We will soon have to pay to get into the USA.
If you are planning to go to the US soon, you can avoid the fee by applying now
From 8th of September it will cost £9 to get the official stamp that will allow you to at least get as far as the little desk where they look at your passport and ask you why you are visiting the US.
It does not guarantee you will be let in :confused:
I wondered how precise to be when I went to Arizona a few years ago.
I was attending a Light Ambassadors Conference. I decided it would be wiser to say it was a conference on stress management.
Anyway, at least you have this info
tigress
I suppose our Government will have to bring all that money back into our economy by imposing the same charges on visitors here from the USA?
Perhaps we can start charging a special tax for rendition flights passing through also?
But if you think this is about money, think again...
Are you seriously thinking of registering your personal details with a foreign government - prior to even planning a trip? Christ, where will that lead?
What a way to gather loads of information on forign nationals - tell them they're going to have to start paying if they don't volunteer the information now.
Very sinister, don't do it - wait until you are travelling and then pay the fee, don't EVER give them your personal information as long as you have a choice.
I had to do one of these last year for a six week trip to LA. I seem to remember there being some very funny questions, basically asking you if you're a drug-smuggling, murdering terrorist or some such... OK, so I might be exaggerating, but the questions were the sort of thing that an unscrupulous character would clearly have to lie about!!
When I went to Chicago and NYC 5 years ago, security at the airports were HORRIBLE, really aggressive. The airport staff at LAX were lovely when I went last year, so maybe in a funny sort of way ESTA gives them some reassurance.
I actually think it's fair enough asking people who enter your country for some basic information. There are plenty of other countries in the world where you have to pay to enter, such as for visas, etc. And give information. I'm having to write an 'invitation' for my brother-in-law's visa application to come and visit us soon. Nature of travelling in the 21st century.
What's so sinister about it?
I'm sure it's not all about money, it's more likely to be about checking who's in the country for intelligence reasons to try and prevent any terrorist attacks or spying from other countries.
If they had my details what would they do with them... check on their databases (and probably against UK electoral registers etc.) to see if there's any intelligence or reason why I shouldn't be let into the US. I've nothing to hide, no criminal convictions, born and bred in the UK, no links to anything dodgy, working in an honest office job writing computer software. I'd just be another of the thousands of names passing through the checks, not anyone 'special' enough to warrant anything other than that. To think they don't already have basic information on every person anyway would be naive, even if it is just based on passport databases, electoral registers, NI registration, etc. They just want to be sure that the person walking into the country is the same person they already know about and not someone pretending to be for 'sinister' reasons.
If you've got nothing to hide, why not save yourself some money and get it done up front. They're going to get you to do it anyway if you're going to visit, so there's really no difference.
I do agree though that the UK should start charging for visa's or whatever for non-UK persons to enter the country. Loads of other countries do it, so why not, it would be a source of income and another mark in the passport to try and ensure that people have entered the country legally.
All Love and Reiki Hugs