Maryland Criminal & Immigration Lawyer Blog
The majority of the non-English-speaking world calls it football, while most of the English-speaking world calls it soccer. Whatever you call it, it is the most popular team sport on the planet. The sport’s crown jewel event — the World Cup — is coming to the USA (as well as Canada and Mexico) next year. The volume of international travelers visiting the USA next year will be massive. For many, attending the World Cup will require navigating the often intricate and complicated world of travel visas. Whether you need a travel visa or another type of visa, ensuring you complete your application correctly the first time is crucial, which is why having representation from a Maryland travel visa lawyer is a must.
According to the FIFA (soccer’s governing body) website, nine of the top 16 national teams in the world call Europe home. South America is the second most represented continent, with four squads. Asia has one (Japan), and Africa has one (Morocco.) If you live in Japan or any of those nine European countries and want to attend World Cup matches in person, traveling to the USA is a comparatively simple process. Japan, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Croatia are among the 37 nations that participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
Citizens of these countries may spend up to 90 days in the USA without obtaining a visa. To travel without a visa, you must have approval from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before you embark on your journey. ESTA is an automated online tool that assesses your eligibility to travel to the USA.