Paper I-94W forms will be no longer be needed for travelers from Visa Waiver nations
By the end of the summer DHS will do away with paper I-94W forms for travelers from the thirty-six Visa Waiver Program nations; the process will now become completely electronic; travelers will log on to CBP’s Web site, submit their personal and travel information, and answer a list of questions related to public health and criminal activity that could make the traveler inadmissible
As of the end of the summer, international travelers coming to America from trusted countries will no longer have to fill paper arrival and departure forms, DHS announced. Previously under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), qualified international travelers from thirty-six nations could travel to the United States without a visa for trips 90 days or shorter as long as they filled out a I-94W form and handed it over to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents upon their arrival in the United States.
Matthew Harwood writes that beginning in June, CBP, a DHS partner agency, will begin to roll out an automated, electronic system at airports across the United States.
Since January 2009, DHS has mandated travelers from VWP countries receive clearance from the CBP’s online Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) system before arrival in the United States as well as fill out the I-94W form. The idea was to begin the transition from the paper system to the electronic system, and now the ESTA is about ready to take over full time. By the end of the summer, the annoying green form will be no more.
Harwood notes that under the ESTA system, travelers log on to its Web site, submit their personal and travel information, and answer a list of questions related to public health and criminal activity that could make the traveler inadmissible. If travelers answer “yes” to any of these questions they will have to apply and receive a visa to travel to the United States. If travelers answer “no” to these questions, their information is then checked against law enforcement databases and a travel decision is generated within seconds.
Then when travelers check in for a flight, the airlines ping the ESTA database to check if they have received a green light to travel to the United States. If they have, they can board the plane. If they have not, travelers cannot board; although an ESTA decision occurs fast enough that travelers with an Internet connection could log on to the Web site at the airport and receive immediate authorization, said CBP spokeswoman Joanne Ferreira.
Also, just because travelers have been authorized to travel to the United States does not guarantee them entry. “Upon arrival to the United States, you will be inspected by a [CBP] officer at a port of entry who may determine that you are inadmissible under the Visa Waiver Program or for any reason under United States law,” the ESTA’s online application disclaimer notes.
