January 2017 Changes Affecting Tourists Visiting USA

[BadPinkTink]

As of January 27 2017 citizens from the following countries have been banned, either on a temporary or permanent basis from entering USA. This ban includes people who travel on ESTA, Green Cards, Work Visa, people who have duel nationality from their birth country and a European country, for example a person like Sir Mo Farrah who is a British Somalian and travels on a British Passport.

The countries are
Somalia
Yemin
Sudan
Iran
Iraq
Syria
Liberia

There is also conflicting information about the online visa waiver program ESTA. There are reports that instead of doing the ESTA online, people will now have to go for interview at the American Embassy.

If you are travelling in 2017 to Disneyland California or Walt Disney World Florida or doing a Disney Cruise where you have to fly to to USA to board your cruise ship, contact your local American Embassy to confirm the status of your visa and to make sure you are still authorised to enter the USA

 

[wilma-bride]

I will leave this post here, since it is informative, rather than political. However, just a reminder that any discussion needs to stay firmly on topic or the thread will be closed and deleted.

 

[BadPinkTink]

@wilma-bride thank you, I know Dis rules so I tried as best as I could to write an informative posts with facts. At the moment the status of my own tourist visa is unclear, My country is part of the ESTA Visa Waiver Scheme and I have an ESTA authorized for travel from April 2016 to April 2018. I retrieved my application yesterday Saturday 28 January and its still showing authorised for entry. In a few weeks time, when the media hype has died down a bit I am going to ring the American Embassy here in Ireland just to get direct confirmation that I can still enter the USA. Honestly though I wont feel calm until I am on the plane in Dublin airport and have the Authorised For Entry stamp in my passport from Homelands Security Pre-Clearance in Dublin Airport.

 

[MrsIncredible1974]

I applied for our ESTAs on Saturday, in blissful ignorance of the Executive Order which had been signed...
Applications were approved within an hour albeit we didn't receive an email confirming the decision which I thought we had previously??? I may be confused with the system for Canada though.
Do you have dual nationality @BadPinkTink?

 

[BadPinkTink]

@MrsIncredible1974
I dont remember getting an email when my ESTA was approved, the approved screen just came up, which I printed. No I dont have duel nationality, the changes which could affect me is the ESTA process in the future. I have read reports about the online system changing to back to in person interviews at American Embassy's.

 

[Diz22]

Can I ask where you heard the rumours?
An ESTA is an electronic authorisation to travel under the visa waiver program.
It has only ever been necessary to visit the US embassy to obtain a visa.
I don't see why this would change, if you're eligible for the visa waiver program then your esta would be approved, as always, on line and be valid for 2 years or less, if the passport expires within 2 years.
Prior to the electronic system and paying the $14, immigration cards were completed prior to entry, usually given out by the cabin crew during the flight. This was the visa waiver allowing you to stay in the US for a limited time without needing a visa.
Homeland security run the visa waiver/ esta program
US embassy deal with visa applications.
The 2 are different.
I can not find any information to suggest that has changed.

ETA If you provide an email address you will get a reminder when your ESTA is due to expire but no confirmation of approval - it's up to you to check your status.

 

[disneyholic family]

if you only hold only one passport and that passport isn't from one of the banned countries, you shouldn't have a problem - even if you were born in one of those countries...
the complicated issue is for people holding two current passports, with one of them from a banned country.
if you have a passport from one of the banned countries and you're traveling to the US during the 3 month ban, it may be a good idea for you to consult someone in authority (not sure who - maybe the US embassy?)

 

[mackay_j]

On a similar vein does anyone know if this is having any effect on connection flight timing (immigration clearing times). I am not staying in Florida next trip but I am transiting through Miami on route to the Caribbean and I have quite tight connection times.

I am also a bit concerned about my way back as I am visiting a few countries including Cuba. So on my way back I fly Cuba- to Miami via Grand Cayman so now hoping this wont be a future target and create a problem for me - who knows what is next.

 

[disneyholic family]

On a similar vein does anyone know if this is having any effect on connection flight timing (immigration clearing times). I am not staying in Florida next trip but I am transiting through Miami on route to the Caribbean and I have quite tight connection times.

I am also a bit concerned about my way back as I am visiting a few countries including Cuba. So on my way back I fly Cuba- to Miami via Grand Cayman so now hoping this wont be a future target and create a problem for me - who knows what is next.

do you mean are the lines longer now?
has the wait time increased?

were you born in a banned country? do you have a passport from a banned country?
those are the groups that are being delayed..
while i assume it does slow the line down, i believe that miami uses the kiosk machines, doesn't it?
so theoretically, if you're not one of the banned groups, it shouldn't impact you too much..
also, things should smooth out as passport control becomes more familiar with what's ok and what's not..

as for future issues - that's always true in travel...nothing new in that...
it's the responsibility of every tourist to keep up on what's happening in the world that might affect them...

(more than once we've found ourselves either on the wrong side of a coup or in the middle of one)...

 

[mackay_j]

I have never been to Miami so good to know they use the kiosk BUT I am in a wheelchair can they go through that way - I have never used a kiosk before. I have only a UK passport I was just wondering about the length of the queues and the time taken to clear customs (last time in Orlando was hrs without any added issues). I have only 2.5hrs between flights (there was no choice to increase as it was a thomascook flight Man to Grand Cayman (one of their new trial routes) so the layover time was set by them). I am going to contact them to check what happens if we do not make the 2nd flight (which is a cayman airways fight and the last one of the day)

 

[Sencybil]

We flew into Miami in October. There are a lot of kiosks, and I'm very sure that they were accessible to wheelchair users. We had no queue at all, just walked up to a free machine, but as that was my first experience of Miami I can't say if that was typical or not. I went to one machine and did mine and my daughters processing no problem (first time using kiosk). Hubby went to another and completely failed to follow instructions even with 3 attempts! We then all had to queue for a manned desk for him to be processed manually which took a while. My guess would be that if you are able to use the kiosk successfully there won't be longer waits due to the new restrictions, but if not then the queue for a manned desk could quickly become very lengthy. When using the kiosk, just take your time and read the instructions, the hardest part is getting your fingers in the right place for the fingerprint scan. Other than that, easy peasy.

Hope that helps!
Sencybil.

 

[disneyholic family]

I have never been to Miami so good to know they use the kiosk BUT I am in a wheelchair can they go through that way - I have never used a kiosk before. I have only a UK passport I was just wondering about the length of the queues and the time taken to clear customs (last time in Orlando was hrs without any added issues). I have only 2.5hrs between flights (there was no choice to increase as it was a thomascook flight Man to Grand Cayman (one of their new trial routes) so the layover time was set by them). I am going to contact them to check what happens if we do not make the 2nd flight (which is a cayman airways fight and the last one of the day)

my mom's in a wheelchair and she's always able to use the kiosks in detroit, so i assume it's the same in miami..

as for waiting time - orlando is notoriously slow...i don't know why....yes, they get big planes all at the same time, but so do other airports, so i don't understand why they're so very slow...

miami is also a major international hub but they seem to be faster than orlando...

2.5 hours is a squeeze...are your flights on the same ticket or different tickets?

 

[mackay_j]

I bought the ticket from thomascook when they advertised their new man to cayman service so I assume that although the 1st is a tc flight to miami and the 2nd is miami to cayman with cayman airways that I am booked all they way through and I hope that they will cover me if I don't make the flight. My confirmation says Man to gcm via miami

 

[disneyholic family]

I bought the ticket from thomascook when they advertised their new man to cayman service so I assume that although the 1st is a tc flight to miami and the 2nd is miami to cayman with cayman airways that I am booked all they way through and I hope that they will cover me if I don't make the flight. My confirmation says Man to gcm via miami

so you should be ok whatever happens!

 

[mackay_j]

And I tempted fate by typing on here, Reuters have just announced Trump is to review Cuba policies - Now which way will it go? I think I will leave buying my Cayman- Cuba flights for a few weeks, we may end up just staying with our family in Cayman but I wanted to take my DH for his 50th to mainly see Havana and the old .

 

[disneyseniors]

I can understand anxiety. However, this is a temporary ban for 3 months, until homeland security can figure out how to keep illegals out of the country. I am all for screening and that it is a sad part of this day and age. This will be worked out to everyone's advantage. I think the days of anyone and everyone without vetting is past, and all due to our current times an worldwide situations. After it all settles, I feel that people legally entering the country will be the main point.

 

[disneyholic family]

And I tempted fate by typing on here, Reuters have just announced Trump is to review Cuba policies - Now which way will it go? I think I will leave buying my Cayman- Cuba flights for a few weeks, we may end up just staying with our family in Cayman but I wanted to take my DH for his 50th to mainly see Havana and the old .

the cuba travel ban in the past was on US citizens, not foreigners...
i know lots of people who've visited cuba over the years....
and they never seemed to have any trouble getting into the US...
but none of them were american citizens...

when trump says he's reviewing the cuba policies it has to do with opening relations with cuba...there are many who were very upset that obama opened up relations with cuba without demanding anything in return...

if trump shuts it down again, presumably US citizens will again not be able to visit cuba...
but if you're not an american, it shouldn't affect you...

by the way, my friends who've visited cuba were very disturbed by what they saw, so i don't know if it's such a great place to visit...