US yanks visa waiver for top tourism execs after Cuba transit
Published:Saturday | December 9, 2023 | 12:09 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
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WESTERN BUREAU: A number of expatriates holding European, British and Australian citizenship had their visa waivers cancelled by the United States (US) this week after in-transiting via Cuba en route to Jamaica. The Electronic System for Travel...
WESTERN BUREAU:
A number of expatriates holding European, British and Australian citizenship had their visa waivers cancelled by the United States (US) this week after in-transiting via Cuba en route to Jamaica.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visa waiver programme, which is administered by the US government, allows eligible travellers from certain countries to visit the US for business or tourism for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. ESTA is renewable every two years and cost US$25 per applicant.
However, visiting Cuba with an ESTA results in an automatic cancellation.
“If an ESTA has already been approved and it is later determined that the traveller has been present in Cuba and/or is a dual national of a Visa Waiver Program country and Cuba, which has been designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism, the traveller’s ESTA will be revoked in accordance with US law,” a US Embassy spokesperson explained to The Gleaner on Friday.
The affected expats, mainly senior executives in the tourism industry, woke up to the shocking news Wednesday morning via emails from ESTA.
They reportedly travelled on Germany’s Condor Airlines from Frankfurt to Montego Bay, which also stops in Holquin, Cuba, before landing at the Sangster International Airport during the summer. Condor operated twice-weekly flights this past summer, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
“We never even went outside the airport. The aircraft dropped off passengers in Holquin and those of us booked for Jamaica were in transit awaiting the reboarding of our flight,” a senior executive with one of the major resorts told The Gleaner.
The executive, who was born in Europe, is now worried about the ease of travel, and notes that the Condor Cuba route is a mandatory stop in the summer season.
This could affect multi-destination travel, which is encouraged by Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism.
Several long-haul carriers flying into the region have grasped the opportunity, capitalising on two-country options. There are flights between Europe, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica and flights that stop in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, with UK tourists destined for Jamaica.
Many of these passengers are unaware that the US government has certain travel restrictions in place for persons seeking to enter the country after in-transiting in Cuba.
The ESTA website warns that the cancellation will happen within hours or days of US Customs and Border Protection receiving information about one’s travel history and visit to Cuba.
NOT BARRED
The US Embassy spokesperson said those who had their ESTA cancelled have not been barred from entering the US, but they would now need to apply for a visa at a US embassy or consulate.
“For those who need a US visa for urgent business, medical, or humanitarian travel to the United States, US consular sections, including at our embassy in Kingston, may be able to provide visa interview appointments on an expedited basis whenever possible,” the spokesperson said, adding that should they need an expedited appointment, they should note the ESTA revocation message as part of their expedited visa appointment request.
When contacted by The Gleaner, British High Commissioner Judith Slater said she was unaware of the situation and would need to look into it. The Gleaner is aware of at least two affected Britons.