The Government of the United States of America has introduced the Visa Waiver Program or the VWP simply for making it easier for the business professionals to visit the US without facing many problems. It is an initiative on the part of the government to increase revenues for businesses in the US. This is because with more and more business professionals visiting the country, there would be a rise in the income and the growth of the economy. The individuals who get their Visa Waiver Program application approved will not have to go through the process of filing for the B-1 visa for entering the United States. This way businessmen can easily arrange quick trips to the nation either for professionals or commercial events like conferences and agreement negotiations.
What is Electronic System for Travel Authorisation?
The automatic procedure that determines whether an individual is suitable for a trip to the US is called ESTA or Electronic System for Travel Authorisation. This system is run under the Visa Waiver Program. However, the eligibility of an individual to visit the United States is not determined by ESTA. The officers of the US Customs and Border Protection are the ones who decide the admissibility of travellers to the US only upon their arrival.
Several questions for which proper answers need to be provided are the main features of the Visa Waiver Program application. Travellers to the United States are also required to furnish their biographical details.
Enrolling in the US-Visit Program
With the Visa Waiver Program in place, citizens of all eligible countries are just required to get authorisation from the ESTA before making their visits to the United States. The US-Visit program not only helps in preventing identity fraud but is also of good help to the government when it comes to identifying foreign citizens who have stayed for a very long time in the United States.
Currently, the citizens of 36 countries have the eligibility of coming to the United States for business purposes of temporary nature. However, deciding on the eligibility of a country is completely dependent on the US government. Even if a country meets all eligibility requirements, it might still be turned down. Things such as security measures, border control, counter-terrorism standards and data sharing are taken into account by the US government prior to offering eligibility. Some prominent countries with VWP eligibility include:
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- France
- Brunei
- South Korea
- Japan
It is quite convenient for the citizens of VWP eligible countries to apply for US visa. The students visiting the United States for education purpose can apply for their respective visas.
The Visa Waiver Program by the US government is an initiative towards enabling businessmen to make easy entries into the United States for business purpose. The very best option for the travellers would be choosing the right online sources that can help them in submitting fast and error-free ESTA applications. Going the online way is always safe, secure and highly advantageous.