21st Workshop on MHD Stability Control – A US-Japan Workshop

Prediction and Forecasting of Transient Events

Hosted by General Atomics in San Diego, CA on November 7-9, 2016


Non-U.S. Participants


All foreign nationals visiting General Atomics are required to show their passport at the time of check-in.

Due to The Department of Energy regulations all Non-U.S. Citizens are required to submit the The Non-U.S. Citizen Form located at https://diii-d.gat.com/ssl_form/nonus/.


Visa Waiver Country Participants

Beginning January 12, 2009, all foreign nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries are required by law to obtain a travel authorization prior to traveling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.

The "38" Visa Waiver Program Countries are:

As of April 1, 2016, you must have an e-passport to use the Visa Waiver Program. An e-Passport is an enhanced secure passport with an embedded electronic chip. You can readily identify an e-Passport, because it has a unique international symbol on the cover.

Travelers not holding an e-passport can apply for a nonimmigrant B-1 visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The passport in this situation must have a machine-readable zone/code on the biographic page.

The traveler can apply via the "ESTA" web site at: http://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/esta. Effective September 2010 fees were imposed, which currently totals $14.00. There are several unauthorized websites, which charge the traveler for this process, but they should not be used. These sites are scams. Use of these sites also does not expedite the granting of approval to travel to the United States

When you obtain a visa through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization "ESTA", a number will be assigned to you for travel to the United States and is generally valid for two (2) years.


Non-Immigrant Visa Invitation Participants

As a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States who is not from a Visa Waiver Country, you must first obtain a visa. General Atomics will gladly provide you a visa invitation letter.

Once the DOE Non-U.S. Citizen form (not connected to the Registration form) has been submitted, an invitation letter will be sent to you as quickly as possible. The invitation letter will provide an overview of the visa process as it pertains to your situation. Due to recent changes in the visa application procedure, the processing time for a visa has increased significantly. Currently, the processing time could be as long as ninety days. It is highly recommended you apply well in advance of your anticipated departure date. Unfortunately, prior to applying for a B1/B2 visa all visa applicants are required to pay a non immigrant visa application processing fee of $160.00, which is non-refundable. Please read the U.S. Embassy website for your country well in advance of your anticipated departure date for exact details of visa processing. If you have questions regarding the visa process, you may contact Brenda Bowman, International Relations Coordinator, at bowman@fusion.gat.com.

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