What Is A Visa Waiver?

If you're planning to come to the U.S. for tourism or business, are willing to leave within 90 days, haven't been denied past visas or violated their terms, and come from a country that does not have a history of illegal immigration to the U.S., you may be able to avoid formally applying for a visa before your trip. A so-called visa waiver ("VW") is available to people from the following countries currently participating in the Visa Waiver Program: Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Untied Kingdom.

Each visitor who enters under the a VW must arrive with a transportation ticket to leave the United States. They must also present what's called a machine readable passport, that is, one with two lines of scannable characters at the bottom of the biographical information page. The passport must be good for at least six months past the date of entry. Entry under a VW is permitted on land through Canada or Mexico, but qualifying visitors must show evidence at the border of sufficient funds to live in the U.S. without working.

When you enter the U.S. under a VW, you will not be permitted to change your status to another nonimmigrant classification or apply for a green card without first leaving the country. However, there is an exception for a person who marries a U.S. citizen for are the unmarried children or parents of a U.S. citizen.

Participation in a VW is optional, not a requirement. Those people from countries qualifying for VW can still get standard visitor's visas. You will have more flexibility and rights once you enter the U.S. if you come with a valid visa.