoke to tyhe US Embassy yesterday and they utterly denied what happened. This is in addition to having to wait another month (at least) to get a report about the situation which I am not allowed to see. I have asked my wife for a divorce as I don't want anything to do with the US now.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I have asked my wife for a divorce as I don't want anything to do with the US now.

From what you say, surely once you get a divorce, they'll let you in as a tourist. Or ain't it that simple?

 

[bhaexpress]

From what you say, surely once you get a divorce, they'll let you in as a tourist. Or ain't it that simple?

Here's the catch 22 Lord B, only in America ! I'm supposed to make my application to be with my wife from within the US. However, even if I get a visa its no gaurantee that they'll let me in. What makes me so sick is that I'm far from indigent, I have skills that are actually in demand over there and I am law abiding.

To say it's frustrating is putting it mildly. What's also irritating is that the American Embassy here are about as much use as a chocolate fireguard, they can issue Visas till they're blue in the face but if some INS officer cops an attitude then that's that.