Visit http://www.gmu.edu/welcome/Directions-to-GMU.html
for directions to the Fairfax
Campus
Visit http://www.washington.org/, the official tourism website of D.C.
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States. It is coterminous with the District of Columbia (abbreviated as "D.C."). The city and the district are located on the banks of the Potomac River and bordered by the states of Virginia (to the west) and Maryland (to the north, east and south). The city was planned and developed in the late 18th century to serve as the permanent national capital; the federal district was formed to keep the national capital distinct from the states.
SCB meetings and getting a visa to enter the US
The meeting has been registered with the International
Visitors Office of the US Department of State. The International
Visitors Office of the U.S. National Academies maintains a list of
meetings held in the United States that are sponsored by national or
international scientific, technical, and medical organizations, and by
universities and research institutes. This list is shared with the U.S.
Department of State Visa Services and is disseminated to United States
consular officers worldwide. We can also provide names to this
bureau. We discourage any illegal immigrant to use our meeting to
try to get a visa to enter the US as we will communicate their names to
the US Department of State.
Do I need a visa to enter the US?
Citizens of 27 countries do not need a visa to enter the
US.
Note: some important information is available here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html
When should I apply for a visa?
If you need a visa to enter the US and attend the meeting, please apply
for your visa as early as possible—and at least 3 months before the
meeting: March 2008 would be the best.
Wait time by cities
Some consulates may have backlogs in scheduling visa interviews so
applicants should first contact the consulate to find out how long the
wait is for an interview. Visa wait times are available at: http://travel.his.com/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php
What type of visa?
We recommend that you seek a business B-1 visitors
visa. This visa is appropriate for travel for a scientific,
educational, professional or business convention, or conference on
specific dates. Also, if you have complaints on your case, you
will be able to report it to the Business Visa Center ONLY for this
type of visa.
Applying for a visa: what should I do?
Please go to the official information on the visa
application process:http://travel.state.gov/visa.
Refer to the document: “Obtaining
a U.S. visa: A step-by-step outline of today's U.S. visa application
procedures” (pdf file) for more information. You can find more
information on the International Visitors website of the National
Academies: http://www.nationalacademies.org/visas
Visa, invitation letter and registration to the meeting
Note that we do not send any invitation letter to people
who did not pay their registration fee. This proof of payment is
one of the requirements to apply for a visa. The registration
opens on January 23 2008. Please go to www.conbio.org to verify if
registration is open, register and then ask for an invitation letter.
Again, NO invitation letter will be sent until we have received your
full registration payment.
More information
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_1304.html
My case has been pending for more than 20 days, what can
I do?
Please report your case to the National Academies by completing the
questionnaire you can find here:
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/visas/Visa_Questionnaire.html
Please, include the name of the meeting in the "Purpose of Visit" field
on the questionnaire.
DO NOT complete the questionnaire if you haven’t been waiting for more
than 20 days: they will not be able to help you.
Please note that the Business Visa Center will only be able to help you
if you applied for a business B-1, visitor visa.