U.S. Immigration. WTF?

[KennDodd]

Why are they so rude?

I think you have to be a US resident for global entry.

You don’t, you can be a U.K. resident and still get it. When I worked in London my company would pay for it for frequent travellers and my UK resident FIL has it.

However, the interviews are almost exclusively held in the US (there have been a few occasions where the embassy in London has done them but this isn’t always available), making it very difficult for non US residents.

You would have to start the application in London, when the first stage is approved you’d need to then travel to the US and be interviewed. Fine if your work sends you to NY several times a year and JFK has open interview slots. Not an option for taking the kids to Disney!

In case anyone is interested, see here:
www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/international-arrangements/registered-traveller/citizens-united-kingdom
No mention of residency requirements and one of the requirements is a valid visa or ESTA and obviously if you have an ESTA you’re not a US resident

I've travelled to America many times and agree that the USA immigration staff can be rude and intimidating. However, some years ago DH and I took DM to Florida. At the immigration desk, the officer looked at my 82 year old mum and said, " Ma'am, have you ever smoked?". DM, who was always very smart, replied, "No, I haven't". The officer then said with a big grin, "I thought not, Ma'am, it's why you look so good, have a great holiday!" It made my DM's day!

I didn’t realise you didn’t have to live here for global entry, you live and learn!

I've commented already about my experience with U.S border control but I want to add by contrast that the border control at Schiphol airport, Amsterdam was the best I've ever encountered. Professional and efficient but very chatty and warm. If you're ever reading this workers at Schiphol, you're fab 👍👍👍

I think the BA comments were just a general whinge about the shittiness of BA and their charming staff.

Apparently BA won 'best cabin crew in Europe' in the recent global travel awards. We were like WTF?? We have had hellish experiences with BA longhaul, the staff are so bloody rude. We were quoted a good price for an upcoming holiday and when I found out the carrier was BA it was dead in the water, I'd rather pay a bit more for a decent airline.

I used to travel a lot to the U.S. on business and found that immigration officers there have generally become more pleasant over recent years (as long as you're polite and do exactly what you're told). I even get a laugh and joke out of some of them.

My most unpleasant immigration experience was actually on my first trip to New Zealand. The immigration officer was just plain rude. He didn't spot that I was resident in Asia (despite the huge work visa in my passport) so when I said I was visiting for the weekend, he assumed a UK passport meant I'd flown from the U.K. for a weekend in New Zealand and gave me a really rough time.

My nicest immigration officer was one of the British officers at Gare du Nord in Paris. I used to commute from London to Paris weekly (or more often) for work and he recognised me as usual and wished me a happy birthday for the next day. Lovely man!

Really???? I’ve only ever had polite but serious immigration officers when entering the US. No different to the British officers when returning to uk airports or ferry terminals. I’d rather they took their job seriously as it’s pretty important!! I can’t imagine them doing anything particularly rude or unprofessional though, unless people were rude to them perhaps??

However the best immigration is on Lanzarote where you get off the plane, go through the terminal, a smiley lady waves and says “welcome to Lanzarote” and you go on your merry way.

Rome, heading for a plane - ‘ahhhh cute bambino!’ ‘That bottle of water is too large to take on the plane - but for the ragazzo? Ok, he is so beautiful let him take it!’ ‘Let’s run down the corridor - wheeeeeeeeeeeee!’.

Sadly with DH - ‘come this way sir...British passport? Uhuh (Squinty look) please come over here and answer some questions in this absolutely, positively random check...’

First time I flew into the USA was last year, we flew into Miami international. I was absolutely filled with dread because of stories-when it was our turn our stern but professional CBP officer processed us efficiently, and when it came to him asking our address whilst in the country I panicked because I hadn’t written it down and said “it’s on my phone but I’ve turned that off because I’m not allowed it on”, he said in that lovely smooth American drawl that Id better just turn it back on again with just a slight wink.
I fully suspect he was a lovely person, they are there to do a job though.

Our oldest son was one the very first time we took him to New York and we were about the last off the plane as his buggy had been stored onboard by the crew so we had to wait for that.

As we approached the end of the very long queue at border control, an officer came along and took us straight past the queue to a closed booth which was then opened for us. Our son was asleep but I suppose they saw the potential of having a crying toddler right at the back of the queue but even so, it was a nice thing to do.

a smiley lady waves and says “welcome to Lanzarote” and you go on your merry way

No wonder so many UK tourists have a shock when they experience US Board Patrol if they’ve only been to the EU on holiday. I think EU checks are pretty lax so the US can seem very strict and functional in comparison. But I agree with the PPs that have said they are there to do a job and not be some happy greeter at the start of your trip. They take border enforcement so seriously, whether you agree or not that is what drives their process and they way carry it out. It’s meant to be tough! In addition brits often assume we are so similar to Americans but I think there are big differences. For example, direct and blunt questions are seen as normal and not rude (especially in NY). The first time I arrived in NY the janitor in the loos barked something at me, which felt odd but no way I’d let it ruin my trip!

I get its unpleasant to be on the receiving end of it but seems crazy to worry about your kids seeing you be robustly questioned. There are lots of situations where you will be spoken to in a way you may not like despite being polite yourself. That’s just life.

I went to the US twice in my life, late 20s, early 30s. Loved it.

But I regret not taking my family, pre-Trump, as there's no way I'd go now. What a different country.

However, I recall West German border guards, 18 if they were a day, in 1978, petit Nazis to a man, overbearing, self- important little shits to a boy, as I, 18, Eurailed.

EU checks are the way they are because, y'know, we are all in the EU. Let's see how that changes once we leave.

Funny story - just got through us immigration in sfo about an hour ago - polite man, efficient, asked us where we had come from, where are were going, said welcome back to American again and have a great day

Ah yes borders. The many years of machines guns in the window and watch towers at the side of the roads when crossing between Ireland and Northern Ireland, Those soldiers didn’t seem to have a polite welcome to their country in mind at all. Regardless of how much money we were spending there or how innocent the family with children in the car looked.

As a child, my family used to get the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin when we were visiting Ireland. Once, my parents decided to try getting a ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland and then drive to the South. They were driving along in the dark with me and my siblings in the back fast asleep when the British army popped out of a hedgerow, armed with machine guns. None of us set foot in the North again for over 25 years. I still haven’t been back.

I shifted my weight once from one leg to the other when having my passport analysed at JFK airport, may have taken a teeny step when doing so, and got barked at 'DID I TELL YOU YOU COULD MOVE'?'.

Power tripping losers.

EU checks are the way they are because, y'know, we are all in the EU. Let's see how that changes once we leave

It won’t change much. It is pretty much the same as before we were in the common market. Except once you get into one country there are no borders going into another EU country.

We were quoted a good price for an upcoming holiday and when I found out the carrier was BA it was dead in the water, I'd rather pay a bit more for a decent airline

Try American Airlines. Dd was shouted at for leaving rubbish on the counter top. Except it wasn’t hers, another passenger had left it.

An hour later Dd is woken from her sleep by same irate 90year old cabin crew when someone else had left more rubbish on this particular countertop.

I would never fly with them again even if it meant we couldn’t do a holiday.

Only time I have got on an aircraft and thought the plane was too old (screen for film was in black and white), and the cabin crew were the oldest cabin crew I have ever seen.

I thought they retired when they got to 65

It won’t change much. It is pretty much the same as before we were in the common market.

Ah, dimwitted knobbers telling us how it will be post Brexit. Not a bloody clue.

We flew into Canada about 6 years ago. The lovely border lady said 'are you going to stay after your holiday'? We said 'of course not'. She said 'oh please come and live here we'd love to have you'. That was nice

@HermioneWeasley

Russian immigration is terrifying

Do you think so? I found them excessively bureaucratic, but definitely not terrifying.

But I regret not taking my family, pre-Trump, as there's no way I'd go now. What a different country.

Um, I live here. It really isn't. The majority didn't vote for him.