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> Singapore, which has an online visa process (traveler visa) which was a breeze to follow and was approved in under 2 days. Compare that to the US legal immigr

by Swizec 2y ago

> Singapore, which has an online visa process (traveler visa) which was a breeze to follow and was approved in under 2 days. Compare that to the US legal immigration system (USCIS) which if you ever have the misfortune of dealing with, is a nightmare to navigate The US version of a traveler visa, ESTA, gets approved in a matter of hours after you apply online. The fastest I got it was 30min at an Italian airport a few years ago when they blocked me from boarding because my old one expired and I didn’t notice. Still made it onto the same flight.

yen223 2y ago
The difference between applying for a US visitor's visa as a citizen of a non-ESTA country and as a citizen from an ESTA country, is night and day. If you aren't ESTA, you need to pay lots of money and undergo an in-person interview at a US embassy. This can take months to arrange, as embassy slots are scarce, plus you need to make travel arrangements to be in a city with a US embassy. If you are ESTA, you can apply for the visa online and be done with it in 10 minutes. It is very clear that if the US wants you in the country, they can make it happen very easily.