LEGAL MATTERS MATTER

New  rules  went  into  effect  recently,  which  require  people traveling  to  the United States under the “visa waiver program” to register online  in  advance,  instead  of filling out paper forms in fight or at the airport. This will  include citizens from 35countries who don't require a visa to  enter  the United  States,  and  this includes Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brunei, Singapore and some European countries.

This  new  program,  designed  to improve US  security,  has  been  voluntary  since  August  but  became mandatory  early  in  January,  with travelers  being  asked  to  fill  out  the online  forms  at  least  72hours  in advance of traveling.  Some unscrupulous websites are charging fees for  this service, which is designed to be free of charge. People can apply for travel authorization at any time, and about  14,000  applications  per  day are currently being received.

Travelers filling out the online  form will be  told whether  their request  is  authorized,  denied  or pending, and  those who are marked "pending"  must  check  back  in 72hours to see if they have been approved,”  he  said. People whose  application is denied must apply to the US consulate for a visa, and  the US Congress has mandated this change.

There  is no  fee  for  the  service,  and these  travel  authorizations  are  valid for two years.

The US Consul General  in London,  the  Honorable  Derwood Staeben,  stated  that  nearly  all  applications would be approved in less than  10  seconds,  and  that  travelers would  not  be  required  to  give  any more  information  than  is  already requested  on  the  paper  immigration forms, which are now being replaced. He went on to say that "The important change  is  that we're automating  the  existing  process  and  requiring it to be done in advance, with the  response  time  generally  being about 4 seconds.”