Can I visa waiver whilst waiting for admin processing?
Dec 23rd 2010, 3:53 pm
#16
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 7
Re: Can I visa waiver whilst waiting for admin processing?
Hi.
Im not sure a visa waiver would be able to replace a J1. The reasons I applied for a visa in the first place was basically a mistake. I could have applied for a visa waiver straight away, but I didn't as I thought a visa would be 'safer' which turned out to actually cause me more trouble. The trouble with a visa is they think you're not gonna leave once you're there.
I was undergoing a 'medical elective' as part of my uni degree for 11weeks, ie observing some hospital work. My elective was in LA, but I went to Miami first for a holiday.
They let me into Miami with difficulty the first time, but I had a hotel booked and all my flights showing my return back to the UK. I then went to the carribean to do an elective there. I went back to Miami for another little holiday (I got in easily this time), and after that it was a hassle free internal flight to LA, where I did some elective work but travelled to San Fran, Vegas, Diego, etc.
All my mates who did this with me never even bothered applying for a visa, and I didn't really ever need one as I was only observing.
If you have to go there for a clinical fellowship, then what I did might not be advisable. You could in theory go there for a holiday, but once your visa comes through, you'd have to send your passport to your countries US embassy anyway if I'm not mistaken, and if you need to stay there for more than 90days (which is all what visa waiver will allow), you might be playing a dangerous game by going under a visa waiver.
My admin processing was around the end of June, and it came through about half way through August roughly, at which point I was in the carribean anyway and had already been admitted into the USA, so it eventually meant squat all.
Gd luck.
Im not sure a visa waiver would be able to replace a J1. The reasons I applied for a visa in the first place was basically a mistake. I could have applied for a visa waiver straight away, but I didn't as I thought a visa would be 'safer' which turned out to actually cause me more trouble. The trouble with a visa is they think you're not gonna leave once you're there.
I was undergoing a 'medical elective' as part of my uni degree for 11weeks, ie observing some hospital work. My elective was in LA, but I went to Miami first for a holiday.
They let me into Miami with difficulty the first time, but I had a hotel booked and all my flights showing my return back to the UK. I then went to the carribean to do an elective there. I went back to Miami for another little holiday (I got in easily this time), and after that it was a hassle free internal flight to LA, where I did some elective work but travelled to San Fran, Vegas, Diego, etc.
All my mates who did this with me never even bothered applying for a visa, and I didn't really ever need one as I was only observing.
If you have to go there for a clinical fellowship, then what I did might not be advisable. You could in theory go there for a holiday, but once your visa comes through, you'd have to send your passport to your countries US embassy anyway if I'm not mistaken, and if you need to stay there for more than 90days (which is all what visa waiver will allow), you might be playing a dangerous game by going under a visa waiver.
My admin processing was around the end of June, and it came through about half way through August roughly, at which point I was in the carribean anyway and had already been admitted into the USA, so it eventually meant squat all.
Gd luck.
Dec 23rd 2010, 5:26 pm
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2010
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 100
Re: Can I visa waiver whilst waiting for admin processing?
Not a chance you could do a clinical fellowship under VWP. It's a job, completely different from an elective. The first thing you would have to do upon arrival is turn up an your hospital's international office and do all your employment paperwork.
