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Another awesome US immigration experience

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Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#141

Post by xyzzyz »

mbesto wrote: post #139
mahyarm wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No offense, but your post (like many others) just sounds like someone who is upset that were inconvenienced for a day. If you have all of your papers sorted out (and nothing is fishy), what's so mentally anguishing about having to wait? It's not just 'waiting'. The problem is every time you cross the border there is the very real chance that the mistaken opinion of a border guard would cost you job and your ability…

> very real chance that the mistaken opinion of a border guard would cost you job and your ability to enter the USA for many years. I'm not sure I understand. If you are granted full legal rights to work, live, and breath in the US by the US border patrol organization (i.e. you have a visa), then there is zero reason a border guard can "mistakenly" not let you in. They can certainly "question" your ability, but that…

Having a valid visa does not entitle you to the entry to the US. The border official can deny you entry for any reason.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#142

Post by tellarin »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #124
jwr wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, United States citizenship doesn't necessarily solve the problem. I have a dual citizenship, so I can compare entry procedures. I was always baffled when US immigration asks me questions about what work I do or where I'm headed when I'm entering the country. I couldn't see how it was any of their business. In most (if not all) of the EU, an immigration officer being presented a native passport has exactly tw…

They ask these questions to me all the time and I'm a (non-dual) citizen. The EU and especially the UK is more intrusive about their questions. Switzerland is/was the least intrusive. China never asks me any questions, but Thailand and Japan might.

My experience in the EU is that, even for EU citizens, the UK and (a somewhat distance second) Spain can be quite intrusive. For the rest of the EU and Switzerland, they almost never ask anything.

But I definitely agree that China seems to be the "easiest" in this sense. No questions at all. :)

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#143

Post by blago »

I am a US citizen and I had a similar experience. About a year ago I spent a few months in Asia while working remotely for my US employer. Reentering the states (after an almost 24 hour trip), the border agent really didn't like the fact and went out of his way to find a hole in my "story" - "So you did work in Asia?", "But your company did not send you there?" This dragged on for a while.

This was the climax of the confrontation:

- "Have you been in trouble with law enforcement before?"

- "No, but you make it sound like I am now. Am I?"

- "We'll see"

- "I am a law abiding citizen and I've been giving honest answers to all of you questions. What can I possibly be afraid of?"

Ever since, I DREAD reentering the states. I have dual citizenship, work flexibility, and friends and family all over the place. I find myself spending less and less time in the US.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#144

Post by _pferreir_ »

I know what you mean. The bureaucratic establishment allows people in low ranking public jobs to have a disproportionate amount of power over pretty much anyone.

9/11 seems to have made things worse for pretty much everyone. Governments went paranoid and chose the easy way: delegating extra authority on people that were not prepared to exert it.

But border guards tend to be dumb and/or rude pretty much everywhere, so, don't take it too seriously.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#145

Post by _pferreir_ »

opinali wrote: post #69
DrSbaitso wrote: post #34

I'm a Canadian citizen and get this type of treatment all the time. Every time I enter the US, which is about once a month or so, they send me to a back room for secondary screening. The reason? Their system thinks I overstayed my visa once back in 1995. What actually happened was my family took a road trip to New England, and nobody bothered to check our passports on the way out, so there was no departure record. So…

"they say it's impossible because only the government department that created the flag can remove it, and that department no longer exists" -- omg, real-world Kafkian anecdote...

I think Kafka foresaw all of this. The man was a Genius.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#146

Post by madaxe »

I have a simple solution for not dealing with US immigration's bullshit. Too many trips marred by days spent in featureless rooms waiting for Godot, a full-time employee of your border agency.

Anyway - simple solution - don't go to America. Don't work with Americans.

Europe and Asia are big markets.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#147

Post by stickdick »

There's somebody on the US no-fly list that has the exact same name as me. I can't check-in online with any airline, and checking in at the desk anywhere in the US results in some sort of warning on their computer, and a quick call to somebody to come out from the back and check it out. Unfortunately I have to fly at least once a month.

A quick look over the passport shows it's obviously not me (though I don't have any details of the real bad guy). Must happen to quite a few because I have a fairly bland, common British name.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#148

Post by jzwinck »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #44
zee007 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't either especially since I am not even bitter about the experience. I am just confused. The irony is that since then I've crossed the border 12+ times a year and the experience is always pleasant (now I enter as a Canadian citizen for either vacation or a short business trip). One would think they'd have preferred me when I paid taxes there (and by the virtue of being on visa, they knew a lot more about me).

As a US citizen, I, on the other hand, am extremely bitter and angry about these kinds of offenses. It makes me sick to my stomach and I really do believe every day is one day closer to me becoming an expat.

But an expat where? These immigration policies have an aspect of retaliation. Other countries often mirror draconian policies seen elsewhere. I am concerned that all this can only lead to one inevitable conclusion: extremely locked down borders with only the very rich allowed to migrate. The UK is actively working on this now, though so far they do allow EU and commonwealth members in more readily.

Even Singapore has been raising the bar for entry lately. We may see in our lifetimes a world where one can only easily migrate to third-world countries.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#149

Post by jzwinck »

adrianmsmith wrote: post #125
DrSbaitso wrote: post #34

I'm a Canadian citizen and get this type of treatment all the time. Every time I enter the US, which is about once a month or so, they send me to a back room for secondary screening. The reason? Their system thinks I overstayed my visa once back in 1995. What actually happened was my family took a road trip to New England, and nobody bothered to check our passports on the way out, so there was no departure record. So…

Over the years, I guess you've tried various different approaches talking to the staff at immigration. Friendly, apologetic, assertive, and so on. What worked best? What would you recommend for someone else in that situation?

Say as little as possible. Speak clearly. And if entering the UK, have a bank statement with you. They like people with money (this is not something I made up, it's in the immigration rules, called "maintenance").

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#150

Post by precisioncoder »

raverbashing wrote: post #140
mdasen wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm somewhat of the feeling of the second paragraph. However, in some ways it is happening in the EU. As the EU enlarges, it generally creates a larger area of free travel/work/residence. Heck, if the US and Canada opened up immigration 100%, there wouldn't be hell because the countries are pretty similar. Some might prefer Canada or the US, but it would likely be generally equivalent. In those cases, I guess I don't…

"Some might prefer Canada or the US, but it would likely be generally equivalent. In those cases, I guess I don't see the reason why controls are still strict" Well, are they? Border control at US/Canada seems to be more for everybody else rather than Canadians/Americans. Most people are 'waved' through. Except for the need of a work permit, I'd say it's pretty non existent. Of course in the EU this is much better

Depends on the side... when crossing into the US (as a Canadian) everyone in my car was taken separately into a tiny room and grilled by an agent, and our car was searched extensively. The whole process took about 3-4 hours, all of us had clean criminal records and were just passing into the US for a day to be tourists in Maine. On our way back the Canadian agent waved us through.
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