banana12

Hi guys,

I'm another one of those people who had applied for a B2 Visa when I shouldn't have! October 2012 I had my B2 Visa denied and have just applied for an ESTA which has been approved (declaring my visa denial).

Question is...

What should I be taking with me other than a return ticket to prove I'll be going back home in case I get pulled into secondary questioning?

I do have a job at the moment but I am thinking of resigning as they are not the best company to work for and are also being extremely difficult with my Christmas/New Years leave.


Any help would be appreciated

fozzyb

Evidence of where you will be staying (copy of hotel reservation etc)
Any kind of itinerary for the trip (list of attractions you plan to visit, car hire documents etc)

Out of the 50 or so times I've been to the US I've twice been pulled into secondary, neither time figured out why. Both times you just sit for ages waiting to be called, then got stamped though with barely a second glance.

First time the first Immigration officer seemed to get worked up about the fact that we were tourists but didn't have any kind of hotel reservation (we were going to stay with my sister in law), and sent us to secondary. When we eventually got to see the officer in secondary he asked pretty much the same set of questions as the first officer had, then stamped us straight through. So I really don't know what the issue was.

So since then when ever I have been visiting family I have always taken a copy of some sort of official document with my relatives address on (even if its a faxed copy of a utility bill) - but have never had a need to show it.

I always also take a printout of the ESTA confirmation screen as well, but again have never been asked to show it.

banana12

Thanks I'm staying with my sister too (always have) so I'll take some sort of bill with her details. I've never taken anything other than my tickets before nor have I been asked more than the 3 standard questions, purpose of visit/where you're staying and sometimes how long.

But now that I've got the whole visa denial thing I want to be prepared!

Thanks for the tip

ian-mstm

Don't resign until after you enter the US. You can quit via email if you want... but don't do it before you travel - and then you can honestly answer the question about a current job if asked.

Ian

banana12

Thanks Ian, I have decided to keep my job so I can take a letter.

Pulaski

You could take a copy of your lease or most recent mortgage statement, but the chances of you needing them are close to zero.

banana12

Pulaski I live at home with my dad so I don't have any of those documents unfortunately, I thought of taking my car purchase papers which I recently bought but not sure if that will do anything...

Pulaski

A little, but not much, but then the chances of you having a problem if you have a return ticket dated within a few weeks, is extremely small.

banana12

Yeah I have never had a problem before when I visited before my visa denial, I just want to be prepared if they decide to go into secondary questioning etc, I'm only going for 4 weeks.

mugglin

Banana12, have you travelled yet and did you have any problems?

ian-mstm

With respect, it sounds like you want some help... so, why don't you just tell people your circumstances and give us a chance to help?

Ian

mugglin

Just a similar situation. I have previously been denied a tourist visa on a previous passport whilst studying (South African) and will be traveling this year on a newly acquired UK passport. I am looking for feedback from people who have previously been denied a visa but had an ESTA approved to see if they had trouble when they got to the U.S. My denial was nearly 10 years ago and obviously my situation is very different now so I don't envisage any issues if my ESTA is approved, but still interested in the outcomes of those in similar circumstances.

Pulaski

I predict that Ian is going to tell you to stop looking for problems and focusing on the small probability of you experiencing difficulty. He will also probably tell you that learning of problems that others have experienced will serve no useful purpose but will make you worried for no good reason.

banana12

Hi there, I was denied a B2 visa October 2012 I applied for ESTA October 2014 which was approved, I am in the US now and I went through customs with no problems. They asked the same questions they used to ask me before my visa denial. Purpose of visit, how long are you staying and that was it! I was panicking too but it all went smoothly! You should be fine it's been such a long time since your denial! hope this helps

mugglin

Great, thank you!