US criticised about online clearance requirement

Beginning on January 12, 2009, US immigration authorities will require that all travellers to the country fill in an online form, at least three days in advance of their travel date, to ensure their clearance by the US Department of Homeland Security.

The new clearance procedure is called the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), and replaces the paper I-94 form, which airline passengers who do not require visas are now given during their flight to the US.

This new form is available only online, however, and the US authorities have made no provisions for the millions of potential travellers who are without access to the Internet.

A spokesman for Homeland Security, when asked what people without Internet access should do, said: “For those who don’t have access to the Internet, it’s best to contact a friend, family member, colleague or travel agent who is online. Any of those folks are able to fill out the ESTA form on behalf of the traveller.”

The Office for National Statistics estimates that approximately eight million homes in the UK do not have a connection to the Internet, for various reasons – either they don’t understand how it works, feel that they “do not need it,” or can’t afford to buy a computer.

Martin Lewis, who founded the consumer website MoneySavingExpert, has called the move by the US government “staggering.”

“The USA is effectively saying that if you’re not online you can’t come in. It does conjure images of many people, especially the elderly, being turned away at immigration because they can’t use a keyboard. Sometimes progress is backwards,” Lewis said.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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