American Visa

[djf]

Posted this on the previous incantation but didn't get a chance to see if it was answered. I'm going to the US later this year to travel and was looking to stay for around 6 months.

 

I'm aware of the VWP but I really want to stay for more than 90 days.

 

How easy would it be to get a visa for this period? I take it I would have to go to London to collect?

[bertracoon]

Do you want to work? If so you need to get sponsored but can only work in certain jobs (only the one you're sponsored for). If you're wanting to travel and do your own thing it doesn't really work.

 

If you're just travelling then 3 months is all you'll be able to go for unless you never want to go back in which case you can stay longer (illegally) but you'll get a bollocking when you leave and probably won't get back into the country without major major hassle.

 

Hope that helps

 

You can get Visas in London or Belfast. Belfast is usually quieter and takes less time to get it sorted out. London is usually an absolute Ballache

[djf]

Cheers mate

 

I'm not planning on working. If 90 days is the max I can get in one go then i'll just need to see about heading up to Canada or something for a couple of months.

 

Thanks again for the response.

[Brian Whittaker's Tache]

90 days is your max

 

You can go out the country for a week say the caribbean then head back

[bertracoon]

No you canny anymore.

 

Has to be a country further away. Canada and Mexico don't count either.

 

My mate married an American girl in Oct and had major grief with Visas, was warned not to try that "old trick"

[bathgatejt]

Good luck getting past the tsa there like a modern day feking gestapo like to shout a lot and feel u up and there just glorified security guards. 

[moz]

Yip, they really frown upon the old nipping out then coming back routine....I have had about 12-15 trips in the last 2 years for work [well under 90 days] and they quiz me regularly now......especially when they see the holiday stamps from Egypt on my passport..!

One guy at Dublin pre -clearance took delight in a 10 min examination followed with a lengthy Q&A session...!

 

maybe speak to the embassy in London or Belfast...?...

[Bridge of Djoum]

On 1/15/2008 at 14:31, bertracoon said:

Do you want to work? If so you need to get sponsored but can only work in certain jobs (only the one you're sponsored for). If you're wanting to travel and do your own thing it doesn't really work.

 

If you're just travelling then 3 months is all you'll be able to go for unless you never want to go back in which case you can stay longer (illegally) but you'll get a bollocking when you leave and probably won't get back into the country without major major hassle.

 

Hope that helps

 

You can get Visas in London or Belfast. Belfast is usually quieter and takes less time to get it sorted out. London is usually an absolute Ballache

Bert, are you associated with Philly Hearts?

[Bridge of Djoum]

Back in 2008/09 before I moved here I took a sabbatical from work and came to the States for a few months. Kinda like a fact-finder to see if I'd like living here. I did the 3 month VWP then flew home, then 3 days later flew back into Newark. Although annoyed at the fact I'd done this, and the 3 hour questioning by Immigration officials they admitted it's not illegal or an abuse of the rules, just a bending of them. Essentially he admitted unless there is a very good reason to refuse re-entry, they will let you return. I'd also imagine being white, British and pre-Trump helped. 

 

Having said that, personally, I would not go down this route. I don't think for a second if I was from a ''shithole'' country and a shade or 2 darker i'd be treated this way in Trump's America.

 

My good mate is now married to an American, they live in Michigan. Before he moved here he came for 3 months but overstayed the VW by a few days. He returned to the UK no problem but when he tried to return a a couple months later they didn't even let him out of the airport. Held him there for hours then chucked him on the next flight to Heathrow. He was then denied entry into the US for 2 years. His Visa application after that, fiance visa K-1, took a lot longer than it should have. It was a nightmare for him. 

 

In summary it's a very difficult process to stay longer than 3 months. 

[trotter]

Unless you have a sponsoring company, the chances of getting a visa are slim/none. On my second round of an H1B now. 

 

There uses to be a limit of 180 days in a rolling 360 using the VWP but that was gotten rid of. I know this because i travelled back and forward on it for 2.5 years starting in 2012. Only out the country for a few days every 90 days. Never once questioned about it at immigration.

[Hendricks]

56 minutes ago, No Wing Mirrors on Trains. said:

Back in 2008/09 before I moved here I took a sabbatical from work and came to the States for a few months. Kinda like a fact-finder to see if I'd like living here. I did the 3 month VWP then flew home, then 3 days later flew back into Newark. Although annoyed at the fact I'd done this, and the 3 hour questioning by Immigration officials they admitted it's not illegal or an abuse of the rules, just a bending of them. Essentially he admitted unless there is a very good reason to refuse re-entry, they will let you return. I'd also imagine being white, British and pre-Trump helped. 

 

Having said that, personally, I would not go down this route. I don't think for a second if I was from a ''shithole'' country and a shade or 2 darker i'd be treated this way in Trump's America.

 

My good mate is now married to an American, they live in Michigan. Before he moved here he came for 3 months but overstayed the VW by a few days. He returned to the UK no problem but when he tried to return a a couple months later they didn't even let him out of the airport. Held him there for hours then chucked him on the next flight to Heathrow. He was then denied entry into the US for 2 years. His Visa application after that, fiance visa K-1, took a lot longer than it should have. It was a nightmare for him. 

 

In summary it's a very difficult process to stay longer than 3 months. 

 

 

As NWMOT says be careful how you go about extending any trips. It used to be the case that you could simply head to Toronto for a long weekend and come back over the US border, thus resetting your 90 days. Similarly a trip to Mexico would have done the trick!   Not anymore. Now you need to go as far afield as Central or South America or back to Europe before returning. Generally again as NWMOT says you would be fine to do this a couple of times but you can be pulled up and require to explain why you are bouncing in and out. They may want to see that you do not intend trying to work illegally and therefore that you have the funds to sustain yourself or that you have a return flight within your 90 day timescale. If you want to visit the US in years to come whatever you do don't overstay!

[Peebo]

Don’t **** around with visas and overstaying if you ever want to go back, as stated. 

 

I think you can get a B-2 visa which, I believe, are valid for much longer than an ESTA and can allow longer stays for 90 days. Not sure of the ins and outs. I was advised (or encouraged by a costly lawyer) to get one after abandoning my green card, but didn’t bother. Too expensive, and ESTA is fine for me. Would be get a green card quick enough if I want to return.

 

i suspect you’d be better just flying to Costa Rica for a few days, then reentering on an ESTA. 

[Hendricks]

Yep both the B1 and B2 (non-immigrant) visas are a maximum 6 months in duration rather than the ESTA which is 90 days. Both can be extended by a further 6 months.

 

B1 is for business. B2 for pleasure. Need to make an embassy appointment to get either visa in your passport.

[Tommy Brown]

My stepdaughter has just returned from her 90 day visa and got herself  teacher position to go back to.

So, she is in the  process for a return.

[IronJambo]

I'm expecting it to be a ballache the next time I go to the states. Flew home from NOLA straight into my departing terminal in Houston last time and didn't pass through immigration, no doubt they don't have a record of me leaving 

[Peebo]

25 minutes ago, IronJambo said:

I'm expecting it to be a ballache the next time I go to the states. Flew home from NOLA straight into my departing terminal in Houston last time and didn't pass through immigration, no doubt they don't have a record of me leaving 

I don’t follow. What do you think the issue could be?

[trotter]

42 minutes ago, IronJambo said:

I'm expecting it to be a ballache the next time I go to the states. Flew home from NOLA straight into my departing terminal in Houston last time and didn't pass through immigration, no doubt they don't have a record of me leaving 

 

The US don't do exit immigration checks? It's done automatically via your passport at the airport check-in/gate checks. Go to the link below and get your online I-94, you'll see that you were noted as leaving - most likely from IAH. 

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/

 

[Tazio]

2 hours ago, Hendricks said:

Yep both the B1 and B2 (non-immigrant) visas are a maximum 6 months in duration rather than the ESTA which is 90 days. Both can be extended by a further 6 months.

 

B1 is for business. B2 for pleasure. Need to make an embassy appointment to get either visa in your passport.

 

I've just done the usual expensive jumping through hoops to get a 3 week P1 visa. £140 for the visa and about the same to get to London and back for the visa meeting. Also remember that any dealings with the police need to be declared, even if you've never been prosecuted so that's another £45 to get a police form to prove you don't have a criminal record. 

[Peebo]

9 minutes ago, trotter said:

 

The US don't do exit immigration checks? It's done automatically via your passport at the airport check-in/gate checks. Go to the link below and get your online I-94, you'll see that you were noted as leaving - most likely from IAH. 

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/

 

Indeed. Emigration from the US is a bit unusual, as once you are in the country you are in it. No transit areas. They track it all automatically. 

 

I mind once forgetting to do something with I94, and panicking, but it didn’t matter. Can’t mind what you actually did (don’t think they have them any more, right?), possibly hand in the torn off bit? 

[Peebo]

3 minutes ago, Tazio said:

 

I've just done the usual expensive jumping through hoops to get a 3 week P1 visa. £140 for the visa and about the same to get to London and back for the visa meeting. Also remember that any dealings with the police need to be declared, even if you've never been prosecuted so that's another £45 to get a police form to prove you don't have a criminal record. 

What is a P1 visa? 

 

When I got an L1B visa, then a green card, I don’t have to get any proof from the plod. 

[Tazio]

4 hours ago, No Wing Mirrors on Trains. said:

 

 

My good mate is now married to an American, they live in Michigan. Before he moved here he came for 3 months but overstayed the VW by a few days. He returned to the UK no problem but when he tried to return a a couple months later they didn't even let him out of the airport. Held him there for hours then chucked him on the next flight to Heathrow. He was then denied entry into the US for 2 years. His Visa application after that, fiance visa K-1, took a lot longer than it should have. It was a nightmare for him. 

 

 

 

This happened to a chef from my work when him and his fiancé were flying to Vegas to get married, she'd had some visa issues in the past that she thought were sorted but her record in the system hadn't been altered despite her having been sent a letter declaring her all good. And just to make it worse this was not long after 9/11 so they didn't even get the nicety of the next plane back to London and got lobbed on a plane to Paris. 

[Tazio]

1 minute ago, Peebo said:

What is a P1 visa? 

 

When I got an L1B visa, then a green card, I don’t have to get any proof from the plod. 

 

Member of a sporting team or entertainment company considered of exceptional ability. 

 

https://www.immihelp.com/visas/pvisa/p1-visa-entertainment-group-member.html

[Hendricks]

10 minutes ago, Tazio said:

 

I've just done the usual expensive jumping through hoops to get a 3 week P1 visa. £140 for the visa and about the same to get to London and back for the visa meeting. Also remember that any dealings with the police need to be declared, even if you've never been prosecuted so that's another £45 to get a police form to prove you don't have a criminal record. 

 

Interesting. Presumably you are in a profession in which you are seen as ‘elite’? 

 

If its only for 3 weeks why is it necessary to get the visa? Because in essence you will be working whilst here? 

[Peebo]

1 minute ago, Tazio said:

 

Member of a sporting team or entertainment company considered of exceptional ability. 

 

https://www.immihelp.com/visas/pvisa/p1-visa-entertainment-group-member.html

Are you Danny Wilson?

[Tazio]

Just now, Hendricks said:

 

Interesting. Presumably you are in a profession in which you are seen as ‘elite’? 

 

If its only for 3 weeks why is it necessary to get the visa? Because in essence you will be working whilst here? 

 

The visa is an odd one as some sponsors consider it essential and some don't. The main gist of the petition is that you are doing something that a US citizen can't do. 

[Tazio]

Just now, Peebo said:

Are you Danny Wilson?

 

The band or the footballer? 

[Bridge of Djoum]

4 minutes ago, Tazio said:

 

This happened to a chef from my work when him and his fiancé were flying to Vegas to get married, she'd had some visa issues in the past that she thought were sorted but her record in the system hadn't been altered despite her having been sent a letter declaring her all good. And just to make it worse this was not long after 9/11 so they didn't even get the nicety of the next plane back to London and got lobbed on a plane to Paris. 

I have all kinds of stories About getting my Visa. One in particular stands out. When filling out my country of birth I entered ''UK''. I hadn't received a reply in a couple months so I contacted the office that was dealing with my application, I think it was Illinois. I was informed that I couldn't enter ''unknown'' as country of birth. Took me a while to calm doon after that one.

[Bridge of Djoum]

3 minutes ago, Peebo said:

Are you Danny Wilson?

 

[Bridge of Djoum]

3 minutes ago, Tazio said:

 

The visa is an odd one as some sponsors consider it essential and some don't. The main gist of the petition is that you are doing something that a US citizen can't do. 

The answers to this could fill a thread on it's own!

[Tazio]

Just now, No Wing Mirrors on Trains. said:

The answers to this could fill a thread on it's own!

 

It's bloody difficult as sometimes you get pushed into employing a local worker to balance out the staffing and then have the pleasure of having someone around who has nothing to do, all day, every day. The best you can hope for is that they are a nice person and get on with people. Not always the case. 

[Bridge of Djoum]

1 minute ago, Tazio said:

 

It's bloody difficult as sometimes you get pushed into employing a local worker to balance out the staffing and then have the pleasure of having someone around who has nothing to do, all day, every day. The best you can hope for is that they are a nice person and get on with people. Not always the case. 

Any jobs going in your place? Sounds right up my alley that!

[Peebo]

17 minutes ago, Tazio said:

 

The visa is an odd one as some sponsors consider it essential and some don't. The main gist of the petition is that you are doing something that a US citizen can't do. 

Used to crack me up when working over there, as every time my company was bringing in someone on a visa, they’d have to post a job “advert” publically. It would always been pinned up somewhere for as short a period of time as required, but you’d see them if you knew where to look. 

 

The posting would always include salary, which caused some right stooshies.

[trotter]

41 minutes ago, Peebo said:

Used to crack me up when working over there, as every time my company was bringing in someone on a visa, they’d have to post a job “advert” publically. It would always been pinned up somewhere for as short a period of time as required, but you’d see them if you knew where to look. 

 

The posting would always include salary, which caused some right stooshies.

 

Yup, my company did the same. The advert was in the smallest possible font at the bottom corner of the Houston Chronicle for the absolute minimum amount of time it had to be. Obeying the letter, if not the spirit of the law. Probably also helped that I wrote the advert for my own position, which basically stopped just short of saying you had to have the surname Trotter and be born in April '84 to qualify!! 

[IronJambo]

2 hours ago, Peebo said:

I don’t follow. What do you think the issue could be?

I have a friend that was grilled for two hours on arrival on his last trip there as ten years before they had no record of him leaving. They had him down as overstaying and demanded proof that he'd left. When he asked them if that would be the end of it they told him that it would probably be the same next time. 

[IronJambo]

2 hours ago, trotter said:

 

The US don't do exit immigration checks? It's done automatically via your passport at the airport check-in/gate checks. Go to the link below and get your online I-94, you'll see that you were noted as leaving - most likely from IAH. 

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/

 

Interesting, I'll check this out on Monday. A friend genuinely had real hassle because they never knew he had left the country from his previous trip ten years prior. Possibly a different system these days.

 

Edit: it's been 6 years since I left there so my history won't show.

 

[Peebo]

6 minutes ago, IronJambo said:

I have a friend that was grilled for two hours on arrival on his last trip there as ten years before they had no record of him leaving. They had him down as overstaying and demanded proof that he'd left. When he asked them if that would be the end of it they told him that it would probably be the same next time. 

I suspect that even the American authorities had figured out how to improve their systems. As long as your visit wasn’t in the same era, (and post 9/11) you should be alright! 

[IronJambo]

1 minute ago, Peebo said:

I suspect that even the American authorities had figured out how to improve their systems. As long as your visit wasn’t in the same era, (and post 9/11) you should be alright! 

 I think you're giving them too much credit there.

[hughesie27]

Interesting thread bump from 10 years ago.

[Joey J J Jr Shabadoo]

13 hours ago, IronJambo said:

Interesting, I'll check this out on Monday. A friend genuinely had real hassle because they never knew he had left the country from his previous trip ten years prior. Possibly a different system these days.

 

Edit: it's been 6 years since I left there so my history won't show.

 

As Peebo says, it will likely be different systems, post 9/11.

 

My mum (Scottish) and dad (US) came back here in 74. My mum went back to the US a few times up to 9/11 - no problems. After 9/11 she was asked who she handed her green card back to when she left the country in 1974. Like she was gong to remember!

 

She had actually kept her ID to get in & out of Edwards Air force base in her purse (from when she lived there in the 60s & 70s), and it was only because of this (and my dad being ex-military) that she got back into the US in October 2001. 

[Joey J J Jr Shabadoo]

53 minutes ago, Joey J J Jr Shabadoo said:

As Peebo says, it will likely be different systems, post 9/11.

 

My mum (Scottish) and dad (US) came back here in 74. My mum went back to the US a few times up to 9/11 - no problems. After 9/11 she was asked who she handed her green card back to when she left the country in 1974. Like she was gong to remember!

 

She had actually kept her ID to get in & out of Edwards Air force base in her purse (from when she lived there in the 60s & 70s), and it was only because of this (and my dad being ex-military) that she got back into the US in October 2001. 

I missed out a bit, if it's a visitor's visa, you might be OK with different systems pre & post 9/11. If it was to work, you might have a problem.

[Seymour M Hersh]

17 hours ago, Tazio said:

 

The visa is an odd one as some sponsors consider it essential and some don't. The main gist of the petition is that you are doing something that a US citizen can't do. 

 

Or something they have a real shortage of. I remember being quite surprised a few years ago when I read that Physiotherapists would walk in the door without a wait.

[Walter Payton]

Somewhat related subject... In a couple of weeks I'm flying to Vegas, but via Dallas Fort Worth (where we've got just short of 2 hours before the onward flight). I'm guessing we'll have to go through immigration at Dallas, but can anyone confirm whether those heading for connecting flights get priority at immigration control? Obviously the concern is that we miss our connection if there's a long queue at immigration!

[trotter]

Nope, you don't. I've missed several connecting flights because I've had to go to secondary inspection

[Peebo]

4 hours ago, Bring on the Future said:

Somewhat related subject... In a couple of weeks I'm flying to Vegas, but via Dallas Fort Worth (where we've got just short of 2 hours before the onward flight). I'm guessing we'll have to go through immigration at Dallas, but can anyone confirm whether those heading for connecting flights get priority at immigration control? Obviously the concern is that we miss our connection if there's a long queue at immigration!

No priority, typically.

 

Who you flying with? I’ve missed connections a couple of times due to immigration delays, but has been on busy routes where you just get put on the next flight. 

[Hendricks]

5 hours ago, Bring on the Future said:

Somewhat related subject... In a couple of weeks I'm flying to Vegas, but via Dallas Fort Worth (where we've got just short of 2 hours before the onward flight). I'm guessing we'll have to go through immigration at Dallas, but can anyone confirm whether those heading for connecting flights get priority at immigration control? Obviously the concern is that we miss our connection if there's a long queue at immigration!

 

 

You won't but there will be a shed load of Dallas > Vegas flights so in the unfortunate event that you did miss your connection they'd just put you on the next one. Just shift it when you disembark your first plane and get ahead of the majority!

[NANOJAMBO]

8 hours ago, Bring on the Future said:

Somewhat related subject... In a couple of weeks I'm flying to Vegas, but via Dallas Fort Worth (where we've got just short of 2 hours before the onward flight). I'm guessing we'll have to go through immigration at Dallas, but can anyone confirm whether those heading for connecting flights get priority at immigration control? Obviously the concern is that we miss our connection if there's a long queue at immigration!

We did a Manchester to SF flight with a change at Philly. I nearly shat myself when  I read the reviews about delays/immigration/luggage issues at that airport  so booked a flight that allowed a 4 hour layover just in case. In the end, we got through OK after about 90 mins of running  around/getting thru immigration and trying to retrieve our baggage . NB Check whether you have to collect your baggage at Dallas and take it to the Vegas check in yourself. 

 

If you're flying on an ESTA that you've used in the last 12 months (and it's still valid, obviously)  I think they now have electronic readers to reduce queues. We did this on landing in the US a couple of years ago but I can't remember where (JFK ?).

[DarthVodka]

18 hours ago, Bring on the Future said:

Somewhat related subject... In a couple of weeks I'm flying to Vegas, but via Dallas Fort Worth (where we've got just short of 2 hours before the onward flight). I'm guessing we'll have to go through immigration at Dallas, but can anyone confirm whether those heading for connecting flights get priority at immigration control? Obviously the concern is that we miss our connection if there's a long queue at immigration!

 

Depends on airport as well in my experience, I don’t know Fort Worth. Atlanta and Miami are a nightmare, though I’ve been through Newark in 10 mins. it can all depend on how many flights are landing at that time. If you have very young kids most of them pull you to the front though 

[Peebo]

1 hour ago, DarthVodka said:

 

Depends on airport as well in my experience, I don’t know Fort Worth. Atlanta and Miami are a nightmare, though I’ve been through Newark in 10 mins. it can all depend on how many flights are landing at that time. If you have very young kids most of them pull you to the front though 

Missed a three-hour connection flying back to the US through Newark with a six month old, a few years back. Truly horrible experience. Last time i fly in and immediately connect in a US airport, if I can help it. 

[Walter Payton]

Cheers for the replies guys. Booked with BA, but the flights in and out are with American Airlines. Shouldn't be too bad waiting for the next flight if we miss it, but could obviously do without any hassle!

[Peebo]

1 minute ago, Bring on the Future said:

Cheers for the replies guys. Booked with BA, but the flights in and out are with American Airlines. Shouldn't be too bad waiting for the next flight if we miss it, but could obviously do without any hassle!

Dealing with delays/missed connections is standard for such airlines. Eg if originally flight delayed, they will probably booked you automatically onto next available flight before you have even landed.