I'm eager to see how this one really plays out! Enjoy the read!

Link to article here: USA Tries To Be Less Daunting To Foreign Visitors

STL_HCMC

Interesting article. Thank you for posting.

To me this is the most important in far as changes as I cant see too many changes being made regarding security issues.

* Word is out around the globe of cumbersome visa procedures and other entry rules. That's discouraged many would-be visitors from ever starting the process. For those who do make the trip, intrusive inspections and rude treatment upon arrival at airports leave many foreigners thinking, "Never again."

* Will the plan result in a friendlier reception and more foreign visitors to the USA?

I hope so or its the US's loss.

I can't say anything bad about the immigration officers or the whole immigration process. I never had any problems or any bad experience after 9-11. After things like that every country would think over immigration procedures. There is no reason to criticize anything and maybe the guys who are mourning about lost visitors should look for other reasons. Maybe the reason is within their company.

All I can say that every flight to the United States that I took after 9-11 was completely full. On flights before that I could lay down on the seats because the seats next to me were not occupied.








I can't say anything bad about the immigration officers or the whole immigration process. I never had any problems or any bad experience after 9-11. After things like that every country would think over immigration procedures. There is no reason to criticize anything and maybe the guys who are mourning about lost visitors should look for other reasons. Maybe the reason is within their company.

All I can say that every flight to the United States that I took after 9-11 was completely full. On flights before that I could lay down on the seats because the seats next to me were not occupied.

It is apparent from various other peoples experiences that not all experience the same level of politeness as you have done. There is never any excuse for rudeness, not even 9-11

Well, I worked at an international airport for many years. And the people being rude are most of the time the passengers. If you stay nice and polite I think no one at immigrations will be rude or mean. But of course everyone deserves to be treated the way they treat other people. Good, bad or otherwise.
Coming to the United States is a privilege, not a given right. The only people who have the given right are U.S.-citizens. Everyone who wants to enter any country has to bow down to the laws and requirements of that country. If the person is not willing to, don't enter!

Tourism of countries including the US is important as pointed out in that article. Man you would be a shocker in PR ahahahahaha

It is exactly like I said. If the so-called tourists are nice, the immigration officer will be the same. Like I said before. I never ever had any bad experience. Just at my job with rude passengers. I am pretty sure that the immigration officers will say exactly the same.
If you want to visit a country. Follow the rules or stay at home. Period!

That is a great article, but everyone has to keep one thing in mind. A huge influence on the "boarder patrol/control" and immigration laws is the illegal immigrants entering the United States through Mexico. Unfortunately the ones who really pay the price are other foriegn nationals who have no choice but to enter through a monotired immigration check point, they end up receiving the blunt of the frustration Americans feel toward the government not doing much to keep the illegal immigrants out of the country. I personally don't mind sharing this country with anyone who wishes to be here, but as a US citizen I can honestly say that I feel like a minority in my own country. There are so many illegal immigrants (from Mexico) and this causes Americans to cry out to the government to do something to stop it. I would not expect any other country to let me in without me passing whatever rules and requirements they impose; and if I could not meet the rules and requirmemts I would respect that and not try to enter.

The other influence has been the tragedy in NY on 9-11, most people would have to admit that if they were witness to such a monsterous act on their own land, they would expect the leaders of that country to do more to ensure such an act never repeats itself! At any cost!

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you! If visitors of the United States encounter some ignorant person who is rude to them, SMILE AND SHOW THEM THAT THEY ARE WRONG ABOUT VISITORS BEING RUDE, sooner or later they will come to realize that these "polite visotors" are not the problem. Kill them with KINDNESS!!! You can't go wrong.

Plenty of countries have suffered appalling terrorist acts (including my own - please don't forget 7/7) and don't have the same bad PR for their Immigration sections.
Of COURSE one expects to be checked and checked again at any POE for any land being visited but the point is that these things are done with polite professionalism, not rudeness or ignorance.
Myself, I've never had any problems with visiting the US - always had the polite friendly officers - but I don't 'assume' my experience is typical.
If there are complaints enough that perception is the entry point people are not 'friendly' then obviously its a problem for more than one visitor and needs addressing.

You know what disgusts me about this? Rice and Chertoff in the same room to discuss border controls at the behest of WHO?

Big Business.

My experience of arriving at cincinnati was pretty alarming to me....a guy was yelling and barking orders at us all trying to get us to make separate lines....but I think we were so taken aback we just looked at him gobsmaked which made him even madder........ personally, I didn't understand a word he said but follwed a crowd.... I mean he had a gun an' all........

While I find this article mildly interesting, it really isn't a big surprise. I agree with rebeccajo:



Even before 9-11 it was and is extremely unlikely that any of my relatives from Belarus will ever get a visa for even a temporary tourist visit to our home in the USA. They are routinely refused visas and the embassy keeps our $100 "application fee". Why? Are they terrorists, criminals, or enemies of America? NO! They are just common people without wealth. Not the kind of people America (Big Business) welcomes.

I really find it pathetic and sadly amusing that the US embassy in Belarus refuses them visas on grounds that they have no compelling ties to Belarus that would preclude them from immigrating. And I see first hand living in Texas the joke that has occurred daily for 20+ years on the border with Mexico. As long as an illegal immigrant will work for less than prevailing wages for the benefactors of the ruling elite, the law be damned and ignored. Blatantly.

Less daunting for foreign visitors??? HA!!! Less daunting for Big Business and their profits are more the truth.

Can anyone spell h-y-p-o-c-r-i-s-y?

As I've visited the USA several times and never once had a problem, the POE officers have always been polite and informative, the best was at Seatac Airport. Now I have heard some real horror stories about the POE and I feel sorry for the people involved, we all have bad days, working with the public like I have for the past 5 years is no easy job, some are really rude, the majority are nice and polite. I always thought if you want something real bad then you ask nicely, biting your tongue at any rudeness directed at you.

Janice

Well said....and unfortunately all too true. Such a tough and frustrating situation for you.........

My best friend's fiance is from Belarus. She has been here for 7 years and if she leaves she will not be allowed back in. She has a great lawyer, but is stuck in red tape and simply cannot seem to get approved for a Green card. It's a terrible mess, especially since my friend travels overseas a lot and cannot take her with him.

Meanwhile my friend tried to sponsor his fiance's mother for a visit here and it was not the US that declined her but her own country! Remember, Belarus is a dictatorship and a bad one at that and they do some not so nice things to their people at times.

Life is hard, people.

I beg to differ with you! I have flown many times into Canada. The last couple times I've gone through customs I have been treated with subtle rudeness and indifference. I was NOT rude and I DID follow the rules. I was polite the whole time. This has happened to me twice in Canada and once in my own country. So, that scenario just doesn't play out for everyone. There simply wasn't any excuse for the behaviour directed towards me.

There is no excuse for rudeness at the border. If an officer cannot do his job with a professional attitude, then customs should replace him or her.
I have never been met with rudeness at the US border. Then again I have only been met with a truly professional attitude twice. However, at the Canadian border I have been rudely welcomed back to my own country (along with a nice search of my posessions). Yet, I was polite and did absolutely nothing wrong.

OK,as many of you have probably read-
I HAD a very very bad experience with " (!!!) Immigration Officer just last month in Atlanta/GA.
I went to visit my boyfriend with my 5 year old son.
Now the very first thingf the Officer said when he saw my LITTLE boy,:" A little sodier huh?".And trust me by the look on his face I knew right away HE had a problem with ME.
He was no where nar polite or friendly.
I was asked who I was going to visit and I truthfully answered "my boyfriend".BIG MISTSAKE !
The questioning started and got worse.
Is my son also my boyfriends son? How many times have I been to the US? When was the last time? how long was I there? What do I do for a living? Who paid for my flights? Why did my boyfriend not pay for the flights? Where and how did I meet my boyfriend? How long have we been seeing each other? Where does he work and since when?Hopw did I get the money to pay for the flights?..........
No that was NOT all,he took all the papers plus our passports ,put them in a folder and told me to go to the INS Office around the corner since "there's gonna be some more questions to be answered"
Ok so I go to the Office and there's Officer Butler
I politley ask him how long it might take since I have a connecting flight,well I'm told:
"Ok if you wanna play hardball I will put you on the next plane back to Germany ,you have no right being in ths country!" No not yet enough ,he tells me "You either shut up and have a seat and wait until I call you or I put you on the next plane!"
I've never had an overstay,never spent more time in the US than in Germany and the last time I was in the USA was more than 5 years ago !!!!
I DO understand that they have to ask certain questions and all that,and I was horrified by 9/11,spent days crying my eyes out and still can't stop crying when I watch the Video's of that horrible horrible day.My son is half American and one day I will have to explain to him what happened that day and it breaks my heart to think of all the great US Soldiers (my fiance, at the time was one of them and many many friends I have have served in the US Military for many years) that'd died downrange as a result of the attacks on the Pentagon and the WTC,BUT I seriously doubt that it is justified to treat someone like that when they try to visit a loved one!!!!!!!!
I was scared,angry,humiliated and hurt by that treatment.
Now STINGER,you explain that one to me!!!!!!
Nat

File a complaint. Your treatment in Atlanta was not acceptable!

When my wife came to visit me last September, I made SURE that one of the connecting flights was definately not going to go through Atlanta. I have seen other negative reports on the treatment there. It's inexcusable.And believe me, there were plenty of flights that routed through that airport, and some slightly cheaper than what I paid for. But it is stories like what I have heard before (some written on this forum) and from what I have just read from your experience...........that make me be sure to go out of my way to ensure she doesn't go through that airport.

I assume at least you were allowed in? (some consolation)

No excuse for that kind of treatment, and to be handled/talked to that way.

(P.S.....I do disagree with your point about telling them the truth to see your boyfriend. Better you were honest with them, then have them question you anyways, and for them to find out the truth the hard way. You may have caused more trouble for yourself. Tough as it is.........it was better to be honest.)

Yes thank God I was admitted in.But I will definitley never again come in at Atlanta.
I never knew that they were known for their rude treatment of visitors.
Now I'm scared I'll have problems in September when I go to visit my man again.........I have no clue what all they put in their computer...........
But there's no entry's in our passports,just the stanp.Even though on my little boys stamp he wrote WT????Does anyone know what that means????
I also think that being honest about the reaosn for my visit to the US was to be with my (at the time now we're engaged) boyfriend.
But that experience has me scared and I know I will be shaky in September.......
I hope I can get in at Seattle or even Portland so Jim would be able to BE at the airport waiting for me.But I've read stories about Seattle too..........
Anyone has a clue what airport is the best,please feel free to e mail me!
Natasha