USA/ Australian citizen

[Elisabeth freelan 4]

I need some advice please. My cousin who is a us citizen lives in Australia and is also a citizen there. She and her family are unvaccinated and wanting to come to California to escape Perth until the mandates blow over there. She would like to know if her family is eligible for travel to America with her for 4 months until things improve in Australia. How does she go about getting them a visa and will they be allowed in with her being unvaccinated?

[Crazy Cat 42,033]

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/noncitizens-US-air-travel.html

 

"If you are a non-U.S. citizen, non-U.S. immigrant and not fully vaccinated, you will not be allowed to enter the United States. Only limited exceptions apply to the requirement to show proof of vaccination."

Edited January 16, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[laylalex 7,293]

Non-immigrant visitors MUST be vaccinated in order to enter the US. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html

 

There are some limited exceptions (listed on that website). So your US citizen cousin can come back whenever she wants, whether vaccinated or not, along with any kids under 18. But if she has a non-USC spouse or child aged 18 or older, unless they're also citizens, green card holders or entering on immigrant visas, they won't be able to visit. If they want to visit, they can get vaccinated.

LOL, jinx @Crazy Cat!

[Boiler 45,908]

This is the wait time for Sydney:

 

Nonimmigrant Visa Type Appointment Wait Time

Visitor Visa                        91 Calendar Days

 

A 4 month trip would require a B visa, what the situation will be then I have no idea.

[Lil bear 4,283]

1 hour ago, Elisabeth freelan said:

I need some advice please. My cousin who is a us citizen lives in Australia and is also a citizen there. She and her family are unvaccinated and wanting to come to California to escape Perth until the mandates blow over there. She would like to know if her family is eligible for travel to America with her for 4 months until things improve in Australia. How does she go about getting them a visa and will they be allowed in with her being unvaccinated?

Slighlty off the question .. but Vaccination mandates in Western Australia  wont be “blown over” in 4 months… even in the 6 months stay allowed  with a B1/2 visa. Cousin needs to consider another option perhaps.. just my thoughts   

[Lil bear 4,283]

Moved to Tourist visa forum as this reflects the information in the OP question 

[Elisabeth freelan 4]

2 hours ago, Lil bear said:

Slighlty off the question .. but Vaccination mandates in Western Australia  wont be “blown over” in 4 months… even in the 6 months stay allowed  with a B1/2 visa. Cousin needs to consider another option perhaps.. just my thoughts   

She will be fired from her job on the 31st of January and same for her husband.

[Boiler 45,908]

6 minutes ago, Elisabeth freelan said:

She will be fired from her job on the 31st of January and same for her husband.

Not sure what that has to do with your question

[laylalex 7,293]

So your cousin wants to pack up her life in the next 16 days and move over here with as many of her family as she can, then have to find a home and a job (presumably) to last her through at least four months? If she has kids, what will she do about schooling? Is she prepared for how expensive a lot of California is? She'll have to get a car, because public transport here is generally awful (with some VERY limited exceptions) and everything is spread out. Isn't there any remote work she and her husband can do over there in Australia? 

 

She can come back and try her luck here, but she might come to regret it pretty fast unless she's got family or friends willing to open their home to her (plus as much of her family as can travel here legally), and the ability to get a job. She might have trouble getting one of those too -- although there's no mandate, it's perfectly legal to discriminate against hiring unvaccinated people. 

 

I'm really trying to have some sympathy here for her, but this seems like a scheme that is going to make her more broke than sitting put for a while. She has made a choice about her health she has every right to make, but choices have consequences she might not like.

[Coco8 1,042]

California has a lot of vaccine requirements. 

 

 

[laylalex 7,293]

Depends on where you are in this state, but yes, more than some other places. I was just in Mississippi last week and there was no one checking my vaxx card when I ate inside a restaurant. (I can report there is actually higher mask compliance than I expected -- I went to a gigantic Walmart and nearly everyone I saw was wearing a mask.) But in my city (Santa Monica) we don't have a mandate for entering restaurants, gyms or hair salons -- and right next door in LA there is a mandate. It's weird and patchy, and depends on the county and municipality. 

 

But as a fully vaxxed and boosted person, I don't really notice. My life is pretty much back to normal, I just have to wear a mask some places, sometimes. Not a big deal.

[SalishSea 18,072]

2 hours ago, Elisabeth freelan said:

She will be fired from her job on the 31st of January and same for her husband.

Maybe a great time to revisit her choices.

[CMJuilland 485]

Aside from what everybody else already said, I would imagine that it would be pretty difficult to convince a CO that the non-citizen family members have close ties to Australia and the intention to return when the reason for travel is basically fleeing their homeland due to restrictions and job loss… Thus, obtaining a B visa in this situation, even if those family members requiring such a visa are vaccinated, would most likely be very difficult at best. 

Like others said way more eloquently than I’m about to, I believe your cousin’s plan sounds as if it had not been thought through at all and put together hastily. 

[yvonme 124]

Lots of vaccination requirements here in California. Not sure why they would think issues would be resolved in a short time there in WA…. It’s been two years.