Visa question

I didn't really think about this during that scene, but now that you mention it, I don't believe there's any way she would've been able to leave the country. For one, she'd have had to apply for her tourist visa well in advance, and the US requires an interview for everyone applying for a tourist visa (which would be held at the US Embassy in England, for her), and most certainly it would have turned up when applying for her visa that she had overstayed her student visa. If she'd already had her tourist visa, the people at customs would have let her through no problem, they wouldn't have said, oh you overstayed your last visa but even though you've gotten approved for a new one we won't let you go. She would've had to have a visa before leaving England.

I believe the scene was in there more for dramatic effect - "I'm almost there! I'll see you in just a few minutes!! Oh no... I'll never be able to see you again" kind of thing.

I won't be of great help in the end but I just wanted to point out the fact that when traveling to the US as a UK citizen for 3 months or less, you don't need a visa: this is part of the Visa Waiver Program for which the UK and many other countries are eligible. All you have to do is apply for an online traveling authorization (ESTA).

I suppose verifications are performed at the time of the application; if so, you would have a valid point.

I believe there are many countries that do not require visas in order to enter them. I believe the country you are from factors into how easy it will be. I've travelled to several countries with my Canadian passport and have never required a visa. Considering the relationship the UK has with the US I don't think a tourist visa is required.

There is no visa requirement in the U.S. for most European nations. All that is required is a passport and to pass a background check at customs. It's still a good idea to have a visa, because without one your fate resides with customs. They are generally stricter at customs than with visa applications. And if customs denies admittance, it means you're taking a quick round-trip flight on your dime; which is what happened to Anna in the movie. From what I understand, the movie was very accurate in this respect.

Here is a link to the wikipedia page that maps visa requirements: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_natio nals