strange question

G

GC0328

Registered Users (C)
I am in the 485 stage .,and working on EAD.,
I would like to travel to India on AP.
If I go to a temple for hair offering and tonsure my head and immediately come back to US on AP.
will there be any major problem at the POE.,like., they not recognising my face etc.,
pls any one with similar experiences do advice.,
Thanks
 
There is nothing strange about your question, its a very valid concern. I know several people in my office who shave their heads very regularly, though for different reasons from your's. So, they definitely look different from time to time and nobody cares.
So in theory, it shouldn't be a problem and should be nobody's business what you do with your head. But the question is would you be willing to take a chance where there is even a slightest hint of a potential problem at POE in this post 9/11 and increasingly anti immigrant era, I definitely wouldn't. No matter how legitimate your argument is, do you really want to get into one while in the process of immigrating.

But again, its your choice.

cmr
 
Hi GC0328,

No there should not be any problme. My firned shaved his head in a temple when he visited karnataka, there were no questions asked. so do not owrry about all that.

Good luck.

Cheers
Manju
 
Hi GC0328,

Neither me nor any of my friend have such experience.

But just to be on safer side. You can have all the photographs of hair offering . It will give more idea to Officer in case they need.

And as cmr and m2002 said I also don't see any problem.

Good Luck.
 
I think we immigrants are a truly tortured society

Imagine.... we have to wonder what is going to happen to us if we change our hairstyle(or lack of)

If an american citizen had to go through similar torture, imagine the hue and cry
 
Originally posted by GC0328
I am in the 485 stage .,and working on EAD.,
I would like to travel to India on AP.
If I go to a temple for hair offering and tonsure my head and immediately come back to US on AP.
will there be any major problem at the POE.,like., they not recognising my face etc.,
pls any one with similar experiences do advice.,
Thanks
Click to expand...

Umm.. If you shave your head, the inspector at the port of entry may get antsy. On the other hand, if you do not, that may offend the gods.

Now, let us see.. the answer depends on who you can afford to antagonize. It seems to me that the gods are universally more forgiving than the customs and immigrations inspectors. Like cmr, I would advise you to take your chances with your god.
 
have you finished your fingerprinting ?

if they have your finger prints , then you have some thing to fall back on for your identification
 
Re: have you finished your fingerprinting ?

Originally posted by maverick1976
if they have your finger prints , then you have some thing to fall back on for your identification
Click to expand...

Don't think so.. fingerprints are stored in an FBI data base. I would be very surprised if the inspector at the port of entry had direct access to this database and/or the means to match fingerprints. If the situation ever came to that, a bureaucrat's propensity would be to find a reason to reject entry rather than find ways to admit.
 
I had my head shaved when I entered on H-1 in Jan 2002. had No problems at all not even a question regarding that.
 
Originally posted by parshu
I had my head shaved when I entered on H-1 in Jan 2002. had No problems at all not even a question regarding that.
Click to expand...

You got a good point there.. It is the presence of facial hair that seems to cause problems, not the lack of it :p
 
My case is little different than you but it's interesting. My RD is Jan 02. I applied for AP along with 485 but didn't renew it. I had to go to India in May. As I realised that my trip to India is imminent I applied for fresh AP in the third week of March, 03. Since all of you know how efficient and how applicant freindly the BCIS is, I didn't get my AP by my travel time. I really had an emergency so I went to local BCIS to get the emergency AP.

Since I was not sure whether I would get the emergency AP I didn't get my latest photos taken. I had a couple of old photos taken at the time of applying the 485. I lost 30 pounds after these photos were taken (not worrying about GC though) so I was looking much different. I didn't have any problems at the local BCIS office. I got the emergency AP, went to India. After going there I became sick and lost some more weight.

While I was returning I got questioned at the Immigration counter at Mumbai airport. The immigration officer didn't get convinced that the AP belongs to me. I had a little argument with him then he took to me to his higher officer. That guy also started looking at me suspeciously. I had shown them my driver's licence, EAD but they didn't get convinced because all of them were showing the old face. Now I am looking close to what I was looking ten years ago when my Passport was made. So I had shown them that photo and argued with them for almost half an hour before getting my immigration cleared.

I was fearing that I might face the same situation at the port of entry at Newyork. Surprisingly I was not asked a single question anywhere after leaving Mumbai. So carry whatever additional evidence you can with you in case you decide to shave your head.
 
Sigh... It is sad even reading this thread. We immigrants are living in fears. We did not buy house because we were afraid that mails from INS/BCIS/USCIS may get lost after we change address, and now people are even afraid of loosing weight or changing hair style.

It is not about whether it is OK to do or not to do something, it is about fear...
 
Actually I think it's okay to go Bruce willis--I have had radical changes in my hair style when my I485 was inthe process of being processed--didn't have any problems with immigration officer.
Skimping on hair is a good idea these days. Remember we have been implicitly asked not to grow beard right? So whoever wants to offer your hair to appease the gods, go ahead and do it by all means:p
 
Look at my problem!

This discussion started a scare in me..! I had to renew my old indian issued passport sometime back from Indian embassy/USA due to expiry. I lived in a different City/State when I renewd my passport. Now I have moved across and in advance parole. But the passport holds my old address and AP holds new address. Will it create a problem during my on-coming travel? Should I update my address in the passport?

Thanks guys..
Nebraskan.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Not worth the chance

Hi,

Going thro this thread, I see that someone finally had the courage to ask this question, which many of us wanted to clarify, and many of us learnt the hardway.

More than once, I have skipped the idea of removing the hair as an offering to God, for this same reason.

But I guess, if you really have to do it, here are some of the tips(although I havent tried them).

-Make sure you get it done, the day or next you land in India(atleast you will have enough time for it grow back a little)

-Try to sport a nice cap when you come back.

-And as most of them here say, carry as many evidences as possible.

- And the famous simple rule - dont panic at the POE, just remain cool.

Good luck and when you offer your hair do pray for all of us here at the forum as well:)

-MrCoolz
 
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