Pending ESTA

[danny912 0]

Good afternoon,

I have had 3 ESTAS and travelled to the States over 20 times the last 5 years.

I came to apply for a new one a few weeks back and there has been a law change saying you must declare if you have been to Iraq, Iran or Syria since 2011.

I was in Iraq for 3 years working for the American embassy as a security consultant so I wrote this on my ESTA application. My application has been saying "pending" for 2 weeks now and I know you're supposed to have an answer within 72 hours.

Can anyone advise or have had this before?

Regards,

Danny

Edited May 26, 2016 by danny912

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Try this CBP traveller redress inquiry https://www.dhs.gov/dhs-trip

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

My guess is that you are in a sort of administrative processing, and since this whole thing is new they may be slow at it. A human is going to have to check your story and confirm it with whatever records they have. Good luck.

[Boiler 45,658]

You need to apply for a B.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/01/251577.htm

The United States today began implementing changes under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 (the Act). U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) welcomes more than a million passengers arriving to the United States every day and is committed to facilitating legitimate travel while maintaining the highest standards of security and border protection. Under the Act, travelers in the following categories are no longer eligible to travel or be admitted to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):

• Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria on or after March 1, 2011 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country).
  
• Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria.

These individuals will still be able to apply for a visa using the regular immigration process at our embassies or consulates. For those who need a U.S. visa for urgent business, medical, or humanitarian travel to the United States, U.S. embassies and consulates stand ready to process applications on an expedited basis.

[JFH 12,190]

What happened to your K-1 from 2012?