Obtaining Visas for Travel to the USA

The following information is provided as an attempt to help those who need to obtain a visa in order to attend a SIGSOFT-Sponsored Meeting in the United States. We recommend a few links and give some general advice, but we advise those traveling to the US that they should begin the process of obtaining a visa sooner rather than later, as this process has become slightly more complicated in the past few years.

• Links
  • US Dept. of State: Visa Information
  • Information on the B-1 Visa (the Visa conference attendees are most likely to need)
  • ACM Information on Visa support letters
• Notes
  • The first link above is a good starting point for general information.
  • Often it is helpful to find the website for the specific embassy location where you will be applying for a visa. These sites tend to have specific information on turnaround time, necessary paperwork, etc.
  • It is important that you be able to demonstrate your intent to return home. The second link gives more information on this topic. In general, a round-trip ticket is helpful but not sufficient for proving your intent to return home.