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The ESTA, as we all know, is a type of visa that tourists or businessmen can get to come into the US. This visa allows you to stay in the US for 90 days without having to apply for a traditional visa. A lot of people apply for this special visa to enable them to enter the US.
The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of managing and administering the ESTA online application (DHS). The form's main goal is to collect a lot of data so that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can cross-check an individual's information against several databases related to international terrorism, no-fly lists, and criminal activity.
But numerous vacations and business trips have been ruined as a result of ESTA applicants' failing to check the status of their permission before leaving for the airport or port to board their flight or ship to the United States.
Travelers headed for the United States who are unable to participate in their vacation plans are also likely to face financial hardship if they have to cancel their reservations for travel, lodging, or both. That is why you have to give your full attention when applying for your ESTA.
Why would an ESTA be granted before being rejected?
Following the granting of the authorization permission, an ESTA USA may be revoked at any moment. The right of admissibility for every ESTA applicant traveling under the Visa Waiver Program is reserved by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). ESTA continuously and repeatedly verifies the immigration and security eligibility of applicants.
These checks are performed by the immigration and enforcement databases. As a result, CBP's data is constantly accurate and up-to-date to address changing global security risks.
How can I find out if my ESTA was authorized and then revoked?
The following are ways in which you get alerted if your application has been rejected:
- The CBP agency in charge of the ESTA will send you an Email informing you about your ESTA application status. When you check the status, you will see "Travel Not Authorized" or that your ESTA has been canceled. This will mean that you are not eligible to travel under the waiver program and might have to reapply.
- You are going to receive a message from your airline or sea carrier with whom you made your reservation, informing you that your ESTA is no longer valid.
- When you try to check in online or at the airport, air or sea carrier employees will let you know that your ESTA has been canceled.
- Rarely, you might be ordered to get off the ship or plane you got on to go to the US, or you might get turned away when you get to the US border and have your ESTA canceled.
What choices do I have if my ESTA is first accepted and then rejected?
You will need to reschedule your travel arrangements if your ESTA was approved, but you are prohibited from entering an air or sea vessel bound for the United States. If your ESTA was rejected or canceled, you would typically need to get a US visa.
If you must go to the US, you will just have to restart another ESTA application. Maybe for a business issue, you can apply for a traditional US visa.
What if my ESTA contained a mistake?
You must go through your answers during your application process to check if you made any errors. On some occasions, the reason for your application being rejected might be due to some mistakes in your application. You can go over your previous application to check for errors when reapplying.
If you decide to reapply, familiarize yourself with the procedures to reduce typical ESTA application mistakes.
How to regularly check the status of your ESTA.
Applicants are recommended to carefully evaluate the information they supply on their ESTA applications as well as engage a reputable third-party supplier to review their ESTA applications for any errors or anomalies.
Additionally, up until the date of their departure, worried candidates are recommended to often check the progress of their application.
Applicants can check the status of their ESTA applications on the ESTA web page. One can view their application's data in real-time by entering their application number, birthdate, and passport number. It takes less than a minute to review an ESTA application, which can save you the trouble of having to change travel plans and provide peace of mind.
The steps to verify the status of your application are listed below:
- Visit the homepage of the ESTA website.
- If you don't know your application number, enter your passport number, date of issue, expiration date, date of birth, and country of citizenship instead. After providing the required data, click "Retrieve Application.". Click "Check Individual Status" in the right-hand center of the page.
- The current status of your application will be shown. Click the "Confirm" button to the right.
- Verify that you selected "No" for each question before continuing.
Use the procedures outlined above to review your application for errors if your ESTA application has been denied. Following confirmation of the cause of the rejection, handle the rejection by that cause.
Below are descriptions of two cases:
- If you clicked "yes" to a question, you could still contact US customs to correct your application.
- If all of your responses were "No," and you were unable to find any errors in your entries. You will have to reapply for a US visa.
Once the specifics of your circumstance have been verified, I advise reacting via the procedures outlined below:
- Once you have submitted your entry, there is no way to immediately delete it if you unintentionally clicked "Yes" to one of the questions. Reapply after at least 24 hours have passed. You can change the content of your prior application even though you will need to reapply and pay new application fees. It is sometimes impossible to change or update previously entered information. But you can still call US customs to make complaints.
- If all of your responses were "No" and you were unable to find any errors in your entries, in this instance, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has stored some data from the US government that could cause your application for travel authorization to be denied for several reasons. You will have to apply for a US visa at their embassy because asking CBP to rectify such data is impossible.
Reasons for the rejection of an ESTA application
It can be very frustrating when your ESTA visa is rejected during the application, but for you to avoid this from happening again. You will have to check to know the reason why it was not approved in the first place. This will help you understand the situation and help make corrections to your new application.
ESTA visas are approved very quickly unless there are issues in the application.
But, even if it is pending for some time, it will eventually be approved. However, if it is determined that the application has any issues, it will be turned down.
The most frequent cause is selecting "Yes" while responding to any of the application's inquiries.
Through inquiries into applicants' prior medical histories, arrest records, and criminal histories, the ESTA application seeks to screen out potential threats to the United States.
In most situations, an application will be rejected if "Yes" is provided in response to any one of these questions.
When a candidate unintentionally clicks "Yes" on a question when they meant to click "No," their application may, in some situations, be rejected. When requesting an ESTA, it is crucial to thoroughly examine the request for any inaccurate or misleading information.
The most frequent causes for ESTA application rejection
- Previously convicted and with substantial criminal histories.
- If you have applied for the ESTA visa and were rejected.
- If you overstayed past the 90 days permitted in the US.
- If you have been deported from the US.
- If your passport is close to its expiring date.
- If you share the same name with a wanted criminal.
- If you have worked in the US without the right papers.
Mind you, if you click a "yes" during your application for a question that the answer is meant to be a "NO," you can always reapply for the US waiver program.
By verifying applicants' prior arrest histories and criminal records, the ESTA application's queries are designed to screen out travelers who potentially present a threat to the US. Check to see if there was an error with the information you supplied or the things you selected if your status changed to "Travel authorization refused."
Conclusion
Rebooking your vacation plans for the United States after having your ESTA canceled can be awkward and uncomfortable. It can also affect future applications for US visas and visa waivers. Checking your ESTA's validity frequently before traveling to the US is the best way to lessen the overall severity of these travel consequences.