The US Department of State has recently placed new restrictions on travel to the United States that may affect several individuals desiring to participate in this year’s RAI in Philadelphia. In previous years, nationals of the 38 countries that belong to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) could travel to the US for a short period of time (90 days) for business or holiday without a visa. However, conference participants should be aware of two new regulations:

• Individuals who have traveled to Iraq, Iran, Syria, or Sudan since March 1, 2011 must apply for a visa, even if they are nationals of a VWP country.
• Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Iraq, Iran, Syria, or Sudan must apply for a visa.

Travelers in these two categories can still apply for visas through the standard application procedures, but the US State Department may require several months to process such applications.

For details on the Visa Waiver Program and eligibility, please see: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/visit/visa-waiver-program.html