Aug. 2 news release from the U.S. Department of State:
“WASHINGTON, DC –The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State today suspended two programs that allow certain international air passengers to travel through the United States for transit purposes without first obtaining a visa. The programs, known as the Transit Without Visa program (TWOV) and the International-to-International transit program (ITI), have been suspended. The action takes effect at 11:00 a.m., Saturday August 2, 2003. (Note: All times are U.S. EDT). This action does not affect U.S. citizens or citizens from visa waiver countries…
… Recent specific intelligence indicates that terrorist groups have been planning to exploit these transit programs to gain access to the U.S. or U.S. airspace without going through the consular screening process. The steps announced today are designed to augment security against possible terrorist threats and to protect U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who fly into and out of the United States…
… Homeland Security and State will make three exceptions to these actions to accommodate travelers who may be immediately impacted. The three exceptions are: 1) TWOV or ITI passengers in flight at the time the regulation goes into effect will be allowed to continue in transit and depart the U. S. subject to inspection and an evaluation of risk. 2) Travelers who purchased their tickets as TWOV or ITI passengers on or before July 24, 2003, and who are scheduled to depart for transit through the U.S. before 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, August 5, 2003, need not obtain a visa to transit the U.S. For any flights scheduled to depart after 12:01 a.m. August 5 that include a stop in the U.S, however, these travelers must now either obtain a visa or change their travel itinerary to exclude a stop in the U.S. 3) If a person has already traveled through the U.S. as a TWOV or ITI passenger on the first leg of their trip, and uses the return portion of their round trip ticket before 11:00 a.m., August 9, 2003, they will be permitted to make a stop in the U.S. without a visa on the return portion of their trip. They will be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspectors upon arrival in the United States. If they plan to transit the U.S. after that date and time, however, they must either obtain a visa or change their return itinerary to exclude a stop in the U.S.
The Transit Without Visa program has been in use in the United States since 1952. It applies to passengers who normally would be required to obtain a visa to travel to the United States. Under the TWOV program, passengers arriving in the United States from a foreign country are permitted to travel through the United States to another foreign destination without first obtaining a visa to stop and change planes in the United States. Passengers under the TWOV program go through the full border inspection process upon arrival in the U.S. Under the TWOV program, a passenger may stop at one or two U.S. airports en route to another foreign destination. If on a domestic flight to a second U.S. airport, the airline is responsible for ensuring that the passenger does not illegally enter the United States. Airlines provide contract security escorts and are required to maintain control of the passenger’s passport and other travel documents.
The International-to-International transit program also allows passengers arriving from foreign countries to transit through the United States to another foreign destination without first obtaining a visa. Unlike the TWOV program, however, ITI passengers may only transit through one airport, and they may not leave the international transit lounge while connecting planes at that airport.”
Well, I can respect the U.S. Government’s security concerns, but I certainly hope overseas consular posts make provisions for expedited visa issuance for other people affected by the revocations who have already bought tickets, as it’s currently taking more than a month to get a visitor visa at many posts even in routine cases.
(Mods: I wasn’t sure where to put this; it isn’t really a debate, nor is it Mundane and Pointless, but thought the info would potentially be useful. We just got an e-mail on this at work; a link to a State Dept. press release was included, but the link doesn’t work, and I tried searching the State Dept. site (www.state.gov) without success. Once I get a link that works, I’ll post it. Besides, I don’t believe government news releases are copyrighted anyway.)