Conference participants should familiarize themselves with visa requirements well in advance of the conference. The 2008 Conference on Precision Electromagnet Measurements (CPEM 2008) organizers encourage you to apply for your visa as early as possible, at least 3 months prior to this conference.

Some consulates may have backlogs in scheduling visa interviews so applicants should first contact the consulate to find out how long the wait is for an interview. Visa wait times are available at: http://travel.his.com/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php.

CPEM 2008 CANNOT INTERVENE with U.S. Embassies abroad or the State Department in Washington, DC, on behalf of any participant.

However, if you need a personal letter of invitation to attend the Conference, contact Centennial Conferences (email: cpem08@centennialconferences.com or fax: (001) 303-499-2599) and provide the following information:

Full Name
Complete Mailing Address (including phone and fax numbers)
Passport Number / Country Issued
Date, City and Country of Birth

Your letter will be emailed (pdf format) and MAILED TO YOU, so request it well in advance of when you expect to need it.

Further, spouses requiring visa assistance must be registered as a CPEM 2008 Guest.

The U.S. has updated its visa policies to increase security for our citizens and visitors. It will likely take you longer to get a visa than it used to, and you will find that a few new security measures have been put into place. For details that may apply specifically to your country, see information posted by your nearest consulate or embassy.

PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS
As of October 26, 2006, any passport issued on or after this date by a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country must be an e-Passport for VWP travelers to be eligible to enter the U.S. without a visa. The most common way of entering the U.S. without a visa is through the VWP. The 27 participating VWP countries can be found online at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html.

Older, but still valid passports issued by VWP countries between October 26, 2005 and October 25, 2006, must include a digital photo printed on the data page or the traveler will be required to obtain a visa.

IMPORTANT WEBSITES

U.S. Visa Policies
Visa Waiver Information
US Embassies
Traveling to the United States
Temporary Visitors to U.S.

Step-by-Step Process to Obtain a U.S. Visa (pdf file)

US-VISIT
These notes presume that non-U.S. citizens/residents traveling to the U.S. for attendance at the 2008 CPEM do so for this reason only. The guidance offered may not be appropriate for plans, which include visits to other institutions, vacations or other objectives.

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

• Applicants should be able to answer specific and detailed questions related to their purpose of travel, business dealings with the inviter, and their general business relations (as appropriate, depending on their job responsibilities).
• Applicants should be able to provide complete travel itineraries and (if appropriate) training schedules.
• Applicants who claim to have existing relationships with their inviters, or other U.S. entities, should provide clear proof of these relationships, for instance through purchase orders, correspondence, etc.
• Applicants should be able to explain how the applicant's visit will be funded.
  NOTE: Proof of purchase of an airline ticket is not an item requested by the embassy to document your itinerary for your trip. No assurances regarding the issuance of visas can be given in advance. Therefore, final travel plans or the purchase of non-refundable ticket should not be made until a visa has been issued and you are in receipt of the passport.

PROBLEMS?
Any problems encountered in visa applications or in the admission process should be reported to the International Visitors Office by completing the questionnaire on their website at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/visas/Visa_Questionnaire.html

To help the Int’l Visitors Office to identify you as a participant, please be sure to include the name of our meeting (Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements) in the "Purpose of Visit" field on the questionnaire. The International Visitors Office can inquire at the Department of State about the status of visa applications that have been pending for more than 20 days.

DISCLAIMER
Please note that this information is given in good faith but that the regulations may change and the only authoritative sources of information are the U.S. Government websites.

Please send any suggestions for this website to cpem2008@nist.gov.

This CPEM website is hosted courtesy of
NCSL International