Visa Information

The visa application process to enter the United States has become subject to greater degrees of scrutiny than in the past. For this reason, the application process can take up to six months or more. You will need to apply for your visa as early as possible, but no later than three months before you wish to enter the United States. Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), tourism, pleasure or visiting (visa category B-2), or a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2). There are several steps to apply for a visa. The order of these steps and how you complete them may vary at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you apply. Please consult the instructions available on the U.S. Embassy or Consulate website on where you will apply.

Visa Invitation Letter

If you require an invitation letter, please fill out this form with the following information:

• Name as it appears on your passport
• Address
• Daytime phone number
• Email address
• Are you a presenter at the 2018 CHIIR conference?
• Title of presentation
• Day of presentation
• Whether you have registered for the conference

Please allow for 5 business days for your request to be processed. If you do not receive your letter within the stated amount of time, check your email spam folder to confirm the attachment wasn’t flagged as spam. Please contact us if you require assistance.

Important information regarding Visa Invitation Letters (please read):

• Your name must be listed exactly as it appears on your passport. Any differences between the name on your passport and the name on your invitation letter or other documentation could lead to a delay and/or denial of your visa.
• If you have a paper, panel/workshop or a poster/visual presentation accepted for the conference, include the title and session in which the paper will be presented. Also let us know if you are engaged in any other program activity during the conference.
• If you have already registered for the conference, please mention that in your request, so that we can indicate that in the letter.
• Please note that each individual requesting an invitation letter must fill out a separate form.
• CHIIR reserves the right to request further information regarding the company or affiliation of the attendee to ensure the validity of requests. CHIIR is unable to contact U.S. Embassies in support of an individual attempting to gain entry to attend a meeting.

Visa Waiver

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO CHANGING U.S. GOVERNMENT POLICY SOME PROGRAMS MAY NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE. PLEASE CHECK U.S. GOVERNMENT WEBSITES PROVIDED AT THE END OF THIS DOCUMENT FOR THE MOST UPDATED INFORMATION.
There are 38 countries that participate in the visa waiver program. If your country is on this list, and you are traveling to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less with a valid passport that meets U.S. requirements, and the listed conditions do not apply to you, you do NOT need a visa. Otherwise, you need to obtain a visa.
In order to travel without a visa on the VWP, you must have authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to boarding a U.S. bound air or sea carrier. ESTA is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) automated web-based system to determine eligibility to travel without a visa to the United States for tourism or business. Visit the ESTA webpage on the CBP website for more information.

Furhter Information

U.S. Customs and Border information
U.S. Customs and Border information U.S. State Department Visa information
Department of Homeland Security
National Academies International Visitors Office