BVI Residents warned not to fall victim to ESTA scams

~~Adz:Left~~ Roadtown, Tortola - BVI residents who are nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) countries requiring pre-approval for entry into the United States through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) are being warned not to fall victim to scams requiring them to pay a fee for the online application.

The warning comes from Director of Communications in the Premier’s Office, Ms. Sandra Ward on the heels of the introduction of the new regulation on January 12, which requires persons planning to travel to the United States Virgin Islands and the United States mainland using their United Kingdom or a VWP country passport to provide their biographical, travel and eligibility information through ESTA to determine their eligibility for entry.

In a GIS Radio Report last week, Ms. Ward revealed that from the inception of the new regulation, there has been evidence of scams charging persons as much as $50 to complete the online application.

“There is no cost attached to this application process,” Ms. Ward stated. She advised, “if you get on a website that requires payment, I advise you to click out and start all over again; it is free of cost.”

The Director of Communications revealed that third parties are in fact permitted to complete applications on behalf of travellers. She noted that the Premier’s Office wrote to travel agencies in December encouraging them to assist travellers who require assistance but reiterated that while there is no on-line fee for this service; travel agencies may charge their customers a service fee.

The ESTA regulation applies to BVIslanders using their UK passports, recognisable by the words European Union, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the front cover.

For those BVIslanders who may opt to use their Virgin Islands passport, they remain eligible for visa-waiver entry to the United States Virgin Islands using that passport. For those planning to visit the U.S. mainland using their Virgin Islands passport, Ms. Ward explained that this requires a Certificate of Good Character from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.

“We are aware that not all BVIslanders have a British passport so if for some reason you still want to use your BVI passport to go on to the United States, you can apply under the US-BVI Visa Initiative, which is a separate visa initiative between the BVI and the United States,” Ms. Ward said.

According to Ms. Ward ”persons must apply for a Certificate of Good Character from the police statiion which costs $10 and the application process takes about three to four days.”

The Director of Communications also attempted to clear up any uncertainties persons may have about the new regulations. She noted that the authorization is not required for international students who need a visa for travel to the U.S.A and that applicants who are denied travel authorisation through ESTA will have to apply for a non-immigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Persons applying on-line will receive one of three responses: approved, pending or denied.

The new regulation represents the latest in the series of measures taken by the United States to better secure its borders. It applies to holders of UK passports as well as nationals of 26 other countries including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

For more information or to complete the online application, persons can visit the websites, www.dhs.gov or https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.