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ESTA to the USA
To all our esteemed clients,
Greetings from UNIGLOBE Skylink Travel Team
RE : Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) to the USA Mandatory from 12 January 2009
Please be informed that from 12 January 2009 British Airways will be required to comply with the mandatory Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), introduced by the U.S. government for all customers flying into the United States under the Visa Waiver scheme.
The USA government will enforce changes to its visa-waiver programme meaning travellers will be required to apply for authorisation to travel under the scheme before arriving at the airport.
The changes, which came into effect in August 2008 on a voluntary basis will become mandatory from 12 January 2009 and will affect all passport holders from 34 countries currently participating in the visa-waiver scheme, including UK passport holders.
Travellers will be required to obtain authorisation (known as ESTA) before arriving at the airport and can apply online at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
The application process may take up to approximately 15-20 minutes and authorisation is normally granted immediately but may take up to 72 hours. We recommend that you apply for authorisation at the time of booking or at least 72 hours before your flight to ensure that you are able to travel.
Once granted, authorisation is valid for two years. Travellers do not need to have firm plans to travel to apply for authorisation.
This requirement for approved authorisation is in addition to the requirement for all customers to submit Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) data.
Until further notice, travellers will still need to complete the green I-94W non-immigrant visa waiver form onboard their flight.
Travellers with a resident permit ‘green card’ or travelling on a visa will not need to apply for authorisation as they are not travelling under the visa-waiver programme.
For more information visit ba.com or speedbirdclub.com or you can visit the following sites; https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov or visit usa.org.uk
Kindly be informed accordingly.
Changes to the UK visa service
The British High Commission is giving advance notice of changes to its visa service.
As before, applicants should start the application process at least 6 weeks
before they plan to travel.
But the British High Commission will no longer have any
ability to arrange visas at short notice.
From 1 December, visa applications will be handled as follows.
Step One: Apply On-line & Make an Appointment
All applicants are strongly encouraged to make an initial application
on-line at www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk.
As part of this on-line process, the applicant chooses a date and time for his/her
appointment at the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam. Appointments will
normally be available within 3 weeks of the on-line application.
Applicants will find it easier to choose a time convenient to them because the
visa section will be open for longer than previously: from 0745 to 1400
Monday to Thursday, and from 0745 to 1130 on Friday.
Applicants, who cannot make the initial application on-line, may instead come to
the High Commission without an appointment. But they will be treated with lower
priority than those who have already made an appointment on-line.
So they may have to come back at a later date.
Step Two: Appointment at the British High Commission
All applicants must come to the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam at
the set appointment time.
At the appointment, the applicant submits his/her passports, a hard copy of the application, and supporting
documents (see www.ukvisas.gov.uk to find which documents are required);
provides fingerprints;
pays the non-refundable fee.
The High Commission tells the applicant when to return to pick up the passport.
Step Three: Assessment of the Application
All passports, applications and related documents will be sent to the British High Commission Nairobi,
where they will be assessed and where visas will be issued for successful applicants.
The passports and documents will then be returned to the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam.
This process will normally be completed within 3 weeks. If there is any delay,
the High Commission will contact the applicant and give a new date for passport pick-up.
Step Four: Pick up Passport
The applicant returns to pick up the passport at the British High Commission
in Dar es Salaam on the agreed date.
The changes make it more important than ever that applicants
should apply for a UK visa well in advance of travel.
We already recommend to all applicants that they should start the process
on-line at least 6 weeks before they plan to travel. We continue to recommend this.
Applicants who do not allow 6 weeks are likely to find that their application cannot be processed in time.
Appointments to apply for a UK visa can actually be made up to 3 months before travel.
We recommend in particular that people applying for student and settlement visas
should apply 3 months in advance if possible.
Please note that, after 1 December 2008, the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam
will not be able to arrange visas at short notice.
The British High Commission would like to reassure travellers that the British Government
remains committed to improving its service to Tanzanian citizens and others wishing to travel to the UK.
Further Notes for Editors
- These changes are part of a restructuring of the UK's global visa operation, known as "Hub & Spoke visa processing". This will reduce the number of visa-issuing posts world-wide by more than half, to around fifty. In southern Africa, for example, visa applications from Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi and Zimbabwe are already processed in Pretoria. Nairobi already processes applications from the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as Kenya. In Europe, the Americas and Asia, visa operations have been moved from over fifty British Diplomatic Missions to regional processing centres.
- UK visa fees are determined by the world-wide cost of processing a visa. Consolidating visa operations will help keep the processing costs down, which in turn will help keep visa fees down.
- There will be no change to the range of visa services available in Tanzania. We will continue to offer a high quality visa service.
- The on-line application facility is now the quickest and most popular way for our customers to arrange visa appointments. Over 80% of Tanzanian applicants now use the on-line process.
- Those applying for visas to live in the UK for 12 months or more will still need to have TB tests at the International Organisation of Migration in Dar es Salaam, before their appointment at the British High Commission. If DNA tests are also needed, they will continue to be carried out in Tanzania.
- If an applicant needs to be interviewed, arrangements will be made for this to happen at the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam or by telephone. Interviews will be arranged as quickly as possible, but no more than ten working days after the first appointment at the British High Commission. Applicants will not be required to travel to Nairobi for interviews.
- In any case, we now interview visa applicants only rarely. Applications are judged by the details provided on the application form, the supporting documents and any previous UK immigration history. It is therefore essential that applicants submit sufficient details to support their application, including e.g. evidence of funds available to cover costs of travel and living in the UK.
- If an applicant presents a fake document, or makes a false statement, he/she will be refused a visa, and could be subject to a ten-year ban.
- People who travel frequently to the UK may be eligible for a 5 or 10 year multi-entry visa. This saves having to reapply regularly for a new visa. A long-term visa also works out cheaper than making frequent 6 months visa applications. Long-term visas mark the holder as a valued and trusted customer of the UK.
- Current visa fees are:
Six months Multiple Entry Visit Visa - Tsh 156,000
Long term Validity Visit Visa: 1 year, 2 years, 5 years and 10 years multiple visit visas; Working Holiday Makers; Work Permits; Employment; HSMP; Certificate of Entitlement - Sh 492,000
Medical Visa - TSh 156,000
Student Visa - TSh 238,000
Direct Airside Transit Visa (Not allowed to leave airport) and Visit in Transit Visa - TSh 108,000
Settlement and Marriage visas - TSh 1,236,000
- Between 8,000 and 9,000 Tanzanians apply for UK visas every year.
- Further guidance notes can be found on our website at www.ukintanzania.fco.gov.uk.
For more information, please contact:
John Bradshaw
Press Officer
British High Commission
Dar es Salaam
Tel: +255 22 new direct line?
Mob: +255 (0)754 764276
Fax: +255 22 2110102
Email: john.bradshaw@fco.gov.uk
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