Rants and Raves With Immigration Officers Upon Arrival to Country of Destination

[LadyRider]

What are your experiences naman with the immigration officers upon arrival to your country of destination? Where they strict? Linient? Neither?
Marami rin kase mga nakakatuwa at nakakainis na mga experiences tayong mga Pinoy dito diba?

[LadyRider]

Napansin ko lang sa immigration officers dito sa Asia, hindi sila masyado nagsasalita or nagtatanong. Titignan ka na lang tapos lagyan ng tatak passport mo.

Sa Europe tulad sa France, hindi rin nagtatanong ang Immigration officer. Mostly titignan lang ang visa mo, tatak then next in line please! Pero since strict sila sa mga "Authenticity" ng mga accesories na gamit natin tulad ng mga designer leather goods and accessories. Nakakatawa lang kasi yun ang unang tinitignan nila!

One time, when we arrived in France, me nakasabay kaming pasahero na ang lalagyan ng passport nya eh Louis Vuitton. Biruin ba naman ninyo eh mas inuna pa kilatisin ang leather at trademark nung passport holder kesa dun mismo sa visa. Sabay bigay ng thumbs up telling the Pinoy na authentic ang LV nya! Ngek! Ok diba? (hehehehe)

[frenchtower]

I had a similar experience at LAX just this week. One TSA officer inspected my notebook computer but did not care to mind the one carried by the passenger ahead of me. Must be random protocol. Nonetheless, he did not find anything odd. He just wasted both our time.

[shadow]

nothing special...just the usual question and answer....

[chua_riwap]

Sa Morroco, naman yung paalis ako. Sa airport titingnan nila yung wallet mo. You're not allowed to bring US$ out of Morroco. Nataon na meron akong $15 (lang!) sa pitaka. Aba, pati ba naman yun, gustong i-confiscate. Sabi ko, pambili ko ng snacks sa Charles de Gaulle Airport (France, stop-over ko). Mahabang pakiusapan. Pumayag naman.

Mahigpit sila pag naglabas ka ng foreign currency sa Morroco.

[DonT]

We were in a long term assignment in Korea..and as such, we had to get a D-9 visa which is for business people as compared to the normal Tourist or Visit visa.

Now, during those days, very strict sila sa entry ng pinoys dahil madami nga nag TNT dun.

So during our initial trips there..both here in NAIA and Incheon Airport..talagang todo ang cross examination sa kasama ko kasi he does not look like a typical businessman...typical OFW kasi. Di sila makapaniwala. ha ha.

Its just quite amusing experience.

[wildthing]

Sa japan, i was wearing plain shirt and jeans...hindi maniwala na business ang trip ko...duda yata ay hosto ako

buti na lang yung mga boss ko na nauna ay inaatay ako (eh puro disente - naka barong sila)... so i just pointed that i'm with them... kung nagkataon pinauwi siguro ako agad sa next flight back home.

funny is yung immigration officer nila look like teenager lang (or maybe early twenty's lang)...

[chua_riwap]

Once naman sa Singapore (where I was based before), papuntang S.Korea, on assignment. Nakita nu'ng IO yung US Visa ko. Paano raw ako nakakuha ng US Visa? Para bang nagtataka kung pa'no nakakuha ang tulad kong Pinoy ng US Visa.

Para bang sinabi nyang wala akong karapatang makakuha ng US Visa. Tado yun ah.

[redorange]

I had a similar experience at LAX just this week. One TSA officer inspected my notebook computer but did not care to mind the one carried by the passenger ahead of me. Must be random protocol. Nonetheless, he did not find anything odd. He just wasted both our time.

TSA is not the same as Immigration or Customs in the US, that would be CBP that does those jobs.

[DonT]

^ same experience with my US Visa. minsan talagang sinisipat under magnifying glass yung US visa. Actually wala naman silang pakialam dun kasi sa kanila naman ang biyahe ko (Korea).

But it really helps kapag meron ka ng US Visa. Especially the 10 yr multiple entry one. Madali na mag apply ng visa anywhere.

[VtEC]

so far ala pa namang abnormalities..casual lang naman.

[bayonic]

has anyone been to Indonesia ?

ive been there 1 time and garapal ang mga IO doon. since it was my first time, ang daming tanong ... hanggang sa umabot sa nanghihingi na ng pera para lang tatakan ang passport ko.
in the first place, i didn't really wanted to be there ... but my job required it so sabi ko na lang sa kanya .... if you don't want me here i will gladly return on the next flight out ... just give me your name and an official statement so I can show it to my company.

yun... tinatakan agad and i was on my way.

ive heard from other colleagues that it is normal to put a few thousand rupiahs in your passport to avoid this type of hassle.

[bayonic]

one of the worst places i've been to with regards to immigration hassles is Guam.

ilang beses na ako natapat sa Fil-Am na IO .... papahirapan ka sa sobrang dami ng tanong ... and don't think your 10 year multiple entry US Visa is enough. they have to check and verify kuno your business trip to Guam
but since the Continental flight from Manila arrives very early in the Morning ... you have to wait a few hours before they can " verify " and let you out of immigration.

by then, you have to wait for another long time to have your bags clear Customs because umuwi na yung Customs officer

[Si 06]

This incident happened in '79. I was on my way to the US mainland but our port of entry was Hawaii. Since I was in jeans and t shirt the IO asked me how much money I had and I told him I have whats written in my declaration. I was brought to a room they counted the bills one by one trying to determine if they were counterfeit and later asked me what I was gonna do with the money I told them I was gonna buy a bmw 3.

[redorange]

one of the worst places i've been to with regards to immigration hassles is Guam.

ilang beses na ako natapat sa Fil-Am na IO .... papahirapan ka sa sobrang dami ng tanong ... and don't think your 10 year multiple entry US Visa is enough. they have to check and verify kuno your business trip to Guam
but since the Continental flight from Manila arrives very early in the Morning ... you have to wait a few hours before they can " verify " and let you out of immigration.

by then, you have to wait for another long time to have your bags clear Customs because umuwi na yung Customs officer

A visa isn't an automatic entry into the US(unless it's diplomatic) regardless of how long the visa validity, it just means the airline can board you and it's up to the immigration officer to determine if you can come in to the US, State Department gives the visa and Homeland Security decides if you can come in. As far as Fil-Am officers being more strict it's probably because they already know TNT tendencies of some. Besides they aren't supposed to show any favors to you just because you're Pinoy and they are Fil-Am.

As for customs in Guam that's a whole other issue since Guam has it's own customs and doesn't fall under CBP. I remember as a kid they would confiscate food stuff and eat it for their dinner break, only on Guam.

[explorer]

my last trip going back to UK from Germany...the IO asked how I was able to get a residency visa after only less than 5 months from my 1st entry to UK....he also questioned me why I was able to also get my older visa extended to 5 years from just 1-year term after only less than 2 months I 1st entered UK....I can understand him checking my passport thoroughly if it's tampered or fake but when he started asking how and why I got my visa...hmmmm....

my second entry to Japan (June 1996) sponsored by my previous employer...the IO really opened my baggages and checked every content maybe because I only wore a golf shirt with jeans in contrast to the coat and tie in my 1st entry in 1995

[StraightSix]

my last trip going back to UK from Germany...the IO asked how I was able to get a residency visa after only less than 5 months from my 1st entry to UK....he also questioned me why I was able to also get my older visa extended to 5 years from just 1-year term after only less than 2 months I 1st entered UK....I can understand him checking my passport thoroughly if it's tampered or fake but when he started asking how and why I got my visa...hmmmm....

Normally, you should have been living for at least 5 years in the UK to get a leave for indefinite stay (which was 3 yrs a couple of years ago).

I'd be suspicious, too.

[shadow]

tama, sa guam mas mahigpit ang immigration compare sa mainland

tapos kung sa guam ka lang pupunta, parang pag nag-apply ka dito ng visa sa US embassy ibang visa ibibigay saiyo, hinde mo yata pwede magamit sa mainland, exclusively for guam lang yun visa

[explorer]

Normally, you should have been living for at least 5 years in the UK to get a leave for indefinite stay (which was 3 yrs a couple of years ago).

I'd be suspicious, too.

he is entitled to be suspicious...i understand but he can do that by really checking the passport/visa thoroughly if it's fake or tampered...and check my identity through their system...but asking some questions why or how (i don't know if it's proper...if that questions is asked to their citizens or nasty EU citizens...he could be inviting some trouble)...he should know what a fake or tampered passport/visa looks like because that is his job....besides, they have my travels records in the past and my profile recorded digitally (where i live, what i ate, where do i shop, how much debt i have, how much bank overdraft i have , where i work, etc.) they probably even have the video (from CCTV) in every corner wherever i go

[sea.piper]

One time I was assigned in Malaysia and luckily I was given a working visa for 2 yrs. My wife was there and we planned to go on a cross country by bus to Singapore. While we were at the immigration, I asked my wife to go first since i am more familiar with the questions of the immigration officers. My wife did not have any problems at all with the immigration. Noong ako na, the officer asked how amny days am I going to stay and how much money do I have. I told him that I have 200 dollars in my wallet, and the immigration officer told me that i cannot stay in any hotel since i got only 200 dollars. I told him that I have with me my CC and my money is in my wife who is already done with the immigration..bwahahaha. Kinabahan ako ...... tinignan yung wife ko at yung aking CC at yun tinatakan din ang passport ko hehehe.