anyone face this

[NJOY_SCUBA]

1. Immigration officers in India get paid well enough. They do not accept bribes as a rule and do not need to. ( it is a society in transition folks, get over this notion that one can bribe one's way through everywhere in India)
2. Much of this is a hold over from the old days when one needed emigration clearance to leave India. The sole role of the immigration officer for departing Indian Citizensin India today is to make sure that the departing Indian citizen is not wanted by the law/ is not a terrrism watch list. or non Indian citizens they have to make sure that they have not overstayed their visa etc.,
3. The airline has the duty to chek your visa at departure. Until a few years ago the state run Ailine Air India handled the majority of international flights departing from most Indian airports and therefore the lines were blurred.
4. Most airports in India are run by the govt. through the Airport authority of India which is a aging, mindless beuracracy and inists on this procedure. If you have departed from Cochin which is a private airport you would have noticed that these 'immigration' offcials do not have a ubiquitous presence.
5. these are Indian immigration officials. Most of them are educated and knowledgeabel regaridng requiremnts for entry INTO India. they obviously cannot know the entry requirements to every country in the world. On this board we are all immigrants to the US and hence we know the requirments. Would a USCIS officer know the entry requrements to India??
6. Things are not `different' in India. It is eficeient and most things are monitored and work as well as any other `western' ( now is that a synonym for developed- I disagree) nation.

thats one of most realistic and sensible answers...

If an immi officer challenges you and you are clean and have the paper work, what the big deal in responding with the right paper work ? If you didn't have the paper work, you can always go a superior officer to address the issue.

 

[chinabee]

Even when I travelled from China back to US, I had this similar problem at SF, CA (I am a Chinese Canadian with Canadian passport).

The U.S. immigration officer questioned me about my stamp and insisted that I had to show him the GC. I assured him that the stamp was a valid document. He didn't want to argue with me and immediately called his supervisor who easily cleared it up.

 

[alren]

thats one of most realistic and sensible answers...

If an immi officer challenges you and you are clean and have the paper work, what the big deal in responding with the right paper work ? If you didn't have the paper work, you can always go a superior officer to address the issue.

Sure and risk missing your flight ...

 

[alren]

1. Immigration officers in India get paid well enough. They do not accept bribes as a rule and do not need to. ( it is a society in transition folks, get over this notion that one can bribe one's way through everywhere in India)
2. Much of this is a hold over from the old days when one needed emigration clearance to leave India. The sole role of the immigration officer for departing Indian Citizensin India today is to make sure that the departing Indian citizen is not wanted by the law/ is not a terrrism watch list. or non Indian citizens they have to make sure that they have not overstayed their visa etc.,
3. The airline has the duty to chek your visa at departure. Until a few years ago the state run Ailine Air India handled the majority of international flights departing from most Indian airports and therefore the lines were blurred.
4. Most airports in India are run by the govt. through the Airport authority of India which is a aging, mindless beuracracy and inists on this procedure. If you have departed from Cochin which is a private airport you would have noticed that these 'immigration' offcials do not have a ubiquitous presence.
5. these are Indian immigration officials. Most of them are educated and knowledgeabel regaridng requiremnts for entry INTO India. they obviously cannot know the entry requirements to every country in the world. On this board we are all immigrants to the US and hence we know the requirments. Would a USCIS officer know the entry requrements to India??
6. Things are not `different' in India. It is eficeient and most things are monitored and work as well as any other `western' ( now is that a synonym for developed- I disagree) nation.

I'm from India and I'm all for not degrading India.

Things have improved from what it was 30 yrs., 20 yrs. 10 yrs.m 5 yrs. back.

But I totally disagree with point 1.

Point no. 5 - It's one thing knowing req. for all the possible countries and other being cognizant about rules for US. More then 50% of the traffice out of India is US bound. I'm sure the immigration officers in India are knowledgable about most of the rules for US.

 

[AmericanWannabe]

I'm from India and I'm all for not degrading India.

Things have improved from what it was 30 yrs., 20 yrs. 10 yrs.m 5 yrs. back.

But I totally disagree with point 1.

Point no. 5 - It's one thing knowing req. for all the possible countries and other being cognizant about rules for US. More then 50% of the traffice out of India is US bound. I'm sure the immigration officers in India are knowledgable about most of the rules for US.

May the guy is new. Unless USCIS passpot stamp is covered
in their training program, then it is normal for new officers
to be ignorant.

 

[pralay]

May the guy is new. Unless USCIS passpot stamp is covered
in their training program, then it is normal for new officers
to be ignorant.

But we tend to forget the fact that the temporary GC stamp looks fake and almost unreadable.

 

[alren]

Agree.

 

[AmericanWannabe]

But we tend to forget the fact that the temporary GC stamp looks fake and almost unreadable.

Before early 1990s, almost all visas looked fake. It is only now
the visa look very fancy and following maybe some internatioanl standard
like those ">>>>>>>YUUS-INDI>>>>.>>>" bar codes

 

[pralay]

Before early 1990s, almost all visas looked fake.

Fake? Not in the standard of that time (at the time of 80386 PC with Windows 3.0, 10 MB RAM and 100 MB disk space - oh, btw, no modem or ethernet port ).

 

[schandrag]

No More than 50% traffic out of India is not US bound. Most peopple travelling out of India go to the persian gulf region,or south east asia. the US ranks far below these.

 

[rmandiga]

My country

Guyz,
I will be very happy to take on the officer who stops me getting into India,my country. I did once in Mumbai and has an argument on that issue for 2 hrs and got whole custom staff whipped off.
My point was WHO ARE YOU TO STOP TO COME BACK TO MY COUNTRY


THIS IS MY COUNTRY..

That was my very rude way to talking in their language and it worked well.

Got applaud from other passengers watching the show.

I told them that GC or no GC, nothing can stop me to come back to my country...

 

[itec]

Hello all.....wanted to share my wife's experience while travelling from bombay to detroit.

She has her passport stamped with I-551 (still waiting for the actual card). At bombay the immigration officer would not let her pass through, questioning the validity of the stamp. Luckily she had the "welcome letter" and only after he saw that did he let her clear immigration.

don't know if he was just trying to create trouble or what .

my question is I have to travel in may and I didn't get any welcome letter; is there any other proof one can carry??


our case was transferred to local office so I don't have a letter mentioning the 485 approval

any thoughts/suggestions gurus.....

So far I know that immigration officer wanted some money...

 

[hipka]

Can't help but roll on the floor laughing ...

laugh at yourself!!

 

[ginnu]

Guyz,
I will be very happy to take on the officer who stops me getting into India,my country. I did once in Mumbai and has an argument on that issue for 2 hrs and got whole custom staff whipped off.
My point was WHO ARE YOU TO STOP TO COME BACK TO MY COUNTRY


THIS IS MY COUNTRY..

That was my very rude way to talking in their language and it worked well.

Got applaud from other passengers watching the show.

I told them that GC or no GC, nothing can stop me to come back to my country...

----- the discussion is about the passport stamp and problem created by India Immigration department beforedeparting India for US and it is not getting into India
why did the custom staff in Bombay tried to stop COMING to India??? what was the problem they were creating? on what basis?

 

[qwertyisback]

----- the discussion is about the passport stamp and problem created by India Immigration department beforedeparting India for US and it is not getting into India
why did the custom staff in Bombay tried to stop COMING to India??? what was the problem they were creating? on what basis?

I haven't read this thread, but I had experienced problem at entry in India.
One of my family member's security mark on passport photo is not clearly visible under laser light, So they made me to wait for 1hr+ with additional checks by their supervisor. I was tired and frustated with wait (family members were waiting outside airport), so I choose easy way out, I dished out $20 and got out quickly. I could have wait for some more time and could get out without paying ,but I thought those fellows also have family like me and they need money too, So lets get over with it. .

In USA at every step , we have to pay tip anyway, thats in way bribery for good service, So why make big fuse about bribery in INDIA. Bottomline is, everybody needs money, in US its legalised and India its called corruption, Thats it.

 

[alren]

laugh at yourself!!

I'll. Give me a reason. Cause I had the (mis)fortune to encounter you ?

 

[manik_baasha]

I haven't read this thread, but I had experienced problem at entry in India.
One of my family member's security mark on passport photo is not clearly visible under laser light, So they made me to wait for 1hr+ with additional checks by their supervisor. I was tired and frustated with wait (family members were waiting outside airport), so I choose easy way out, I dished out $20 and got out quickly. I could have wait for some more time and could get out without paying ,but I thought those fellows also have family like me and they need money too, So lets get over with it. .

In USA at every step , we have to pay tip anyway, thats in way bribery for good service, So why make big fuse about bribery in INDIA. Bottomline is, everybody needs money, in US its legalised and India its called corruption, Thats it.

Shame on you for encouraging that kind of behavior.

There's a big difference between tip and corruption. You can never "tip" your way through the US judiciary expecting to get faster service. You can't tip a cop or a judge or an immigration officer asking them to service your case sooner. But in India, looks like, it still appears to be the case. Thanks to shameful, quite shameful I would argue, people like you.

FYI, let me tell you a story. When I went to India last year to collect my degree certificates which were 9 and 7 years old respectively, I first went to the University, where they told that 1 degree was held at the college and they had the other one. Since they had to see the first one to release the second, they asked me to go to the college to collect the first one and then come back with it so I can claim the second one. So I went straight to the college office and collected my under grad degree certificate. Took about 1 hour to search through their records. With that I returned to the University and showed it to the officer. I got screamed at once because I was trying to collect my degree certificate so late. Once he verified it, he told me that my degree was being released and I should receive it by mail within 4 - 5 days. I got it the following week. No bribes, no tips, no waiting.

 

[qwertyisback]

Shame on you for encouraging that kind of behavior.

There's a big difference between tip and corruption. You can never "tip" your way through the US judiciary expecting to get faster service. You can't tip a cop or a judge or an immigration officer asking them to service your case sooner. But in India, looks like, it still appears to be the case. Thanks to shameful, quite shameful I would argue, people like you.

Did you read my post, Do you see any "judiciary" involved their??? .
It was simple case of checking passport... And both of us know, me and Indian custom officer (or whoevr he is), its just some clerical error.,and he is fishing around, So what the heck, I paid him $20 to him, He is happy, I am happy, whats problem for you??? I had paid $$$$ tips over years in US at restaurants/services etc?? why should I feel shame to pay an INDIAN???


Do you say same things to people in US who has to pay atleast 15% as TIP?? Do you pay tips?? I know few people who proudly announces that they don't pay TIPS?? Are you one of those Jokers??? . Shame on YOU

 

[manik_baasha]

Did you read my post, Do you see any "judiciary" involved their??? .
It was simple case of checking passport... And both of us know, me and Indian custom officer (or whoevr he is), its just some clerical error.,and he is fishing around, So what the heck, I paid him $20 to him, He is happy, I am happy, whats problem for you??? I had paid $$$$ tips over years in US at restaurants/services etc?? why should I feel shame to pay an INDIAN???


Do you say same things to people in US who has to pay atleast 15% as TIP?? Do you pay tips?? I know few people who proudly announces that they don't pay TIPS?? Are you one of those Jokers??? . Shame on YOU

I don't know if you are a clown or just a dumb person whose IQ is severely challenged. An Indian customs officer is part of the government of India. He's a government employee who needs to ensure timely and just service to everyone. Accepting cash, or a "tip" in your majesty's words, to expedite services rendered by a government official is against the government's policy and amounts to a bribe.

I tip people in the US all the time. But for some reason, it has never happened to be a Federal judge or a grand jury or an Immigration officer asking them to quickly clear me from secondary inspection. It has always been a friendly server or a bartender whom I wanted to reward for their service. Even in that case, I did not tip them up front to get my beer sooner than others.

What you did is clearly against Indian law and disclosing that proudly in a public form and defending it only goes to prove your poor intellect. I strongly suggest you consult a shrink and start therapy as soon as possible. That's your best shot at an insanity plea.

 

[qwertyisback]

An Indian customs officer is part of the government of India.

So with your logic, he becomes part of Indian "judiciary" system!!!!. Then with same (non)logic, I am judiciary too, Then what the heck, I will do whatever I want.

And whoever he is , is not expediating my service, he is just giving me the SERVICE which I deserves. And I paid him for that and I will again and again pay him/others regardless of their service ,any Problem, then find some tree and bark .