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American Visa Application
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I just want to rant about the disgrace that is getting a vistor's visa to the States. In order to get one, I need to fill out 4 seperate forms (A DS-156/157/158 and DS-2059), get 2 letters (invitation letter, funding letter) and travel ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BLOODY LONDON AT MY OWN EXPENSE (even though there is a US embassy in Edinburgh), pay $100 for a SEVIS fee (who I am etc, kept on computer in the states), plus a £65 application fee for the visa, + £15 courier service for my passport to be returned. I tell you, it's bloody minded reactionism at its best... After this trip, I don't think I'd bother going back... It was never this bad before 9/11, and personally I think that it's all just a fucking excuse to get some money from eedgit foreigners like me...
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Though I agree things have gotten out of hands. I know of two sad cases. One is a French guy who used to live there 25 years ago and worked as a waiter. He overstayed his visa for a couple of years, after which he moved back to England permanently. He's been going every year to the US for business on a visa waiver without problems. But after 9/11 he gets pulled aside and detained for several hours at Customs. Since then he has to apply for a visa every time, and they're stopping him at customs each time.
The other one is a US citizen who has lived there most of his life but happened to be born in Pakistan. You can imagine the rest...
The Americans are twats though i remember once when we got to LAX they just revoked my Dad's business visa on the spot saying that they'd decided to revoke everyone who had that type of visa and not tell them - which you know is nice.
My guess is that is the reaction they want. "Biometric passport type thing" for all.Caveat emptor
The whole visit to the embassy i gather is like being arrested but not quite, you get your fingerprints taken, a digi photo, a 2 hour interview, they look over your work history, study history etc... plus the fees...
One of my friends is going to study in the states and she was accepted for this college but she needs this I20 form from the college which needs to be signed by her and the college and has to be done in person... so she has to go there and do that and then come back here and apply for a J-5 visa....it's all fucken time consuming and stressful for her....
The embassy only works like 9-430 mon - fri, i don't understand how they manage to get all the appts in!!
won't let me in but ...sneaking in is pretty easy.
not sure what the penalties are if i get caught though ...six months jail i can handle but no more.
Why are you barred? Were you arrested for drugs offences?
Still, it took many many thousands of Pounds through lawyers' fees, applications, interviews, letters of recommendation and the rest for the Americans eventually to agree to a one-year visa. Subsequent visas have been easier though.
Mmm... let me think that one over officer.
don't know about now but back in the late seventies and early eighties ...if you were convicted of class A supply there was a terrorist connection meaning you couldn't posess or carry any kind of firearm ...not even a kids toy gun for eleven years.
the yanks don't look kindly omn such things.
then theres the fact i'm an ex convict ...then theres the fact that i am considered to be a drug addict ...even though thats all over twenty years ago.
so ...i am a bank robbing drug dealing junky terrorist.
they imagine i will make their countries problems worse.
mohammed roll ...i like it.
Crazy beans! Maybe you should write a book, Mohammed Roll : How to rob banks for fun and profit. Whilst high. On horse tranquilisers.
Yeah, someone is really going to admit to that, aren't they?:rolleyes:
Ha Ha I think that's brilliant actually
All countries should have a seperate line for Americans (unless they are site members then they should get special treatement)
I was in the USA a few months before the towers fell - and I've not been back since but stories of all the hassle people have - just put me off from bothering to go there on holiday - I'd love to know how their new policies have affected their tourism business
Tbh you're missing out on a lot if you allow your extreme anti-American views to deter you from visiting what is one of the greatest countries in the world. America is a fantastic country, there are some brilliant places to visit and as a Brit I'm ashamed to say it but Americans are generally a lot friendlier. (I'm a British citizen and have been to the US since 9/11 and I've had no probs at all at immigration).