"The Great Dane" not welcome in the US any longer

[itdave]

As a US citizen it sure makes me mad that people who follow the rules get screwed. I went looking around the Web and here is a link to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Web Site. USCIS

It looks like there are ways to apply to extend your stay by filing a I-539 form. They have field offices all over the country so there should be one close to your present location that can help.

I sure hope you find a way around the problem, we need people like you to visit our country. I know I received a warm wellcome when I visited Demark and the US should do the same for you.

Good Luck

[danes-on-tour]

As promised, here is an update:

We have now corresponded a couple of times with the Danish Embassy in Washington, and the bottom line is that the Embassy will not get involved even when they also consider that we have been treated unjust. They say that they sympathise with our situation and they imply that when we get unfair treatment from the US immigration people they can do nothing to change anything. That means no help from that side as they appear to have accepted in advance that this is a fight that we can’t win.

Being Danish we travel under the Visa Waiver program, which means that we don’t need a tourist Visa to enter the US. Here are the official guide lines for this type of travel:

Q: Is there a limit to the number of times I may travel to the United States visa free in any given period of time?

A: There is no limit to the number of times you may travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program in any given period. There is also no minimum period of time you are required to remain outside the U.S. before reapplying for admission. However, if you are a frequent traveller to the United States you should be sure to carry with you for presentation to U.S. immigration evidence of your residence abroad to which you intend returning at the end of your visit together with evidence of funds sufficient for your support while in the United States . If the immigration inspector is not convinced that you are a bona fide visitor for business or tourism, you can be denied entry.

We can only assume that proof of residence or intention to return to Denmark was never an issue since this was never brought up, and as for sufficient finances this was proven to they satisfaction. We also had confirmation that immigration did consider us genuine tourist so this was not an issue either.

The more we get into this the more unnecessary the whole incident appears. Us immigration apparently have guide lines but they don’t administer them accordingly.

Based on the above we feel that we have no option other than to cancel of 2009/2010 US travel. We are not going to spend more than $2000 Dollars to travel and then get send back on the same flight. Coming here takes a great deal of planning both work wise and privately and we couldn’t face this planning being ruined by a US Immigration officer having “a bad day at the office”.

Whether this now is the end of our US adventure will remain to be seen. We will go back to Denmark at the end of March and we will try to put this experience behind us. Then we will make a decision whether to sell our Diplomat or make a return for the 2010/2011 winter season.

This is not how we thought it was going to be and this is not what we wanted at all.

[Renegades]

This may be fruitless but go to http://change.gov and voice what you have to say here. They do listen. It can't hurt and it may do some good. Start at the top and let it trickle down.

I spent 20 years in the Navy and traveled the world and was welcomed in many countries. I spent 3 years in Scotland and lived on the economy. Since some folks think there the almighty and there word is law, they hold it over those beneath them. SORRY your having such a bad time. Good luck.

Jim

[motojavaphil]

Danes,

Every bureaucrat has a boss. May I suggest you go up their Chain of Command and employ an attorney to open doors. Its our Government you need to deal with and from what I have read here you are being mistreated. There are immigration attorneys who specialize in the laws surrounding visitors, both illegal and legal. If this was pettiness and inappropriate behavior you encountered their superiors need to know about it. Document everything and please continue being the very appreciated guests you are.
Phil

[Robin_M]

I agree with Phil's advice above. I'm betting that there are lots of attorneys who specialize in immigration law that would be happy to help, and that it wouldn't necesarily cost a lot of money to consult with one of them. The right attorney may just know some tricks to get thing legally worked out to your advantage.

Another consideration. Since the objection at the airport was your frequncy of visits... If you can't get this concern worked out, why not come back in the summer/fall and visit Canada with your Dip. Lots of neat stuff there to see. And then visit the US again the following year. You may even be able to cross the boarder between Canada and the US in your motorhome without any hassle at all.

I cannot speak with experience on this point, but my impression is that immigration and customs procedures between the US/Canadian boarder are usually much less likely to be problematic than at airports.

[nodine]

.....I cannot speak with experience on this point, but my impression is that immigration and customs procedures between the US/Canadian boarder are usually much less likely to be problematic than at airports.

Amen to that! A co-worker and I traveled to Saskatoon for a business meeting and the Immigration authorities at Calgary interrogated us for over an hour separately because they thought we were entering to do work without a work visa. Once they were convinced we were only going to a meeting they let us proceed.

By they way, I routinely pass through very secure security check points several times a day. There is a noticeable difference in the level of inspection and verification from one guard to the next.

Bob

[Eaglesview]

We and all our Canadian snowbird friends annually file an IRS form which demonstrates a closer connection to our homes in Canada.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8840.pdf

The formula is referred to in a previous post is the number of days last year (2008), 1/3 of the number in 2007 and 1/6 of the number in 2006.

This may not resolve a US immigration issue.

[MonacoMama]

Henrik...I keep looking for something that might help - but I am at a loss on this one. It hurts me to think that you & Anne will not be in Quartzsite -and even worst..not able to explore this great country.
I am willing to write a letter - as I am sure many here would also ...if it would help....hmmmmm - a letter writing campaign, maybe??

I have met "The Great Dane" ...and they are good people trying to do nothing illegal - they are just trying to enjoy our country and our customs while meeting some of the greatest people in the country - fellow RVers.

Henrik...my thoughts & prayers are with you & Anne. Please let me know if there is anything you would like me to try & do.
MM

[bdpreece]

I hate to be flip but; why not just fly into Mexico, and sneak into the U.S. Then you can stay as long as you want like the ones that cause all these problems.

[Lynnvt]

A similar thing happened to a young friend of mine at Heathrow. They were insistent that she was trying to sneak into the country to work. They interrogated her for 7 hours and then put her on a plane to Paris (which was her return route) where the police escorted her to the plane back to the states.

[jacmat]

As suggested by Motojavaphil, go up the chain of command of the US immigration. I'm certain that you've only dealt with the low level employees.

In the last 10 years I've had twice dealings with the Canadian Customs. One time I wanted to have a temporary import permit for a rented car and the second time also a temporary permit for a boat. Both times the answer was NO, Impossible and such things. I made several phone calls, from the office a the border, then to the supervisor, then manager, and after 10 levels finally spoke to the deputy minister in Ottawa ( Canada's capital ) and finally my permit was approved.

I never accept a No for an answer the first time. I try several times, and try to find a different angle from one level to the other.

Another way also of doing it would be through the US Embassy located in Denmark.

[Noelj]

I think the best suggestion is to try and seek another port of entry. What you ran into is typical NY yankee arrogance. If all else fails, just fly to Mexico, then just drive right in. That way, they will never find you.

[RVRon]

Typical NY yankee arrogance.

Noelj,

There might be someone on this board from there that considers themselves "nice people".

[psyflyjohn]

Your case is an example of what is very embarassing for many U.S. citizens. A government that's staffed with petty-minded, arrogant "Barney Fifes". Think of how it feels to be a U.S. citizen and treated like that upon entering your own country. I suggest that you make travel plans in Mexico or Canada instead. Try a quick trip to the U.S., and if they give you a hard time at the border, turn around and continue your tour in that country. My apologies for their behavior. (I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing lately with foreign visitors)