[pct-l] visas for hikers coming from the UK & France

[Tracy Fisher]

Hi Patrick,

We are worried about the plane ticket too because we are going to get a ticket that has us coming home after the original 6 month window and are worried that when we land in Seattle and try to enter the US the immigration officer will not like this and deny us entry. I know we can apply for an extension beyond the original 6 months but that would be after getting into the US.  

Also, has anyone had any experience from previuos trips on how easy/difficult it is to apply for the extension and any tips on that process?

By the way, we too were asked to explain the typical start and end dates of the trip from the officer.

Thank you,

Tracy


From: patrickjgriffith at hotmail.com
To: tfisher9 at hotmail.com; pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: RE: [pct-l] visas for hikers coming from the UK & France
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:13:38 +0100
 Hi all,
I am a Brit living in France and had to go through a similar process at the US embassy in Paris. My surprise question was about the weather window for starting and finishing the PCT, including the optimal start day for leaving Kennedy Meadows!, they really know their stuff! But now I have my visa so all is well. 

The only open point left for me now though is whether to buy a return flight yet, I hopefully will be doing some more conventional backpacking in central america after the PCT and so doing want to have to buy a return ticket that I won't use. Having looked through the immigration rules it appears a return ticket is NOT a requirement for someone arriving on a B2 visa however I don't want to be refused entry at San Diego for not being able to prove that I will leave the US at some point.

So for those coming from abroad have you all got return tickets? I think I am not going to bother getting one but instead take all my documentation with me when I fly: sufficient funds in bank account, job offer etc, Canada entry permit etc.

Is anyone else planning to do something similar?

Patrick

> From: tfisher9 at hotmail.com
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:31:45 +0000
> Subject: [pct-l] visas for hikers coming from the UK
> 
> A while ago there was an email thread for non-Americans coming to do the trek and asking about visas. While I can't speak for countries other than the UK I can finally give some feedback and advice to anyone in this situation, as my Scottish partner was successful in getting her visa yesterday from the London US Embassy. 
> 
> In a nut shell: 
> 
> The visa most people will need is called the non-immigrant B-2 visa which allows a person to stay in the US as a tourist for up to 6 months from the moment they step into the US. For most tourist activities Brits come in on the tourist visa waiver program which allows them to stay in the US up to 3 month. So, if they want to stay longer then will need the B-2 visa. Unlike the Visa Waiver, the advantage of the B-2 visa is that they can extend the visa for up to another 6 months once in the US. Note: when applying for the B-2 visa you will need to ask for a multiple entry addition to it so that you can go into Canada and back into the US if you need to. 
> 
> This visa will require a 15 minute interview where you should be prepared. What was interesting about the interview were the questions that were asked. The immigration officer obviously knew about the PCT as he asked specifics that only someone researching the hike would know, for example what boots will you be wearing (answer being that most people don't wear boots but instead shoes like trail runners). In fact, it was the answer to this question where the officer looked at her, smiled and said "your application is approved". 
> 
> Anyway, it's a bit nerve racking especially because for the past 6 months this hike has been almost an obsession with us and we would have been heartbroken if our visa application had been denied. 
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