US Immigration - Where not to meet it...

Cerenia

Dallas - Queue was about an hour, only 2 staff processing, they started letting us through US citizens gates to make it easier, I ended up looking like an idiot as it was my first time. Questioning was fine, 5 mins, although I felt rather scared about how coldly te guy asked questions, but I guess thats how they do thier job.

old_motters

Immigration pre-clearance at Toronto. It took ages and the guy swore at me.

Other than that, I'd say Detroit, Minneapolis and Cincinnati are the speediest and least stressful.

LondonDiva

In Chicago, had the rudest, most insulting person ever.

Then he asked:
to see my return ticket
how I was going to support myself in the US
what my UK job was
if I was really coming over for a wedding, why my dress wasn't in my hand luggage and in my suitcases
How I knew my friend, how long for, when we last spoke

about 10mins later I really got p1ssed and just started giving to the point answers and asked him what exactly he was trying to find out.

I was then asked to wait in a room. with some other people and a woman behind a desk. He whispered in her ear, gave her my passport and left. 1/2 hour later she called me over, gave me my passport and told me I could leave. I asked since she hadn't doen anything with my passprt, or done anything apart from read her paper what i'd been doing waiting and she couldn't think of an answer.

Rude and unneccessarily antagonistic - I left wishing that all US citizens were cavity searched on arrival and departure from blighty

Slainte

Dallas also seems to have a bit of a bad rap

Wondering where you gained this perception?

DFW is one of the best airports in the US for immigration control.

To be perfectly honest and correct it seriously depends on who is working and who in end up being paired with, you can pass through any airport with a breeze and sometimes you'll meet that one person who thinks you look a bit suspect etc. It really is a luck of the draw, for instance I went to Miami for the first time and a very pretty lady was ahead of me, the 2 guys on control were chatting her up and glaring at her as she walked away, next up was me and I was through in seconds as they were still chatting away. Another time I went through Newark and I was questioned for 30 minutes, stopped for 2 hours as Shannon in Ireland, it all just depends. But I will say all of the personel I have dealt with at Dallas have been good, and I flew in and out of there on a montly basis as I lived there.

BusinessStudent

LondonDiva wrote: »

In Chicago, had the rudest, most insulting person ever.

Then he asked:
to see my return ticket
how I was going to support myself in the US
what my UK job was
if I was really coming over for a wedding, why my dress wasn't in my hand luggage and in my suitcases
How I knew my friend, how long for, when we last spoke

Happened to me when I went to Toronto, Canada. As soon as I got off the plane I all the male passengers travelling alone were pulled aside and passports were confiscated while each of us was questioned. I then had to go through immigration and was taken aside into a room to be questioned.

shoppaholic_returns

I wonder if the new?? tourist visa (WELL ITS NEW TO ME,ANYWAY!!) will help these airport problems, usually the time has been taken up by incorrect green & white form fillers or reading the damn forms!!
I am on a cruise in Jan 2010 and have easily applied online for the visa, which lasts 2 years,hopefully this might speed up the process and cheer up the miserable so an so's behind the desk!!

anguilla

shoppaholic_returns wrote: »

I wonder if the new?? tourist visa (WELL ITS NEW TO ME,ANYWAY!!) will help these airport problems, usually the time has been taken up by incorrect green & white form fillers or reading the damn forms!!

Wishful thinking I'm afraid these forms are mainly for the pen pushers in DHS so they can say "we didn't let Osama in as he declared he was a terrorist on the website and he's a honest terrorist " - you'll still have to have fingerprints taken, probably still fill out the green waiver form and be asked whatever inane questions the immigration department wish before finally be granted the right to have a holiday.

old_motters

shoppaholic_returns wrote: »

I wonder if the new?? tourist visa (WELL ITS NEW TO ME,ANYWAY!!) will help these airport problems, usually the time has been taken up by incorrect green & white form fillers or reading the damn forms!!
I am on a cruise in Jan 2010 and have easily applied online for the visa, which lasts 2 years,hopefully this might speed up the process and cheer up the miserable so an so's behind the desk!!

I believe the online ESTA does not replace the Green Visa Waiver forms. If you go back to the US you will need to re-do the ESTA to account for change of address (assuming you don't use the same hotel as your first visit).

morocha

All this staff about US airports is putting me off flying there. I am south american, i live in the UK, i have a residence visa, so when my husband and I travel to Spain ( have been there many many times)... they just let me go, tell me jokes, wish me to have a nice holiday etc... i have a UK residence visa, so they know i am not going to stay.. in the other hand i see how the question others argentinians and make them so many questions about money, hotels.. friend etc...
i know getting to US will be hard.. and i am kind of put off by the thought of it.. my husband wants to go next year.. so let's see how it goes, plus my hyper active child, i dont think she will deal with the long wait very well..

dzug1

old_motters wrote: »

I believe the online ESTA does not replace the Green Visa Waiver forms. If you go back to the US you will need to re-do the ESTA to account for change of address (assuming you don't use the same hotel as your first visit).

It DOES replace the green waiver forms - but not yet. They want to bed the system down first before dismantling the old one.