4 ms·

It's a shame he didn't have to enter the USA as a tourist too. The requirements for Russia seem pretty similar to the hoops I had to jump through when I visited

It's a shame he didn't have to enter the USA as a tourist too. The requirements for Russia seem pretty similar to the hoops I had to jump through when I visited a summer school in Baltimore coming from South America. Fun fact: I was told to bring to the Embassy interview a photo of my family, because by default it's assumed that I'm planning to remain there illegally, and is my job to convince the employee of the opposite. The photo would prove that I have a reason to come back.

jasode 11y ago
>, because by default it's assumed that I'm planning to remain there illegally, and is my job to convince the employee of the opposite. The countries that the USA doesn't require hoop jumping are basically 1st-world wealthier nations on par with the United States. (See map.[1]) The countries that are considered "poorer" such as Mexico, etc require Visas because of the assumption that the person wants to establish a better life in the USA. The USA doesn't have to worry about illegal immigration from citizens of Switzerland, Canada, Japan, etc. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program
- Scoundreller 11y ago
  The ESTA is definitely a curious hoop jump that feels like applying for a visa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program#Electronic_System_for_Travel_Authorization_.28ESTA.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program#Electronic...
disordinary 11y ago
Yeah that sucks, the US isn't nice to anyone. Although we get a far easier go of it (just need to fill in an online form every couple of years). I don't know how people transit in say LAX if they are from countries that the US doesn't like. I guess you can't.
- guard-of-terra 11y ago
  You can't. After 911 USA has scrapped airport transfers without passport control, which is pretty unique by world standards. For example, most of cheaper flights from Mexico to Russia (and rest of the world in general) are via USA. That means USA gets to decide who gets into Mexico and who doesn't.
- nzmsv 11y ago
  Transit is different. Because you never leave the transit area of the airport, you aren'"entering" the country. This is why Snowden had to hang out in a transit area of an airport hotel until he could get the paperwork to legally enter Russia. You may still need a transit visa, but those should be easier to get.
  - jrbancel 11y ago
    There is no concept of transit/international zone in the U.S.A.. This means passengers, even the ones on transit, must have legal right to enter the U.S.. Going through a U.S. airport just for transit is always a bad idea, as it takes a lot of time to cross the border.
vacri 11y ago
Depends on where you're a tourist from. Coming from Australia, the visa was an auto-approved electronic thing. I arrived in LA, had a queue of about 3 people at customs, had a piece of paper stapled into my passport, and that was ripped out when I exited. The only way it could have been smoother was no visa required at all, or fewer people in the customs queue (not that 3 is something to complain about) In the middle of my journey, I crossed the border at Nogales for an afternoon's shopping - this was at the peak of 'swine flu' and people scared of the border drug wars, so there were few palefaces (few = my companion and I, no others). Entry into Mexico was literally a turnstile. Entry back into the US? I went to present my passport and was just waved through. Ironically the only "border trouble" I had in the US was crossing Texas, at a border checkpoint 100 miles inland, where a shouty man screamed at me for daring to have my passport in the trunk of the car... made me pull off to the side and wait for him to finish screaming at other people.

jasode 11y ago

>, because by default it's assumed that I'm planning to remain there illegally, and is my job to convince the employee of the opposite. The countries that the USA doesn't require hoop jumping are basically 1st-world wealthier nations on par with the United States. (See map.[1]) The countries that are considered "poorer" such as Mexico, etc require Visas because of the assumption that the person wants to establish a better life in the USA. The USA doesn't have to worry about illegal immigration from citizens of Switzerland, Canada, Japan, etc. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program

Scoundreller 11y ago
The ESTA is definitely a curious hoop jump that feels like applying for a visa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program#Electronic_System_for_Travel_Authorization_.28ESTA.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program#Electronic...

disordinary 11y ago

Yeah that sucks, the US isn't nice to anyone. Although we get a far easier go of it (just need to fill in an online form every couple of years). I don't know how people transit in say LAX if they are from countries that the US doesn't like. I guess you can't.

guard-of-terra 11y ago
You can't. After 911 USA has scrapped airport transfers without passport control, which is pretty unique by world standards. For example, most of cheaper flights from Mexico to Russia (and rest of the world in general) are via USA. That means USA gets to decide who gets into Mexico and who doesn't.
nzmsv 11y ago
Transit is different. Because you never leave the transit area of the airport, you aren'"entering" the country. This is why Snowden had to hang out in a transit area of an airport hotel until he could get the paperwork to legally enter Russia. You may still need a transit visa, but those should be easier to get.
- jrbancel 11y ago
  There is no concept of transit/international zone in the U.S.A.. This means passengers, even the ones on transit, must have legal right to enter the U.S.. Going through a U.S. airport just for transit is always a bad idea, as it takes a lot of time to cross the border.

vacri 11y ago

Depends on where you're a tourist from. Coming from Australia, the visa was an auto-approved electronic thing. I arrived in LA, had a queue of about 3 people at customs, had a piece of paper stapled into my passport, and that was ripped out when I exited. The only way it could have been smoother was no visa required at all, or fewer people in the customs queue (not that 3 is something to complain about) In the middle of my journey, I crossed the border at Nogales for an afternoon's shopping - this was at the peak of 'swine flu' and people scared of the border drug wars, so there were few palefaces (few = my companion and I, no others). Entry into Mexico was literally a turnstile. Entry back into the US? I went to present my passport and was just waved through. Ironically the only "border trouble" I had in the US was crossing Texas, at a border checkpoint 100 miles inland, where a shouty man screamed at me for daring to have my passport in the trunk of the car... made me pull off to the side and wait for him to finish screaming at other people.