USA: Coronavirus

(asked on 4th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to reach a reciprocal agreement with the United States to ensure that UK citizens in that country whose visas have expired or are about to expire are granted the same concessions as those enjoyed, for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic, by US citizens visiting the UK.


Answered by
Wendy Morton Portrait
Wendy Morton
This question was answered on 11th May 2020

The UK is in regular contact at the highest levels with our US partners on our joint response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, including discussions on how to enable travelling nationals to return home where necessary.

For UK citizens in the US on non-immigration visas, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are accepting timely extension of stay (EOS) or change in status (COS) applications. The granting of either status will allow UK citizens whose visas have expired to lawfully remain in the US for an agreed period of time. More information can be found on the USCIS website.

UK citizens currently in the US on an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) visa are able to apply for Satisfactory Departure from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This discretionary authority permits USCIS and CBP to extend an ESTA admission for a period not to exceed 30 days.

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