axelcaroli

Hello,

Here is my issue, that is probably shared by other people.

I am from Europe, subject to US travel Ban Proclamation 9984 (Schengen Area), but this problem obviously apply to other people coming from a country that is being suspended from entering in the United States.
As stated on the title, I am a non immigrant, so I do not have an US Passport, nor family in the US, nor Green Card (permanent residence), nor a business; in other word I am considered as a non essential traveler (a simple tourist), but on the other side I own a property in Florida.

I used to go in the US about 4 to 5 times a year, and I obviously pay taxes linked to the property and all other administrative duties (insurance, condo fees, tv, electricity,...).
Now it has been 7 months since the borders are shut down, and there seems to be no way to enter the country.
I have things obviously to manage and internet cannot do everything, so it becomes urgent to get again in the United States just for a week to deal with all the classical requirements of an owner.

If any people share the same experience or have any help on the subject, I'll be more than glad to listen to any suggestions.

Obviously I work, so the idea of spending 14 days in Mexico is just not possible.

Best

LondonElite

I am in pretty much exactly the same position. We last visited our property in February, and planned to go again in March, but that didn’t work.

Luckily I pay everything remotely and we have friends who look in from time to time to make sure the air conditioning is running and so on. There is not much else to do, at the moment. I have considered quarantining in Canada for 14 days to have access, and I may have to do that. But to be honest, people in Florida (and other states) don’t seem to take this very seriously, so I’m not sure I want to be there!

lhrsfo

I am in the same position except I also own a business in the US and need to do some senior recruitment. I need to get there but it seems impossible.

Often1

Whether you own property will not matter. If you do not fit within one of the exemptions, you will be denied entry.

You are free to make application to DHS for a one-off exemption, but will need to explain in detail why you must be physically present in the US in order to accomplish that.

You also need to consider the personal risk you will take in traveling to a "red zone" and the fact that you will need to add 14 days of quarantine in the UK once you return.

rens

I also have a condo in Florida and can handle all of the "classical requirements of ownership" on line with no problems.
Perhaps the best advice would be to look a bit more closely for online ways to do what needs to be done. This would save a lot of time, cost, and angst. Also, contacting your condo management for help or suggestions on possible outside suppliers who can help, possible time extensions etc. Florida condos are quite familiar with the needs of overseas owners in this situation and should, at a minimum, be able to offer suggestions or information about how others have acted in the same situation.
Some of this may depend on exactly where your condo is located and your specific building, so a bit more information would be useful.
Hopefully what needs to be done can be accomplished without a trip.

Moviela

Do you rent the condo and make a profit? Do you pay US taxes on that income? Then you are a business owner. Hopefully by the end of the year a vaccine will exist and this nightmare will be over.

GenixB

Same, wanting to go to do some banking stuff but can't. Unless you're in the exception eligibility it probably isn't possible.

MSPeconomist

It you own a residence and can prove sufficient income to support yourself, how difficult is it to get some sort of residence permit/visa?

Some people on FT seem to have multiple residence permits/visas in addition to their countries of citizenship....or maybe they plan for spouses to have different official residences/citizenships for flexibility, in order to be admissible as a family member of a citizen or resident. [OTOH if the marriage breaks up, you don't want to be at risk of being stranded.]

axelcaroli

As I feared, I am not the only one to undergo the same experience.

Sharing this matter with other people is very interesting even if it seems to be an unresolved problem.

As for the clarifications asked in the several posts :

• The condo is located in Miami, and it is not rented, so there is only the annual Property Taxes as per State fees.
• I can indeed do every payment online.
• Nonetheless I have bought a lot of big furniture before Covid, and Management, even if always helpful, won't take any responsibility to collect it without the presence of the owner. Everything lay in storage (the furniture shops are very understanding about the situation) but as you can imagine this can be a solution that last that long.
• Another problem is that the bank sent me my in April my new US Credit Card. Obviously 90% can still be done (point 1 and 2) with a non American credit card but with some extra fees. I have also to cash checks that are valid only180 days (I am almost to the limit). As you can imagine those are subjects that I have to handle personally and not from distance.
• As strange as it seems I have no quarantine obligations if I come back from the US other than a PCR test.

Hopefully this crazy situation ends the soonest.

lhrsfo

I think this clearly points at the problem we all face. 95% of what needs to be done can be done online or through others, but there's always 5% that cannot effectively be done that way. As the months elapse, the deferred items mount and become more urgent and more disruptive.

For my house, it's not a condo but a full house with a property manager who has handed in her resignation, but I've persuaded here to stay for the time being. I need to find a replacement manager: it's a complicated property and finding and inducting a new manager is simply impossible to do except in person. If I don't find a new manager, I shall have to stop renting it out and the US will lose its tax income (and I will lose income also). I will have to rely on friends and family to keep an eye on it - it's 2 hours round trip for them - and pray that there's no winter damage.

And then there's my business which has a good manager in place but the bookkeeper is leaving the State in a few months time. She's my independent eyes and ears. Again, I need to recruit afresh and I need to meet the person. Or, I suppose I could close the business and put 15 Americans out of work. Perhaps that's what the US Government wants.

@Often1, I am well aware of the risks - I have no particular desire for an 11 hour flight in a mask but I've figured out how to do it with reasonable safety. And the rate of infection in the California Bay Area is lower than the UK, so, apart from the actual travelling, I don't see it as an unacceptable risk. Sadly, in life, nothing is risk free and the best person to judge that risk is the individual taking it.

LondonElite

Owning a condo, even if you rent it out occasionally, is not going to get you a business visa to the US. Especially now. We just have to wait it out or quarantine along the way.

Often1

Perhaps I misunderstood, but your OP suggests that the property is in Florida, not the Bay Area.

As others note, unless you can find a specific exemption in the DHS rules (which implement the Proclamation), you will wind up being denied boarding and, if you made it through to the US, entry at the port of entry. All you can do is wait and hope that the US & UK work out an "air bridge" and that the "bridge" permits travel to your property wherever it may be.

MSPeconomist

I was asking about a residence permit or residence visa and not a business visa.

LondonElite

The US doesn’t issue those for ‘just’ property owners. I am guessing that OP is a EU citizen typically travelling on an ESTA. There would be no reason to issue a visa under the visa waiver program. I wish there were a way.

Often1

Even if he held a visa, he would be excluded under the existing EO. He would still need to fit within a specific exemption. There must be thousands of people in this situation.