The importance of B1B2 visas for all yachtcrew
For many years Evolution has been offering assistance to yacht crew needing B1B2 visas . In the pre-COVID era, our team pretty much exclusively assisted yachts based in Spain to process applications at the US Embassy in Madrid as soon as cruising US waters was confirmed for the clients´ upcoming season. This meant usually in August or September we would have a flurry of requests and would coordinate appointments for October and November. The whole process would take 2 weeks maximum from the moment we received the request to the moment the crew had their visa in hand.
The landscape looks very different now , in 2022 to date we have processed over 350 applications in 13 different US embassies worldwide and the requests have been entering our inboxes in a steady stream since around April.
Every non-US superyacht crew member should have a B1/B2 Visa to enter American waters either onboard the vessel as crew or if flying in by plane to embark in a US port. The visa allows its holder to temporarily enter the U.S. for periods of up to 6 months at a time and can be valid up to a period of 10 years .
For about 9 months during COVID, US embassies did not accept applications for any tourist visa (B1B2 is a business/tourism visa) so many appointments that were confirmed prior to this were cancelled and seafarers lodging new applications were not accepted or found the calendars were closed completely. Since reopening, at various intervals, due to certain world events, the US government was prioritizing refugees , so we are currently seeing a massive backlog of visa applications after 2 years of stops and starts . The Madrid embassy shows it´s next published appointment dates in 2024 and others such as Paris only have availability at the tail end of 2023. Others such as Brussels have only been offering rush appointments to Belgian residents and Italy and Ireland have had a closed calendar for the best part of the last month (as per the date of this writing this article) meaning absolutely no appointments for non-immigrant visas are possible.
The cost to vessels and to crew personally has been very great this season – due to the fact that applicants have had to grab any availability that comes up, meaning last minute flights to other countries, hotels and time away from the vessel all adding to the personal and financial expense. Many jobs on the market are conditional on crew having a valid B1B2 visa and some crew have even lost their jobs for not being able to get one in time. It can be a lengthy, costly, and stressful experience for all involved.
Taking a look at calendars for 2023, crew should expect this lengthy process to remain . At Evolution we are advising captains and crew that they should make the most of any downtime to get the appointments locked in, whether or not the vessel is heading to US waters. A B1B2 visa should be considered as important as a ENG1 or STCW certificate on the resume of anyone willing to work onboard a superyacht . Investing in the time and the cost now makes you an attractive candidate and crew member to captains and recruitment agencies . Most crew will receive a 10-year visa so look at it as a long-term career investment!
Evolution offers assistance with appointment scheduling and can provide guidance from start to finish . Thanks to our great experience and our alliance with the World League of Agents , we are able to l ook for the best option to suit their situation at many US embassies located in the EU and outside.
Get in touch with our team at b1b2@evolutionagents.com and arrange yours now, to be able to cruise tomorrow.
Evolution Yacht Agents is the leading-edge team of professionals dedicated to providing assured and quality support and services to yachts in Spanish waters.
A full range of superyacht specialized services includes: charter license & legal advice, TPA (Vat exemption), customs & logistics operations, provisions & interior supplies, deck & engineering supplies and crew & VIP services.
