USA Immigration Questions

MY issue is that I never get any consistancy, I am UK based for Tax but travel on an L2 and end up in the us 49% of the time;-) (Wife on L1) and I think as Richard has said due to the shear number of stamps and registrations on the system I get ripped apart, but the process is never consistent, on average 60% of the INS officers don't understand the paperwork I carry as an L2, leading to additional delays - but overall it is the attitude that seems to be wrong and not very welcoming to people entering the country to spend much needed dollars - rant over.

On Thursday at SFO I landed behind a BA Flight and an asian family were struggling infront of me, and a collegue who is Chinese, educated in the UK and has better Egnlish than me, I let him go infront of me and he was torn apart, I then approcached the desk and the official said "ah finally some who speaks English, it make it so much easier!!!!!!" He was just too rude to even engange my collegue - I just wish there was a way to report such bad service, but he who dares risks getting ripped apart every trip

Not always bad, but the worst part of every trip no question!

Are the queues at IAD less in Oct?

The last time I had a grilling from US immigration was in 1990 at Dallas; perhaps it was someting to do with getting off a BA flight?

Never had a problem when arriving on VS!

The two times I went through immigration at Boston I had no problems. First time the guy said hello and just started stamping away with no questions asked. The second time I got a girl about my age (23) and she asked me more questions about where I was going etc but she was nice and even found out she went to the same university as my gf so talked a little about that.

No probs so far, its their jobs to be severe but I agree that a smile is not too much to ask for. Am going to Boston again in 2 weeks and again in the summer so no doubt they will be tougher on me next time.

Do anyone know anyone ever been refused and for what reason?

I knew a girl once who got refused because on her previous trip she was 1 day over the allowed 90 day stay hehe her fault!

[ChuckC]

I would most certainly report a rude INS officer. They are public servants and everyone entering our country deserves better treatment than any form of rudeness. Contact the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington, DC.

As you can imagine, the INS has taken incredible heat from our media and government officials for having not "recognized" Mohammad Atta and others as they made their unfettered way into the US to plan 9/11. Though this event, while a cataclysm, by no means excuses continuing rude behavior, when you consider general understaffing (which has always been a problem) it helps to explain (but again, not excuse) why these folks are not the smiley faces most of us would prefer to have greeting us after disembarking from a long journey.

I must say that in contrast the UK officers I've encountered are a very courteous and professional group.

Somewhat on topic: I'm curious what everyone thinks of the new TSA folks at US airport check-ins. For me, they are "hit and miss", very inconsistent, although for the most part, a better lot than their predecessors. I read on our VF board several weeks ago where one group was rude to a VS crew, making snide remarks about them as they passed. If I ever encountered such behavior, I'd report it immediately. If I saw officers being rude to someone else, I'd also report it. You can do so by contacting the Transportation Security Administration in Washington.

Regards,
Chuck-

[Pete]

Can't say I've had a *bad* experience with the TSA as such. I mean, they're not the happiest bunch of people, but then they've never been rude to me.

Pix

anyone know how the queues are at mco ?
im in uc but expect to be about last off the plane as my daughter is in a wheel chair and im told we have to wait till all others are off before they can bring it up to us --is this correct?

steve

Steve

No personal experience of it, but logically I'd think you'd either be first or last to deplane because of the task of getting the wheelchair up to you (it'd be easier with nobody in the way). Though thinking about it, I'm sure I've always seen the assistants with the wheelchairs waiting at the air-bridge; that'd imply last off.

As for the queues at MCO Immigration - I guess that depends on when your flight arrives. If there's been a couple of flights arrive just before yours, then you might get some queues. My experience there has been that I've got through Immigration & customs quickly, but it's usually the second bag collect that slows me down

Cheers

Michael

Steve, last visit was December last year. Queues were as normal a maximum of 10 mins to get in, then anothere 15 nins to go through second security check. The largest time waiting (45 mins) was on the way back, going through security, with long, long queues due to the hightened security features (shoe checks, any bleep, full body scan etc)

[Decker]

Announcement is normally "passengers requiring special assistance please remain seated" so last off would seem to be right...[:(]

Hi candyman,

I will be in MCO this friday (off VS 27) so will time the process.

Although the annnouncement of "people requiring assitance to remain seated is made" on ome of my flights a lady in UC in a wheelchair was brought off after the rest of the upper class pax ( I think this was SFO on 1st of Jan where there 2 airbridges on doors 1 & 2).

Regards

TBS

thanks all
and tbs i would really apreciate if you could do the timeing bit as heather is severly disabled if there is a mega long delay it could get her quite upset so it would help to us to pe prepared for it
steve

[RichardMannion]

Hi Candyman,

You are travelling in J, but they will normally tend to ask passengers requiring special assistance to wait until everyone else has disembarked.

Phone Special assistance and have them add a note to your booking or at the airport request full assistance at MCO, basically as a group travelling in J, they should be accomodating and either:

a) let you all disembark first - which I have seen happen before. What does it matter that the other passengers might have to wait another couple of minutes. Just like when people travelling up the back on a tight schedule for a transfer flight due to late arrival, they will get pushed towards the front.

b) More possible, special assistance will escort you thru the melee of people in the immigration hall and put you and your party at the front of the queue - you ahve paid for J after all. I have seen on a nubmer of occasions where parties with very young children or special assistance passengers are moved towards the front of the queue - I find the US immigrations staff very accomodating on that front and will even go and help them out of the queue if they are already in it. Its such a long time since I went through MCO, I know that some US Intl airports have a special assistance immigration line, all I can remember about MCO is that it does have 2 luggage carousels (1. J,W and Crew 2. Everything else).

I'm not a special assitance passenger (though sometimes look like a Paddington Bear wannabee) but have been met at the plane or escorted through immigration.

As I said, I haven't been through MCo for nearly 3 years and I don't know the right person there, otherwise I would mail them or pass on their details.

Thanks,
Richard

[Nottingham Nick]

quote:Originally posted by candyman
anyone know how the queues are at mco ?
im in uc but expect to be about last off the plane as my daughter is in a wheel chair and im told we have to wait till all others are off before they can bring it up to us --is this correct?

steve

Steve

Richard is spot on with what he says at b) above. Close neighbours of mine went to MCO a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately one of them had broken her foot a few weeks before departure and needed a wheelchair. They said the ground crew were brilliant. Even though they were last off the plane, she was whisked straight to the front of the security queues and they were through the formalities in no time at all.

Nick