Urgent information - New Visa requirements

All Travel after the 1st oct 2003 New documentation requirements for entry into the United States.

All passengers to the USA need a machine readable passport (Red UK issue) Full 10 year or 5 year for children, and children CANNOT be named on the parents passport they must have their own or apply for Visa's which is a very lengthy process.

All passports issued by the UK Passport Service are machine readable and can be read by any country that has the equipment to do so. As long as they have not been badly treated.

Please be advised that there will be a change in the documentation requirements for passengers entering and transiting in the United States effective 01 October 2003. From this date all passengers travelling to and from the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) are required to hold a machine readable passport (MRP).

Any person who is a citizen of a VWP eligible country eg: UK and who's passport is not machine readable will need to obtain a U.S. non-immigrant visa prior to arrival. This applies to all persons including infants and children. Children who have been added to a parent's passport will also be required to have a MRP issued in their own name or have a U.S. visa issued to them affixed into the passport in which their name appears.

Please ensure any passengers are aware of these new documentation requirements for entry into the U.S. This law will be fully implemented on 01 October 2003. Passengers will be refused entry if documentation is not correct.

If you are unsure of what documents you require to gain entry to the U.S., you should contact the U.S. consulate:

Operator Assisted Visa Information Service: Call 09055-444-546
Monday through Friday, between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm, Saturday, between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm.
The service is not available on British public holidays. Calls are charged at £1.30/min.

Visa Information

Visitors to Florida from Britain, Holland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland traveling on valid national or EC passports do not need a visa for holiday or business travel of 90 days or less. However, all visitors must hold round-trip or return tickets especially if they enter the US on an airline or cruise line that participates in the no-visa travel program. For longer stays, all international visitors should obtain a B-2 (non-immigrant, pleasure tourist) visa, which is valid for six months.

Citizens of visa exempt countries may visit Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, as well as the Caribbean islands and then re-enter the US by any mode of transportation without needing a visa.

Citizens of countries other than those listed above will require a US visa, which can be applied for through the nearest US embassy or consulate.

In the case of loss of documents, report the loss promptly to your national embassy or consulate in the US, and local police. It is advisable to make photocopies of your passport and other documents, leaving one copy with someone at home, and carrying the other. Replacement of original documents is generally quicker if you can supply photocopy data of the originals.

Types of Visa
We have specialised in four categories of immigrant and non-immigrant visas, these are :

L-1A & L-1B Non - Immigrant - intra company transferees
E -2 Treaty Investment Visa
Green Card Alien Registration Card - permanent residency
H-1 & H-2 Non - Immigrant - Specialised and seasonal visas

Each category listed above is explained in more detail below.

Definitions
The beneficiary of a visa is defined as the individual person who will receive the visa.
The petitioner for a visa is defined as the company in the United States for whom the beneficiary will work.

L-1A and L-1B Non-immigrant visa - Intra company transferee.
The L-1A visa is intended to accomodate the intra company transfer of a managerial/executive employee from an overseas company to a United States affiliated company.
The L1-B visa is intended to accomodate the intra company transfer of an employee possessing specialised knowledge from an overseas company to a United States affiliated company.

E-2 Treaty investor non-immigrant visa.
The E-2 treaty investor visa is made available for persons wishing to invest in business in the United States and thus live and work in the United States in order to develop and direct the business operation established by their investments.

Green Card Permanent residency
The Alien registration card also known as "the green card" is the symbol of permanent resident status. Permanent resident status is available to beneficiaries who have demonstrated significant contributions to the economy of the United States.

H-1 & H-2 Non-immigrant specialized / seasonal visa.
The H -1B non-immigrant visa is available to professionals in specialty occupations who are coming to the United States to work in their fields of expertise. Eligibility requires at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in the specific field in which the beneficiary will operate. The H-2B visa is avalible to foreign, seasonal or temporary workers needed to fill positions for which there are insufficient numbers of avalible, qualified american workers.

Do you qualify for a visa?

If you can answer any of the following questions you may qualify for a visa.

Do you own a business or have a share in a business?
Has that business been in existence for more than a year?
Are you working in a managerial / executive posistion for a company, and have been continuosly employed for 12 months in the last three years?
Do you have in excess of $100,000 to invest in a existing business or a start up business?
Do you have any secondary income e.g. pension / rental property etc.?

We have described the different types of non-immigrant and immigrant visas above, the next chapter explains the steps that you have to take and the procedure to a successful application.

What is the cost of a visa application?

The cost of a typical visa application is between $4,000 and $5,000 (£2,667 and £3,334) for a L, E and H application. The reason for the band is that the basic fee of $4,000 does not include incorporation of a US company which is usually an extra $400 (£267). INS (Immigration & Naturalization Service) fees are also not included as they are not refundable under our money back guarantee, these fees are subject to change but as of October 1999 are $110 (£74)

The cost of a Permanent Residency (Green Card) is $5,000 (£3,334) and also does not include INS (Immigration & Naturalization Service) fees which are subject to change but as of October 1999 are $225 (£150)

Page updated 20th September 2005, all prices, offers, plans and elevations are subject to change without notice!

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