To think it's crazy to be planning a holiday to the USA right now

[Fragmentedbrain]

I know border control there has never been a relaxed experience but the risk of being detained arbitrarily for weeks or longer seems unacceptably high now.

Nope. Literally just been in JFK! If you are coming in and are a UK passenger you stand in the big queue. Mine was actaully 45 mins and they were being good as lots of people needed connecting flights.

Although according to some on this thread I am a US citizen so should have stormed the barricades .

JFK in June

Yes, but you fitted the criteria as you were returning!

That line was not open last week.

Which terminal btw? That looks somewhat flasher than T7!

@Piggywaspushed we were from Manchester on Virgin no idea which terminal.
There’s nothing on website link I posted to say you had to have previously entered on same ESTA to use it. There were codes to scan at airport if you didn’t already have app.
My teen dc couldn’t use it as she was on a J1 visa but as far as I know anyone on an ESTA can.
You can fill in ahead of flight then do photos as you land.

It looks like the MPC app allows you to scan your passport ahead of time, which adds all passport and ESTA data, so you just need to take a photo of yourself on landing

The link explicitly says who it is for... hey ho. I guess people can try.

The fact that your ESTA had been used already is what meant you could use it. So, if I have to go back to see my DM again, I'll give it a go.

That's T4 , by the way. One advantage of T7 is it is smaller so shorter queues. Very hard to get to though in a car - one hour tailbacks : do not recommend !

Yes you can do everything in advance apart from photo. As soon as there’s WiFi you’ll notice people taking their photos only takes a minute or so.

Went to Denver at the end of May. Quick and easy. Huge gripe was priority luggage was last off the conveyor belt! Last! Around 10 of us - all Brits. Very odd. I guess the luggage was searched.

I agree with you OP and anyone denying it is not paying close enough attention.

Quickly googled and it seems the MPC app is fine for newbies. Apparently the guidance on App is clearer than website. Worth downloading app in advance.

The number of blatant racists is another reason to avoid the US at the moment...

Because legally he is a US citizen by default; you don’t need to have the birth reported, but if his father or mother meet the criteria, he is a US citizen. Federal Law states that US citizens have to enter the US on their US passport. If they don’t have one, but have a parent who is a US citizen, then questions will be asked. It’s been that way for at least the 16 years that I have had a child who is dual. The first time he went to the US with my (US citizen wife) she was asked about it, as she was using his British passport along with her US passport; At that point, we hadn’t been able to get to the embassy to report the birth/ get a US passport, but CBP were very clear on the requirement. On that visit, they accepted the UK passport but were clear that was an exception due to his young age and that potentially that would not be allowed again.

At least you don't live in a country where your government would prefer you to be the 28th state of a union you don't want to be part of, and that union constantly makes every single thing they can more difficult. Still visit Europe though.

I’m a proud holder of an EU passport. A bad day for the UK with the Brexit vote.

Nothing new. There is a Level 2 advisory, Urge Increased Caution, in place for some time.

The US and about a dozen countries also have a Level 2 advisory on travel to the UK, in place for some time. This PP was most indignant about that one! Ironic, but she is correct that they are not particularly concerning.

You can find a list of all travel advisories on the Foreign Office web site.

That was the conclusion from the Trip Advisor thread that I posted.

People said that they used it successfully having never been to the US before - they still had be fingerprinted on the way in.

Because it’s not like blatant racism is just as big a problem in the UK?

Thank you!

'the illegals'??

Please.

As I mentioned upthread, I had a lovely Woke time in the US (NY, NJ and Pa) encountering anti Trump rallies everywhere and lots of micro protest in the form of banners and car stickers. Honestly, Americans come in all guises and my family are deeply distressed by the direction of travel, despite many of them being lifelong Republicans..

If anything, the US I visited was far more politically energised and liberal then here and some of the interlopers on this thread would have had a frothing Meltdown whilst I wandered around with my LGBTQ family.