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Another awesome US immigration experience

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Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#171

Post by lmm »

tellarin wrote: post #142
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. :)

When I crossed over from Kazakhstan into China I got the most thorough luggage search I've ever had (never been to the US). Everything taken apart and went through; I was carrying the card game Citadels and had to struggle a little to explain what it was (my fault - I speak neither Kazakh or Russian nor Chinese, he spoke a little English). It was all very professional and courteous, and actually over quite quickly, but it was thorough, and having soldiers in uniform going through your stuff while you stand there in your pyjamas is always going to be a bit intimidating.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#172

Post by josscrowcroft »

jacquesm wrote: post #18

As long as you feel the benefits outweigh the downsides the only person you can complain to is yourself. You're still going there aren't you? I've had an episode quite comparable to this one and it was the last time I visited the US. I don't bitch about it, I don't begrudge the border guards their jobs or attitude (I assume they get a lot of shit heaped on them every day, not an excuse for a non-professional attitude…

Couldn't possibly agree more. This is one of the more trifling among many other reasons why I have no interest any more in emigrating..

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#173

Post by cema »

_pferreir_ wrote: post #152
mbesto wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But this kind of stuff is what tips the balance the other way, not for me, but for other people like yourself. Says who? How do you speak on others behalf? 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? The problem is, as you sa…

> If you have all of your papers sorted out (and nothing is fishy), what's so mentally anguishing about having to wait? You are right, if you're sure you haven't done anything illegal, it will all be OK. But the problem is that those people can really cause you trouble. Not only they can keep you waiting for hours (is there even a maximum amount of time they can hold you for at the border?), which can result in lost…

  The problem is that those people don't seem 
  to be penalized for their faults.
Precisely! There appears to be very little feedback on the quality of their work.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#174

Post by aneth4 »

nottrobin wrote: post #169
aneth4 wrote: post #132

Immigration processes millions of people each day. There are going to be mistakes. This sounds like they got a false positive, investigated, and released him. That's how the process is supposed to work. Making this into some massive anti-American rant says more about the author than America. This experience sounds unpleasant, but like it was handled professionally. I've spent an hour being searched by customs. I don'…

When was the last time you had to wait in one crowded room for 3 hours without being allowed to use your phone, and without a seat? The last time I was in a situation anywhere close to this was when I accompanied my girlfriend to get her visa renewed in London. We had to wait for about 5 hours in a fairly crowded hot room with pretty uncomfortable seats. But we had each other's company and while there was a sign sayi…

This is not a competition for the worst experience one can have. I've had plenty of horrible ones. Ever been detained for several days in a crowded third world jail for no legitimate reason and extorted a large sum of money to be released? Ever been stabbed by thugs too powerful for the police to do anything other than write a lie-filled police report? This is what happens every day in the actual world away from privileged white developers with US green cards.

This is a privileged person, someone who travels internationally, writes a blog, was able to get a US green card (something tens of millions aspire to,) is in one of the most lucrative careers on the planet, and is the founder of a free enterprise despite being young and (presumably based on his caption) gay. In the grand scheme of things, this experience doesn't even measure on the pity scale, and to bitch and moan about such things reveals a major lack appreciation for what one has and a sad sense of entitlement.

Sorry, no go.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#175

Post by zem »

jfb wrote: post #3

I like particularly the sneering attitude of superiority towards the initial immigration officer in this article. I'm no apologist for the US immigration system (Canada's, on the other hand, I have nothing but good words for), but Jesus creeping Christ, having to deal with that sort of entitled horseshit ten hours a day would turn the Buddha into Dick Cheney.

on the other hand, if someone hassles you like that isn't it kind of inevitable that you'd end up feeling superior to them? from a sheer psychological perspective you can't help but feel "well, i know that there's no real reason to hassle me; if s/he doesn't know that, they must be incredibly stupid/uneducated/malicious/some other negative quality", because from your point of view there is absolutely no positive reason you can attach to their actions.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#176

Post by cema »

jacquesm wrote: post #42
rdtsc wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't bitch about it, I don't begrudge the border guards their jobs or attitude Is it because of lack of time? It seems like those are general problems and highlighting them in some form might help improve the situation. Sometimes it just takes a model story "An investor is turned away by power tripping and unprofessional immigration officer" or something like that. Maybe it won't be the story but one of thousand…

I really don't think it is my problem to solve. There is no upside to me from writing that. Such blog posts you can find by the thousands, and yet nothing changes. When Obama first became president I had some hope that things would this time change for the better. But he's as much a chip off the old block as the guys before him. Let's just say that I'm disappointed in how the US has squandered its goodwill and potent…

  Let's just say that I'm disappointed in
  how the US has squandered its goodwill
  and potential over the last decade
Perhaps your goodwill was misplaced? It appears as though you had hopes about politicians. But no politicians deserve your goodwill, whether you are a citizen or not.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#177

Post by shiven »

sliverstorm wrote: post #16
joshes wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not entirely sure, but he may have taken exception to the following from your piece: >Of course, you and I know that the latter is just a general form of the former, but somebody whose educational attainments have qualified them to sit behind a desk stamping passports doesn’t.

Yup, making it tortuously elegant doesn't somehow un-make it a put-down. Just because you have more formal education than someone, doesn't entitle you to look down on them.

Just as you having less formal education but more authority in a given situation does not entitle you to behave like a dictator.

Easy to be righteous when you are not the one who was wronged.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#178

Post by nicholassmith »

Nursie wrote: post #163
jzwinck wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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").

If you have no money then you may be there to make some (is the thinking). If you can show you have enough money to support yourself and get out again then it will make your life easier. However they will already need to be suspicious of you to take an interest in this.

From what I've heard, Australia does the same and so do a few other places. The question is often framed as "and how much money have you brought along for your holiday?", which is doubly loaded as there's a right answer and two wrong answers (nothing and X, where X is bordering on enough to kick start a new life). Immigration sucks.

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#179

Post by ukd1 »

mahyarm wrote: post #126
mbesto wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But this kind of stuff is what tips the balance the other way, not for me, but for other people like yourself. Says who? How do you speak on others behalf? 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? The problem is, as you sa…

> 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…

IANAL, but apparently there is a distinct difference in between being denied entry and being deported. I think it's called 'expedited removal' (http://www.borderimmigrationlawyer.com/expedited-removal/).

If you are told you are being deported rather than denied you should state that you are 'withdrawing your application for entry' if you're under VWP, otherwise it can/is a 5 year entry ban.

http://www.borderimmigrationlawyer.com/withdrawal-of-applica...

Re: Another awesome US immigration experience

#180

Post by bambax »

jacquesm wrote: post #78
mdasen wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand the argument you're making. From the perspective of the United States, they don't need to care unless it adversely affects the United States. As such, the US can make whatever immigration it wants and it writes its own destiny and people can take it or leave it much like many offerings we see in life from companies, other people, etc. If a company is putting onerous conditions on its product, we'll switc…

If you feel like levelling the playing field a bit with respect to your accidents of birth then I'm quite sure that those countries would be happy to strike you from their registers if you asked nicely. On the other hand, since you were given this for free and it wasn't your fault you might as well enjoy the privilege. Personally I think all immigration controls should be abolished. The world will be hell for about a…

> Borders are bad

Then why do you live in a country that has borders? As per your own policy, you should be in a boat somewhere in international waters.

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