O'Hare experience, GC holder out for 4 weeks

H

Hannah7

Registered Users (C)
I want to share my most recent experience on entering at Chicago O'Hare.

I was outside the U.S for less than 4 weeks on visit in Europe. This time, I was asked many tough questions at the immigration that I didn't expect. I was drilled about the reason of my trip, about what I am doing in the U.S., where do I work, I was even asked about the long trip that I returned from almost a year ago.

I wasn't send to any secondary inspection but I spent good 5 minutes talking to primary officer. At the end I received entry stamp in my passport with description "ARC out for 3 weeks!" <- with the exclamation mark

Previously, when I returned from the almost 2-years long trip on reentry permit, I wasn't asked anything and I didn't even receive any stamp to my passport.

Why now? Why was I given a hard time after such short visit?
In addition to it, now I have property in the U.S. and I work fulltime for the U.S. employer, and of course, I pay the taxes.
 
Jackolantern said:
You just had the bad luck of facing an officer who was constipated.
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I had the impression that if you return from a short trip (definitely way less than 6months) that they should just wave you in and salute you. So I guess you guys have similar experiences?

Do you think this constipated CPB officer could have set any "red flag" on my file by asking so many questions and writing "ARC out 3 weeks" ?
 
I was asked lots of questions (although not as much as 5 minutes worth) after a trip of less than a week. Sometimes stuff like that just happens. Don't worry about it.
 
Hannah7 said:
I had the impression that if you return from a short trip (definitely way less than 6months) that they should just wave you in and salute you. So I guess you guys have similar experiences?
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Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Generally speaking you won't see much improvement until you become a citizen, and even then it's hit or miss.

Do you think this constipated CPB officer could have set any "red flag" on my file by asking so many questions and writing "ARC out 3 weeks" ?
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Your absence and re-entry permit already set a flag.
 
TheRealCanadian said:
Your absence and re-entry permit already set a flag.
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Ok, but when does that flag disappear? The reentry permit story was and the long trip I returned from almost a year ago ... since then I havent travelled and settled down for good.
 
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You can't tell when it'll go away. You can only guarantee that after you naturalise.

I once walked across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls to pick up my girlfriend from the Canadian side and bring her back to the US side. So, after an absence of, say, 40 minutes, the CBP officer was not that friendly. I had to show my driver's licence to prove where I lived, and I was quesioned for a while. Meanwhile, my girlfriend next to me with a visa waiver was processed in 10 seconds. No fingerprint or photograph for her, either.

They're retarded, sometimes.
 
cafeconleche said:
You can't tell when it'll go away. You can only guarantee that after you naturalise.

I once walked across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls to pick up my girlfriend from the Canadian side and bring her back to the US side. So, after an absence of, say, 40 minutes, the CBP officer was not that friendly. I had to show my driver's licence to prove where I lived, and I was quesioned for a while. Meanwhile, my girlfriend next to me with a visa waiver was processed in 10 seconds. No fingerprint or photograph for her, either.

They're retarded, sometimes.
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True. Most of the non-citizens on visas think that we GC holders are better off and have absolutely free trouble-free entries to the U.S. And I agree, they are retarded sometimes. I feel like the more time I spend on the trip outside the U.S. the less trouble I am having, and vice versa.

I wonder what other questions did they ask you.
 
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