Britons facing visa restrictions to the USA

[Marina]

I am really annoyed and dismayed that the US government has imposed visa restrictions on British visitors from October, 2004 onwards.
I travel to the USA quite a bit. Its not fair, that we have to keep paying for a visa every time we need to enter the USA. My Prof was fuming, as he often gives lectures and attends medical conferences in the USA.

1 - A British citizen has to apply in person at the US embassy.
2 - A British citizen has to pay £67 for a visa – even for the briefest of visits.
3 - A British citizen has to be fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed at the embassy plus the laborious task of filling out forms detailing personal and financial details.
4 - British visitors can only travel on their old passports if they have a barcode on it
5 - Visa restrictions on travel to USA will affect anyone with new British passports issued after 26th October, 2004.
These passports must be of the “biometric type”
5 - children can no longer travel on their parents documents.

If I misunderstood the new rules can someone please clarify. I understand about the fingerprinting business for security reasons.
Also, what is a ‘biometric passport' ?
Are the purple British passports barcoded ?

Another new restriction on travellers is that air passengers are not allowed to form queues for the lavatories on flights in US airspace.

The British have supported the USA politically and militarily…..So much for the “special relationship" ! We should apply the same visa restrictions on Americans when they all flock to Britain and all other ECC countries.

I’m just too upset to write anymore.

[Whitey]

See Marina,
This is the crap I'm complaining about. I live here, have blue eyes blond hair and get shook down at the airport, have to take off my shoes ect.. My wifes friends boyfriend is an airline pilot who has the same features as me and was so angry recently by being told to take this that and the other off he actually stripped to his underwear and was fired for it.
Security in America should depend on vigilant citizens and be a personal responsability.
I kicked a guys ass for wrecking a store and attacking some old pharmacy clerk not to long ago. I was just standing there, saw the guy commit the crime and I chased him and made shure he wasn't going anyplace until the police arrived. If people all took matters into their own hands and our society produced men with chests again the crime rate would go down and wouldn't be as worth it to criminals.

I was locked down in the airport on christmas for 2 hours because some guy got on an airport bus by mistake without the proper papers, ticket or something. They shut the whole thing down, I was about to go home and was detained. It makes no sense to me. Then again I live in a nation full of coward ass men who have the intestinal fortitude of Chandler off of Friends.

Sorry for the rant, but I agree the UK is just as safe as Hawaii in my opinion. Maybe it is just a way to make a buck. If the Yankee ever had an eye for anything, it was for turning a profit.

[Marina]

Hi Whitey,

Please don't take it personal ok.
I am just generally annoyed with the US government's policy over the visa issue, not the decent American public.

[Beast]

I agree Marina.

Fingerprint Technology wont be implemented until mid 2005, because our government cant pull its finger out of its...

So we will have to continue to pay for visa's, while some countries have already jumped on the bandwagon of fingerprint identification.

[Marina]

Hi Beast,

Huh, you're joking!

I thought fingerprinting identification technology was already implemented in the UK !

[Beast]

Its there and ready to use, but not for us British passport users.

[AdamR]

So much for the 'special relationship' indeed. If the US is worried about nasty terrorists infiltrating its borders it should look at Canada and Mexico, anybody could hop on a plane to either of these countries and cross over the relatively unguarded borders. I don't think anyone would be able to get away with hijacking a plane ever again. Look at the infamous shoe bomber Richard Reid, once the other passengers knew what he was doing they beat the crap out of him. No passenger is going to sit idly by now, not when he or she knows what the plane may be used for.

[Aldo]

It's there country I suppose but making people who NEED to go there pay for visas is a bit much. I don't mind the fingerprinting stuff but this is bad for everyone including them, I heard on the news that it's going to cost the tourism in the US over 15 billion. The government over there is getting a bit paranoid.

[Tab]

Do we have any room to complain about these visa restrictions. What Country does the shoe bomber come from? many of the people arrested in Afghanistan come from this country. Look at all the Muslim Clerics we have in this Country reaching hatred at America. A number of these Clerics have been requested to be extradited to America but this has been refused, there is also a steady stream of Muslim youths of to fight for different Muslim countries. I know we have have stood beside America
during the troubles, but America needs to know that they wont have another episode like 9/11, and as our Government is more worried about upsetting the masses of illegal immigrants then the rest of us will have to put up with it.

[Frank S.]

A biometric passport would have an embedded, paper thin computer chip which would have a photograph with the subject's specific facial measurements and would be 'decoded' with a 'facial recognition' program. It would also include other physical information particular to the passport's bearer.
The US is becoming more and more isolationist in some ways.

[BenChug]

Hahaha you guys are fooked for regular runs down to the states I went down to Seattle just before christmas with 3 buddies. All we needed was a piece of photo ID (drivers liscense) and our birth certificates. And in fact one of the guys forgot his birth certificate and was allowed through on his military ID alone. Of course it probably helped that we were all white, and nice enough fellas. On the drive back they let us into Canada without even ID'ing us they asked if we were all Canadian and that was good enough, they didn't even ask about the reak of whisky from the car or the fact that a man was passed out on the backseat.

However when we flew down to the states a few months back I jokingly said "he has a gun" and pointed at my mate. Let me be the one to tell you NEVER EVER DO THAT EVER. We were detained in the Edmonton airport security cells after being strip searched and... lets not talk about other activitys some man and his fingers did. Worst mistake of my life ever , fawk I'm stupid some times.

[Guest]

Another hare-brained scheme...thats on top of you having to give all your personal details to the US including credit card numbers. Well this is the last straw, I for one will never set foot in the States again until Bush is removed from power.

lol talk about the stable door being shut after the horse has bolted...

[Aldo]

Hahaha you guys are fooked for regular runs down to the states

ahh you cocky canuck you, just wait till they ask Israel to build them a nice wall to keep the "draft" out lol

[Wholley]

Urnu.
Well we'll really miss you!
Sorry you won't be able to travel until GWB retires.
Keep readin'your Tabloids.
Jerk.
Wholley.

[Chris]

Ahh crap my entire family are going to US for crimbo next year

well a cruise to the Caribean then a flight to the US now were all gonna have to get Visa bastards