Visa Application – Conferences and Symposia

Notes for Guidance

 

These notes presume that non-U.S. citizens/residents traveling to the U.S. for attendance at Conferences and Symposia hosted at Fermilab do so for this reason only. The guidance offered may not be appropriate for plans that include visits to other institutions, vacations or other objectives. (The Conference organizers may be able to offer advice on appropriate visas when there are additional objectives.)

           

Where a Conference or Symposium is the only objective, we believe that a B-1 (Business Visitor) visa is appropriate. Dependent on citizenship, the visitor may not need to apply for a B-1 visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate but may be admitted to the U.S. under the equivalent "Visa Waiver Program." It should be understood that regardless of whether a B-1 visa or the Waiver program is used, admission to the U.S. as a Business Visitor is for the same objective and such visitors are subject to the same requirements/obligations. Whichever option is used, visitors should ensure that admission as a Business Visitor (NOT tourist) is correctly noted on their admission document; B-1 if using a visa, WB if using the Waiver program.

   

Citizens of "Visa Waiver" Countries:

 

It is suggested that citizens of countries participating in the "Visa Waiver Program" use this option (though a visa can also be applied for as outlined below). Citizens of countries designated as participating in this program (see listing of countries and general rules at http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver.html) do not need B-1 visas in their passports to be admitted to the US as business visitors if their business objective can be met in 90 days or less.

 

Please note - it is intended that in the future users of this option hold a Machine Readable Passport. The introduction of this requirement has been postponed from October, 2003, until October, 2004, and may be postponed again. Travelers should check the State Department web site shown in the paragraph above for current information on this topic.

   

Those planning to use this approach should have the following items when they travel:

  1. a passport valid for 6 monts or more beyond the intended date of arrival in the U.S.
  2. a round-trip ticket
  3. a letter from their employer stating the reason for the visit to the U.S., and confirming that the employer is sending the person to the Conference/Symposium and will continue to pay the person's salary during the trip
  4. a copy of their registration in the Conference/Symposium or, even better, a formal letter of invitation from the Fermilab Director's Office.
     

Citizens of Non-"Visa Waiver" Countries:

 

Citizens of countries that are not participants in the "Visa Waiver Program" must apply for a visa at a U.S. Embalate. Where an application is made in a country other than the person's home country, this is referred to as a "third country national" (TCN) application. It is strongly recommended that all applicants check the web-site of the Embassy/Consulate at which they intend to apply (http://travel.state.gov/links.html  or http://usembassy.state.gov/ ) to download needed forms, instructions and to be sure of local procedures, particularly in the case of TCN applications.


In addition to required forms, visa applications should contain:

  1. a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond their intended date of arrival in the US
  2. a letter from the applicant's employer stating the reason for their visit to the U.S., and confirming the employer is sending the person to Fermilab for this  purpose and will continue to pay the person's salary during the trip
  3. a copy of the applicant's registration in the Conference/Symposium or, even  better, a formal letter of invitation from the Fermilab Director's Office.

           

Recent changes in visa application procedures now require personal interviews with almost all visa applicants and, at the discretion of the reviewing Consular Officer, any application can be referred for a security check. Applications made by male citizens of certain countries will usually undergo such a check. Because of the current lengthy processing times for visa applications, it is recommended that applications be made no less than three months prior to the intended date of arrival in the U.S.  Fermilab has no means to influence the progress or outcome of any security check.

 

Those Consular Posts that have installed digital photography/scanning equipment will take a digital photograph of the visa applicant and scans of the two index fingers at the time of visa application/ issuance.  

 

Travelers should also have copies of items b) and c) of this section with them when they travel since admitting Officers of US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (the "Immigration Service"/INS prior to March 1, 2003) may ask for evidence of the objective of the visit.

  

General Comments:

 

1) All non-U.S. travelers should be aware that, on arrival in the U.S., they must provide a full address where they will stay during their time in the U.S. It is not acceptable to just enter "Fermilab" on admission documents (Form I-94). If a  hotel has been arranged, the hotel address must be provided; if staying with friends/acquaintances, a full private address must be provided. Further, any address changes during the period of stay must be notified to Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security within 10 days of the change. Failure to notify the USCIS of a change of address may negatively affect the traveler's future visa applications. The required form and instructions can be downloaded from http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/ar-11.htm .

 

2) Introduction of the new "US-VISIT" system requires that a digital photograph and scans of the two index fingers be made of every person at the port of entry to theU.S. Recent experience confirms that this does not add significant time to the admission process. Information about this program may be found at

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0333.xml .

 

3) Citizens and nationals of certain countries (as of March, 2003, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi    Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen ) are  required to undergo "special registration" procedures on arrival in the U.S. and controlled departure from designated airports. Those subject to the requirement will most likely be notified of it at the time of visa issuance. However, please note  that "special registration" may be imposed on any traveler by a Consular Officer at the time of visa issuance or by the USCBP at the time of arrival in the U.S. where deemed appropriate. (Information on "special registration" procedures may be found at http://www.ice.gov/graphics/enforce/imm/imm_sr.htm .)

 

Any problems encountered in visa applications or in the admission process should be communicated immediately to the Conference/Symposium organizers.

 

 

Revised April 14, 2004