Convention NewsThe American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is offering assistance in a number of ways to attendees who will be coming to Safety 2014 from other countries.

Letter of Invitation

An official letter of invitation to Safety 2014, though not required for a visa application, can nonetheless be helpful as a supporting document.

“This letter by no means guarantees admittance into the U.S., but can provide compelling evidence for immigration officials to consider,”according to ASSE.

For a customized letter of invitation, email customerservice@asse.org/

Be sure to include:

  • your ASSE member number
  • your full name as it is written in your passport following this format: First name/Given name, Middle Name or Middle Initial, Last name/Family name/Surname
  • proper mailing address and email.
  • proper Salutation (choose one of the following: Mr., Ms., Mrs., or Dr.)

If you are not an ASSE member please provide your full name as it is written in your passport, title, company name, full complete company address and proper email.

The letter can be prevented to the Consular Officer during the visa interview.

Applying for a visa

Visa to travel to the U.S. can take four months to be processed, so it’s best to do it soon.

For more information about visas:

Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the U.S. for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. Visit http://travel.state.gov/visa for more information.

US-VISIT: What to expect

All visitors traveling to the U.S. are photographed and fingerprinted upon arrival, under US-VISIT. The change is part of the department’s upgrade from two- to 10-fingerprint collection to enhance security and facilitate legitimate travel by more accurately and efficiently establishing and verifying visitors’ identities. For more information go to http://www.dhs.gov/us-visit.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

Implemented in 2007, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires all persons traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean region to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States. For more information, go to http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_2223.html.