Update on travel visas

Traveling to almost any venue other than one’s own office has certainly become more difficult these days. But, it is even more so for foreign press attempting to visit the US, where new visa requirements are sometimes as arbitrary as they are confusing. For example, working journalists who assumed they needed a “B-1” (business) visa to enter the US have been turned back because they lacked the “I” visa specific to journalists (including freelancers) coming here on assignments. Recognizing that this is an honest and common mistake, US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner announced in May that foreign journalists will be given a one-time break and allowed to enter the United States even if they arrive with the wrong visa. Given the ever-changing nature of national security, overseas colleagues, especially foreign members of NASW, should check, before packing for a trip to the USA, the State Department’s latest variations at travel.state.gov/visa;media.htm#1.

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