Getting to the USA

United States visa policy permits citizens of Canada and Bermuda to travel to the U.S. without a visa.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the US without a visa for 90 days. Currently, 37 countries participate in the VWP. To travel, you must have authorization through ESTA prior to boarding. ESTA is the automated web-based system to determine eligibility to travel without a visa to the US. Visit the ESTA page.

All other visitors to the US require a non-immigrant visa. For more information visit the Visas page.

If you need a visa, please start the process as soon as possible, as wait times are unpredictable.

Getting a Visa Support Letter

The ACM does not issue formal invitation letters for visas to attend PLDI. We can however issue a visa support letter. For visa support letters, please send all requests to the Office of SIG Services via e-mail to supportletters@acm.org with the following information:

  1. Your name as it appears on your passport
  2. Current postal mailing address
  3. The name of the conference you wish to attend (PLDI)
  4. Your Registration Confirmation Number (Registration typically opens 3 months prior to the conference)
  5. If you have a paper accepted, provide title and indicate if you are ‘sole’ or ‘co-’ author

Visa support letters are issued via e-mail and the original is mailed to your postal address.

See the ACM Visa Support Letters page for updates to this policy.