For some visitors to the United States, a long-validity visa would come with a shorter administrative clock. Rules published October 20, 2016, established the Electronic Visa Update System, or EVUS. The initial group described by Homeland Security was holders of unrestricted, maximum-validity B-1, B-2 or combined B-1/B-2 visas in People's Republic of China passports. Generally ten-year visas, these included those issued for more than nine years and replacements correcting original errors. [2016-25321][2016-25308]

Homeland Security's rule required periodic online updates and a notification of compliance. That notification generally lasted two years, ending earlier if the passport or visa expired. A relative, friend or travel professional could complete enrollment at the traveler's direction, but the traveler remained responsible for accurate information. Assistance could shift the typing, not the responsibility attached to the submission. [2016-25321][2016-25308]

The State Department's companion rule provided the consequence: failure to meet applicable EVUS requirements could provisionally revoke the designated visa, with automatic reinstatement upon compliance. November 29 was the travel-compliance date. Homeland Security also specified initial-enrollment timing for existing holders, including a December 14 deadline unless earlier travel required enrollment sooner. These dates should not be collapsed into a single deadline for every circumstance. [2016-25321][2016-25308]

Our reading is that maintaining permission to travel now involved attention to more than the printed visa expiration. Enrollment still did not guarantee admission at the border. These are linked agency rules for one program, not independent evidence that it reduced delays. This account describes the October 2016 framework, not current travel advice or a requirement imposed on all foreign visitors. [2016-25321][2016-25308]

Source documents

  1. Establishment of the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS)https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-10-20/html/2016-25321.htm
  2. Visas: Visa Information Update Requirements Under the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS)https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-10-20/html/2016-25308.htm