Invitations and Visas

Invitations:
Participants who require invitations to participate in CIPANP2018 should email Wick Haxton (haxton@berkeley.edu), Chair of the Local Organizing Committee, including CIPANP-invitation-participation in the header

Participants who require an invitation letter to enter the US as a visitor to participate in CIPANP2018 should email Wick Haxton, including CIPANP-invitation-entry in the header

Visas:
Participants from outside the United States are reminded of the formalities required for entering the U.S., in particular for those who cannot enter the U.S. without a visa or through the Visa Waiver Program.

Please consult the U.S. Department of State Web site for the current regulations.

Please be aware that visa issuance cannot be guaranteed. Visa decisions are made solely by the U.S. Department of State.

* The U.S. Department of State has the authority to request special security clearances before issuing a visa. These clearances can take from 1 week to 2 months. Do not be alarmed if you are told that a security check will be done. In most cases, they are completed within a week or two.

* It is not possible for the conference organizers to expedite visas for conference participants.

Therefore, if a visa is required, you must plan ahead and apply for your visa as early as the U.S. Consulate General allows (but no more than six months in advance of your travel date). Each Consulate General has rules about how early you may apply. Please follow the instructions of the Consulate where you plan to apply for the visa.

*VISA WAIVER COUNTRIES*

Citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program do not need to apply for visas to attend the Conference.  You may enter the United States using just your passports and your Conference Registration Notice.  At the port of entry into the U.S, please request to be given a “Visa Waiver for Business” (WB) status. That will allow you to stay in the U.S. for the length of the Conference.

IMPORTANT: Effective January 12, 2009, all Visa Waiver travelers will be required to obtain an authorization via ESTA before traveling to the United States: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/.

The Visa Waiver countries are:

*NON-VISA WAIVER COUNTRIES*

Citizens of countries not participating in the Visa Waiver Program will need to request a Business (B-1) visa at the nearest U.S. Consulate.  Please present at the Consulate your Conference Registration Notice, along with your valid passport.  We urge you to do this EARLY, as there are often delays in this process.  Official letters of invitation (without financial commitment) to help overcome administrative difficulties in some countries can be sent upon written request to the conference administrator.

*CANADA*

Although Canada is not a Visa Waiver country, Canadian citizens do not need to apply for visas at the U.S. Consulate.  Citizens of Canada may enter the country using just their passports, along with their Conference Registration Notice.  Please request at the port of entry status as a Visitor for Business (B-1).