Happy holidays!
In the spirit of giving, we are happy to announce that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently opened-up the Visa Waiver Program (“VWP”) to citizens of Qatar. While Qataris with existing B-1/B-2 Visas may continue to travel the United States through their validity period, they now join the other 41 countries participating in the VWP, whose passport holders may apply for Electronic System for Travel Authorization (“ESTA”) online to enter the United States for business or tourism for up-to-90-days at a time.
As with other VWP travelers, Qatari citizens signing-up for ESTA must have a biometrically-enabled passport and may not extend their B-1/B-2 status or change to a different nonimmigrant classification post-arrival. Likewise, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) announcement touting Qatari’s access to ESTA advised users to have a ticket to return to their country of residence or onward to another nation. And of course, whether using the VWP or a Machine Readable Visa, all B-1/B-2 visitors must demonstrate that they intend to engage in permissible activities, and therefore will not need to work without authorization to support themselves financially, before departing the country within their allotted 90-day period of stay.
If you are interested in traveling to the United States as a B-1/B-2 Visitor and have questions about the requirements for either a visa or ESTA, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
