When do people think travel will be allowed to the USA?

[umbrellaqueen12]

I’m from the U.K. and I have some relatives there that I’m pretty desperate to see. I’m now double vaccinated. When might I be able to see them? Or when do people think that restrictions might be lifted slightly there?

[Whitney168]

Watching with interest. Have festival tickets I want to book for June in the USA, surely it must be OK by then (but we probably thought that last year!)?

[umbrellaqueen12]

I was thinking mid august. Sick of all of these restrictions now

[Whitney168]

(Sorry, to be clear, I mean June next year ... I'm not that naive LOL. Had forgotten we were already in this June.)

[beguilingeyes]

I'm not optimistic....there was talk at one point about an air bridge between London and NYC...but I haven't heard that for a while. Letting the Indian variant rip for a month before stopping flights has screwed everything else.

Also...you might be alright in the big cities, but a lot of America in anti-vax...a much larger proportion than here..so that might be a factor also.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

How long is a piece of string?

Not optimistic for this year, 2022 probably more likely.

[Hairbrush123]

I am booked to visit the USA in late July. Previously - I was quite optimistic about it opening around now/end of June however that quickly diminished after the the first and today’s green list announcement. I don’t think the US border will reopen until the end of summer at the earliest. There have been ongoing discussions since March about an airbridge between the UK and US however nothing has come to fruition despite the media and Paul Charles saying it was meant to happen by now! I think the US/Canada border has to reopen first (which it hasn’t for over a year) to see the US reopening its border to Europeans.

To be fair, I’ve given up hope on visiting the USA next month. I’d love to be proven wrong as I really want to go but I seriously doubt I’ll be going anywhere now. Thankfully the flights & hotel are fully refundable so I shall use that money on home improvements if I don’t go!

[Franklin12]

US is amber and they need a rapid test for entry and to come back which will be easier. Yes you will need to quarantine but we can do that. Planning to go mid August.

[RoseRedRoseBlue]

Cannot wait to get back to the US. Is the ESTA scheme back up and running/are they actually letting us in yet?

[CrumbsThatsQuick]

I think USA won't let anyone in from UK at the moment, so even if it is only Amber from our pov, we still can't go?

[RoseRedRoseBlue]

@RoseRedRoseBlue

Cannot wait to get back to the US. Is the ESTA scheme back up and running/are they actually letting us in yet?

My thoughts exactly

[RoseRedRoseBlue]

Oh God I quoted my own post! I meant to quote Crumbs 😂😂

[VelvetTrews]

Watching. I really want to go to see family. But at the moment Schengen and the UK are still banned from entry. My family over there thinks that by the end of the summer it’ll be easier but there’s no guarantee

[MrsMariaReynolds]

I am less optimistic that I'll be able to go home this summer after the green/amber list nonsense today (re: Portugal) . Even if the US goes green in the coming weeks, it's not a guarantee that it'll stay there. I absolutely cannot afford the time off to travel AND quarantine for 10 days. And there's consideration of travel insurance, extra testing costs, etc.

I completely miss my parents and haven't been able to travel to see them since August 2019. It sucks.

[Figmentofimagination]

My sister lives in the States and my nephew was born in Feb 2020. I was supposed to visit April 2020 to meet him but of course that didn't happen.
We've now booked to go in Feb 2022. I hope we can go by then.
My parents were also supposed to fly over end of March 2020, then Sept 2020, then March 2021 and now Sept 2021. They'll meet their youngest grandchild one day.

[umbrellaqueen12]

It sucks honestly. I’m holding out hope for mid august. I’m desperate to see my fam:( I hope a miracle happens soon because it’s getting tougher

[TownTalkJewels]

Are these close family members? I believe immediate family members of American citizens are allowed in.

[BritWifeinUSA]

@TownTalkJewels

Are these close family members? I believe immediate family members of American citizens are allowed in.

Spouses of US citizens and green card holders, parents of minor children US citizens/Green Card holders and minor children of US citizens and green card holders are permitted to enter directly from Europe. The exceptions don’t apply for aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I’m a US citizen and my mother has been trying to visit me since May 2020 but doesn’t fall into the exceptions category as I’m not a minor.

If you don’t meet the requirements above, you can still enter but you have to spend 14 days in a non-European country beforehand. Mexico is the hot favorite place to spend the 14 days.

[beguilingeyes]

Ironically we avoided the US while the orange one was in charge...now we can't go.
We went to Canada last February... timed it right down to the wire...seemed a frivolous trip at the time but I'm so glad we went now.

[Chemenger]

@Franklin12

US is amber and they need a rapid test for entry and to come back which will be easier. Yes you will need to quarantine but we can do that. Planning to go mid August.

The problem is that the US won’t let us in at the moment. Until the presidential proclamation banning us is relaxed you can’t enter the US from the U.K. unless you are a US citizen or permanent resident.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

"I think USA won't let anyone in from UK at the moment, so even if it is only Amber from our pov, we still can't go?"

Correct. We will only be able to travel there when President Biden lifts that Executive order that ex President Trump imposed back in March 2020. The fact that the US is on the Amber list is irrelevant.

The ESTA visa waiver scheme is paused for UK and European citizens.

[fiveminutebreak]

Up until recently I had been expecting it to be lifted mid June but now I'm very uncertain. I also think while it is an amber country in the UK the Border will not be opened. And there is a new variant. And the UK is not making any exceptions for people who have been vaccinated while Eutope is.

The border with Canada is still closed and there are no plans for it to open before Srptember.. so..I think if it does happen it will be end of July or mid August....maybe...

[SeasonFinale]

@AttilaTheMeerkat

"I think USA won't let anyone in from UK at the moment, so even if it is only Amber from our pov, we still can't go?"

Correct. We will only be able to travel there when President Biden lifts that Executive order that ex President Trump imposed back in March 2020. The fact that the US is on the Amber list is irrelevant.

The ESTA visa waiver scheme is paused for UK and European citizens.

The ESTA is not paused for UK citizens. My son applied for one last month and got it and was able to travel there as he has been in Central America

[zafferana]

Well, it's all conjective and rumours still at the moment, which is frustrating, but it's the same as anywhere else!

We're US citizens who are due to go two months today (7th August), and we have no idea what the situation will be by then. The issue for us is the UK's amber listing as we a) don't want to have to submit to umpteen expensive tests and b) cannot afford to quarantine for 10 days on return, because of DC going back to school.

Simon Calder's take on it is that there may be some kind of announcement from Biden and Boris during the G7 summit. He is hoping that UK/US travel will reopen in early July and that the US will then join the green list. Given how reluctant the UK is to open up travel to anyone from anywhere though, I'm not holding my breath. I am, however, keeping my fingers crossed.

[diddlediddledump]

I really hope they do form a air bridge but I highly doubt it. It's really not funny but they were quick to put Portugal on amber list with really low cases but allowed flights from India for weeks which is going to potentially harm us with any air bridge as no one wants the Indian variant so I'm basically not optimistic at all.