# Visiting USA - possible problem with passport stamps



## rsta (3 Oct 2007)

Hi all.
Hopefully someone can advise.  I've rang the US embassy but they were absolutley no help at all, woman on reception kept transferring me to automated messages, before i could explain, I even rang the visa line a 1580 number... costs a fortune but no help.  So I looked up the website but there is no advice on this particular matter. 

My friend and I are planning to go to the states to go shopping in December for a long weekend.  The problem is her passport.  She used to work for an American cruisecompany and was based in Florida.  But she quit her contract halfway through to come home.  So the cruisecompany paid for her flight home and transport to the airport and all, but as she did not complete her contract she had to be accompanied by a security guard to the gate at the airport.

Now on her passport there is a stamp saying 'remove foreign under safeguard' and the flight details.  She's not been back to the states since, but has travelled other places before with no bother.  

Do you think the immigration in the airport will give us hassel over this if they spot the stamp?  She's not illegal or anything obviously but will they cause a fuss and delay us on our shopping weekend??! It would be such a pain...

All advise and comments welcome... I'm really kind of fretting over this.  Thanks a million.


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## Thirsty (3 Oct 2007)

is getting a replacement passport an option?


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## webtax (3 Oct 2007)

make sure she has travel insurance anyway in case she gets refused


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## Recam (3 Oct 2007)

You should contact the department of home land security (DHLS) in the US. 
My wife had problems with US immigration (they has not recorded her as leaving the country on one visit & her record showed her as overstayed).
She applied, with evidence of departure etc. to one address and after a set period (I think a few months) had to write to another address in the US to ask if her file had been corrected. She now has a letter stating that her status is correct.
Not sure if this is a similar situation to yours but worth checking out the DHLS web site http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm


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## greenday (3 Oct 2007)

Am flying to Boston in December with American Airlines via Aer Lingus to London.
Where will I clear immigration? 

Am so used to clearing at the Shannon stopover on the Aer Lingus flights


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## GVA (3 Oct 2007)

A friend of mine was refused entry to the U.S as a student and now has to apply for a holiday visa any time he travels there.


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## miselemeas (3 Oct 2007)

Greenday

Re flying Dublin/London/Boston

You will do immigration on arrival at Boston. The best thing about Logan Airport is its proximity to the city - you will be in the city centre in less than 20 mins by cab.


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## greenday (3 Oct 2007)

Thanks Miselemeas - was scaring myself with the thoughts of arraiving in Boston & being sent back home cos I hadn't dome immigartion in Dublin.

What flights is immigration in Dublin for then ??


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## miselemeas (3 Oct 2007)

Greenday - If you are flying from Dublin direct you can normally do Customs at Dublin. You will be given cards to fill out on the London/Boston flight. They will check your index finger fingerprints and take a photo on arrival. You will be given the stub part of the green card, which you will keep in your passport until you are returning. They will then take it back at the US airport of departure.

Would advise you to get on to the American Airlines website and enter your passport details, address at your destination etc - if you are using a travel agent they have probably taken these details, but no harm to check.

You will have a fantastic time there - shopping is terrific, especially Filene's basement!


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## rsta (4 Oct 2007)

Thanks Kildrought, Webtax, Recan and GVA!

I think it be best if she gets a new passport!    Is there a new serial number on a new passport?  Or would her details be the same as old one?

Thanks again


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## HighFlier (4 Oct 2007)

New Passport, new number, no problem.


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## rsta (4 Oct 2007)

greenday said:


> Am flying to Boston in December with American Airlines via Aer Lingus to London.
> Where will I clear immigration?
> 
> Am so used to clearing at the Shannon stopover on the Aer Lingus flights


 
Greenday, I've flown into the states via london / germany / australia with no problems, you do immigration on arrival in the states.


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## rsta (4 Oct 2007)

HighFlier said:


> New Passport, new number, no problem.


 

Sweet!


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## bms1 (4 Oct 2007)

Pretty sure new passport does not work as have lived in the U.S. this may have worked a few years ago but not anymore.Have friends who lived in the U.S. illegally and have tried this and the vast majority have been stopped by immigration.Would get it sorted out before you leave.


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## Recam (5 Oct 2007)

New Passport will raise questions. It is easy for the immigaration to recognise a new passport as it will not be valid for the full 10 years but only for the unexpired term of your old passport (I think ?)
This happened my wife when she exchanged her passport (hand written) for a computer readable one (which is required by US immigration).


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## rsta (5 Oct 2007)

Hi Bms1 and Recam,

I didn't know a replacement passport would only be valid for the remainder of the standard 10years.. That could be suspect alright.

Well thanks Recam for that website I will get on to them or get my friend to ring them as she'll have her passport on her.  Did you find it easy to get through to some one?  Where they more helpful than the US embassy here in Ireland?

Thanks again


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## bb12 (5 Oct 2007)

my friend lived and worked illegally in the US for years. anytime she would go back and forwards she'd just get a new passport. the immigration office in the US is in such a mess that there's no way they'd track it. just get a new passport and your friend should be fine.


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## bms1 (5 Oct 2007)

As i said a few years ago this was true their a lot better organised now, i wouldn't take the risk imagine being turnred away in the U.S. after spending all that money on flights.


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## rsta (8 Oct 2007)

More news... it turns out my friend still has the I-95 crewmans landing card attached to her passport.  We looked this up on the website and as it is much the same as the I-94 immigration card it looks like she might not be recorded as having left the u.s. ?  But the stamp on passport saying 'remove...' _also_ gives the flight details for her flight to england.

All we want to do is go to NY and shop...  She is gonig to try to ring dept. of homeland security in the states this afternoon. Hope it sorts out.


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## Recam (8 Oct 2007)

rsta said:


> Hi Bms1 and Recam,
> 
> Well thanks Recam for that website I will get on to them or get my friend to ring them as she'll have her passport on her. Did you find it easy to get through to some one? Where they more helpful than the US embassy here in Ireland?
> 
> Thanks again


 
Don't think it was a very straight forward process. I know it took a few months to sort. I think all communication was by email or snail mail not over the phone.
Better to get it sorted and not take a chance, we were on our honeymoon when my wife got taken to be interviewed (in was in NY and in an open room full of non english speaking travellers and immigration staff conducting interviews in front of everyone. They sat at raised decks so that they could speak down to you, reminded me of a court room. A bit of a frightning experience.


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## rsta (8 Oct 2007)

Recam said:


> Don't think it was a very straight forward process. I know it took a few months to sort. I think all communication was by email or snail mail not over the phone.
> Better to get it sorted and not take a chance, we were on our honeymoon when my wife got taken to be interviewed (in was in NY and in an open room full of non english speaking travellers and immigration staff conducting interviews in front of everyone. They sat at raised decks so that they could speak down to you, reminded me of a court room. A bit of a frightning experience.


 
That is scary... So did immigration let her through after the interview?  How long where you in the airport for?


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## Recam (8 Oct 2007)

Yes it was scary, we sat to wait our turn and was able to hear every other person being interviewed. Some of them were a near shouting match (the immigration officers were doing all the shouting).
My wife expained her situation to a very understanding chap and he allowed us enter. He recommended she apply for a visa on any subsequent visit. However she went one step further and contact the department of Homeland Security to clarify her case. As I said earlier she now has a letter stating that her file has ben corrected, after providing evidence that she had not overstayed in the US.
Probably delayed us only an hour at the airport, but the experience took a few years off my wife !!!


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## rsta (11 Oct 2007)

Thanks Recam.  Well no joy ringing Dept of Homeland Security in the US, on hold for ages and its too dear to keep ringin, so we are calling into the US embassy in Dublin next week.  Hopefully they will sort out a letter or something for her. 

I'll let ya know how it goes!  Fingers crossed...

Rsta


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## kibby (26 Nov 2007)

Don't think travel insurance will cover a messed up holiday due to refusal at immigration. Be sure to read the small print!


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## redchariot (2 Dec 2007)

kibby said:


> Don't think travel insurance will cover a messed up holiday due to refusal at immigration. Be sure to read the small print!



You are correct; any travel insurance I had stated that the onus is on you to ensure that you meet the immigration requirments of a country you are visiting. Travel agencies usually give out the same warning.



HighFlier said:


> New Passport, new number, no problem



Won't matter one bit if it is logged by immigration on their computer that this occurred; particularly now that you are indentified by your fingerprints. In your particular case I wouldn't have thought it will be a problem, but I really would want to clarify it before I went.



bb12 said:


> the immigration office in the US is in such a mess that there's no way they'd track it. just get a new passport and your friend should be fine.



Have to disagree; that immigration computer seems to know everything and if you had issues in the past, it will certainly flag it up.


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## rsta (24 Dec 2007)

Hi everyone,
just to let all of ye know how this turned out and thanks a million for your responses!

Well the American embassy were very very unhelpful.  My friend decided to ring them to check about her visa before calling in. The woman on the phone was very rude and impatient about her situation and didnt even let her explain. 

So as the embassy were no help, my friend decided to ring her previous employers in the States who were really really helpful and actually rang US Immigration for her and checked her passport and I95 details immediately! And she had been recorded as having left the US with no problems.

That was brilliant, if only done that in the first place!!

So we had a fab shopping trip in NY, can't wait to go back again ;-) 

Thanks to all of you for your replies ;-)


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## blue (26 Dec 2007)

Wish I'd seen this earlier - I'd have been able to help.

I'm in a similar passport/US visa situation & recently had my first trip to the US since.  I too had difficulty getting clarification on if I needed a holiday visa, would be refused entry, etc.  

I got a genius recommendation to contact US Homeland Security at Dublin Airport.  I called them (they're there until approx 12.30pm) and they were able to let me know what I should do.  Definitely cheaper than calling the US and infinitely easier than calling the US Embassy!


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