PhilipUK

I'm due to go across to the US (Boston) next Friday to get the paperwork sorted for my green card. As I'm only going for the weekend, I thought of only taking hand luggage but that may not now be possible. No real worries apart from the fact that I have to bring with me my x-ray and visa documents sealed by the US embassy with instructions to keep in in hand luggage and not to open the envelope. Now, what can I do if the hand luggage rules are still in place. I know they are essential travel documents but I don't want the UK bods to break the seal on the envelope in case, when I get to the US, that causes a problem (which I think it will). I had thought of packing the documents, entering the US on a visa waiver and then, when I've collected my bag, try to get back through immigration. Does anyone have any advice/information for me?
Many thanks.
Ph

cindyabs

My husband handcarried his xray through on our return from London last year and IT always got "pulled" aside and xrayed by itself ironically. Xraying an xray-hmmm.

Rete

Don't know why they are still advising you to take the xrays. Not needed and won't be looked at. Have yet to see, in my nine years of dealing with USCIS and immigration, anyone who had their xray examined at the POE or the local USCIS office. It is only needed to prove that you don't have TB which was what the panel doctor needed to sign off on your medical.

Put the xray in your luggage and carry your sealed envelope in the clear plastic bag needed to board the plane with you. The agent will see that it is sealed by the US Consulate and will most probably allow you to get on the plane with its seal unbroken. If they do break the seal, insist that they sign the outside of the envelope with their name and rank and date and time of unsealing. Under the circumstances I truly doubt that the agent on the US end of your flight will have issue with the broken seal.

Angry White Pyjamas

The POE officer reaction when we asked what about our carefully wrapped and tenderly cared for X-Ray: "Huh? Uh what XRay?"

Lynne

When we had our medical in London they gave us our x-rays and told us we had to carry them with us, they were not to go in the hold of the plane, and that we would need to produce them at immigration when we arrived in Atlanta. We nurse those suckers all the way even at checking in when they said we would have to put them in the hold. We even bought a special roll tube to carry them in. We were never asked for them at immigration and when my husband told the guy we had them he gave us that "so what" look. We have renewed our green card once since then and to this day have never been asked to produce them to anyone.

Guest21

You need to give the Xrays to the Airline that is your carrier when you check in, and they will if they won't let you take it as hand luggage?put it in with the crew belongings in a separate compartment.
They will release them to you at your destination.

cinnabar

I had the exact same experience with China when I was applying for a student visa. We had to have chest X-rays taken in the UK and carry them with us to China, where no one at all was interested in them and they were never checked. None of the airline security people had any idea what to do with X-rays and treated them with suspicion. We weren't told not to open them (unlike the US gov medical ones).

It taught me a lesson for when I got the US ones 20 years later though: do not wear underwired underwear on the day of the medical. It's not a problem, it just looks weird on the X-ray.

Toontje

There's really no need anymore to have the x-ray in the carry-on luggage. Only last April I was told to put my x-rays in my suitcase since they no longer require you to present them at Immigration at your POE.

evoal2003

So do you have a visa right now or which are you in the process of?

BigDavyG

I forgot mine and the w@nker at the counter gave me a hard time. They when I went into the side room for the envelope opening bit with another officer I mentioned that I'd forgotten the x-ray and he said it didn't make any difference.

Would love to see the first bloke whilst walking down the street some day