"Roland Perry" wrote in message

In message , at 09:26:06 on Sat, 24 May
2008, Goalie of the Century remarked:

Funnily enough, a chap I know went to Boston a couple of months
ago, for a six-month fellowship at Harvard. Couldn't get a visa
appointment in London within any reasonable time-scale so had to
fly to Belfast and stay overnight.

The last time I went to the States, only about a year and a half
ago, you didn't need a visa. Has this changed?

Were you going as a tourist or to a business meeting, and for no
more than three months?

Those are the usual qualifications for not needing a Visa.

AND

[snip lots of unusual things for someone living in UK]

So there are many reasons why someone might need a visa.

The most usual being that they want to study, to work, or to live
there.

I think journos need visas, unlike most other people going to the US on
business.