US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver program

[kamchatsky]

US visa waiver program: Rule change for some Australians

___________________________________________________________________


AUSTRALIANS who have recently visited some countries in the Middle East will no longer be able to use the United States visa waiver program, under changes to take effect immediately.

Those who have travelled to Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria on or after 1 March 2011 can no longer enter the country under the program due to changes introduced overnight under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act 2015.
The rule also applies to nationals of those countries, although limited exceptions are available for those who travelled for military or diplomatic purposes.
It means those travelling to the US who also hold a passport from any of the four countries named will have to apply for a visa through the regular process at an embassy or consulate. Those who already have valid Electronic System for Travel Authorizations (ESTA) will have them revoked.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the government has updated the Smartraveller website to advise of the changes.

(see link for full article)

 

[Himeno]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

Notice how that video talked about CBP, while showing TSA?
Some of the politician sound bites made me laugh.

Quite a stupid change. It won't really do much of anything. Anyone planning to go to the US for reasons they suggest would have other ways of doing so.

Doesn't affect me, provided they don't add UAE, Jordon or Qatar to the list. I wonder if they count transits where you don't leave the airport under this rule.

 

[get me outta here]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

If they do include the UAE, hopefully research will show how many people go to / transit there.

Notice how that video talked about CBP, while showing TSA?
Some of the politician sound bites made me laugh.

Quite a stupid change. It won't really do much of anything. Anyone planning to go to the US for reasons they suggest would have other ways of doing so.

Doesn't affect me, provided they don't add UAE, Jordon or Qatar to the list. I wonder if they count transits where you don't leave the airport under this rule.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

If they do include the UAE, hopefully research will show how many people go to / transit there.

Would Transiting through the UAE still count? I mean you don't actually go through immigration control in that case - how would they ever know?

 

[get me outta here]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

Well, you just never know what type of irrationality may come up.

Would Transiting through the UAE still count? I mean you don't actually go through immigration control in that case - how would they ever know?

 

[blackcat20]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

Would Transiting through the UAE still count? I mean you don't actually go through immigration control in that case - how would they ever know?

I wouldnt think so; if you transit you dont enter the country, so no record of you ever being there.

 

[Himeno]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

I wouldnt think so; if you transit you dont enter the country, so no record of you ever being there.

Flight records - which airlines are required to submit to many border agencies.
US DHS would know, at minimum, that I've check in for US bound flights in South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, Netherlands and Hong Kong and have departed the US to Australia, New Zealand, UK, Italy, France, Spain, Jordon, Qatar and Canada.
I've only been in Amman for a 15 hour overnight connection and Doha for a 7 hour connection and didn't enter Qatar. But CBP would know that I've flown to DOH and if Qatar was to be added to this list, then that might be enough for them.

 

[UP4014]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

I can understand why they doing it. No biggie.


Matt

 

[ausfox]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

I don't know why they worry. On the entry declarations entrants state that they are not going to commit a crime.
Isn't this enough anymore. What happened to the good old days when your word was good.

 

[Himeno]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

I don't know why they worry. On the entry declarations entrants state that they are not going to commit a crime.
Isn't this enough anymore. What happened to the good old days when your word was good.

You mean when they expected people to answer "yes" to the question "Are you a naz_? Did you work for the german army in WW2?"

My current ESTA was issued a few months before they added the extra questions in late 2014. I'll have to get a new one later this year.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

Surely its about time they included the question "Are you Donald Trump and/or Sarah Palin" on the form..

 

[Bolthead]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

ESTA.... the visa to have when you're not having a visa.

 

[Hvr]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

Would Transiting through the UAE still count? I mean you don't actually go through immigration control in that case - how would they ever know?

Well the USA doesn't actually allow transits, if your plane lands there you must go through immigration procedures.

 

[Dudditz]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

This one is an issue for me as I visited Iran in November and am travelling to the US in March. Thankfully I do have exactly 6 weeks but I need to clarify the application process and if so it's a $224 AUD hit to the pocket and means the USA just became a far less lucrative place to visit in the future.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

This one is an issue for me as I visited Iran in November and am travelling to the US in March. Thankfully I do have exactly 6 weeks but I need to clarify the application process and if so it's a $224 AUD hit to the pocket and means the USA just became a far less lucrative place to visit in the future.

Could pay a little bit more and get a 5 year visa given that you'll have to apply for a visa every time you want to visit the US. Lets hope they don't add any additional ME countries into the list.

 

[dajop]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

If they do include the UAE, hopefully research will show how many people go to / transit there.

I think if it gets the point where UAE is added to the list, it's almost game over. Certainly I'd imagine QF would have long since stopped flying there by then.

Until then no point in wild speculation. At the moment it has Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan, three of which have very problematic recent histories and one of which has been an enemy of the US for a long time now.

 

[footy99]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

I'm OK with those countries. If they add Jordan, Egypt, Libya, UAE or Qatar, it will be a pain.

Although as a sidenote, having recently renewed my passport, none of my previous travels appear on it. Do they have another way to check this stuff?

 

[SeatBackForward]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

Well the USA doesn't actually allow transits, if your plane lands there you must go through immigration procedures.

UAE

This is about transiting through specific countries.

 

[n7of9]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

Doesn't affect me, provided they don't add UAE, Jordon or Qatar to the list..

Last time I went to the USA I was hassled over my Jordan visit a year earlier. It makes it worse that they're so xenophobic (ignorant?) that saying "I wanted to see Petra" means absolutely nothing to them

 

[juddles]

Re: US Visa Waiver Changes: Some Australians no longer able to use US visa waiver pro

Last time I went to the USA I was hassled over my Jordan visit a year earlier. It makes it worse that they're so xenophobic (ignorant?) that saying "I wanted to see Petra" means absolutely nothing to them

n7of9, that is a tad unfair or unreasonable. Do you expect every person to know every attraction in every country and what they mean??