Usual US Port of Entry Questions - Tourist

[somethingreal]

Mga sis, i know that being approved a US tourist visa is just one thing. And ang second hurdle naman are the immigration officers sa port of entry. Ano ang mga usual questions sa port of entry? Anong port of entry ang maluwag and strict? I heard sa Detroit daw sobrang strict. I plan to go to the US alone kasi. Parang nakakapraning lang din pag ganun.

Share naman ng mga tips and experiences mga sis. Thanks!

[aquacharly]

You are a tourist ... so be prepared to be asked about your itinerary. 
In this day and age of info readily on the net... they won't believe you if  you say that you haven't made up your mind, bahala na your relatives.

Whatever you put down on your visa application form, as submitted to the US Embassy in Manila -- do not contradict. 
The info you gave the embassy pops up on the port of entry computer.

Answer quickly, with confidence.
Groping for answers to the simple/practical questions asked will indicate lack of truthfullness on your part. 
Answer only what is asked,  hwag mo nang dagdagan pa.

When you are asked about your departure date... quote what is on your ticket even if you intend to extend your stay.  Generally anyway, they grant you 6 months -- so you will have leeway to extend your stay.  But it does not pay to tell them you will extend, eh hindi ka pa nga pinapapasok.

Para walang bulatlatan and additional interviews,  do not bring in more than US$10thou cash.     Well, you can bring as many credit cards as you want though -- it is a good answer to show them should be asked how  you will afford your activities as a tourist.   

Do not get nervous.  Relax and answer with confidence.
Tandaan mo, recession ngayon kaya medyo maluwag sila with tourists.

San Fo and LA are relatively easier to enter.
New York (meron na ba straight flights uli?)  and Miami (if you are getting in from South America)  are harder to get through...
IF you are going to enter the US right after/direct from a trip to Europe or  Japan -- yan atching ang pagpasok.  Wala halos tanong tanong.

[somethingreal]

^ sis aquacharly super thanks sa mga tips mo! i'll keep those in mind! i plan to go to the US kasi this summer. sa Chicago punta ko then local flight na lang from Chicago to LA and back. first time ko kasi kaya yun i asked for tips.

[rachelt12]

normal questions they ask are your place of stay in the us, your career and your place of work here in manila, and relatives in the us?

these would probably be their basis for how long your stay in the us may be.

for as long as everything is valid, they can give you a max stay of 6 months. least that's what they gave me before (immigration officer was a filipino) .


had a seen a filipina been grilled here because she was supposed to take a nursing exam in viginia, and she said that she'd be staying in la-- these things can be suspicious.

have fun on your trip!!!

[somethingreal]

^ thanks sis rachelt12 for your tips!

[purpleish]

yup totoo yan sis... meron pa den 2nd interview pag dating na sa immigration dun sa US

nung nasa US ako nung 2007 meron report sa Chanel 2 na dalawang mag kapatid na babae na ang point of entry nila is sa Detroit... ilan beses na daw sila nakapunta ng US pero di nila akalain na ganun ang mangyayari sa kanila, ang main purpose nila is mag bakasyon lang talaga pero hindi na niwala yung mga officers, pinapaamin sila na mag wowork lang daw sila siguro kasi nga medyo mga bata 2x pa ata (i guess mga 18-23 sila), ang ginawa pag hinawalay yung 2 mag kapatiid at ininterview...in short hindi sila pinayagan pumasok and bumalik na lang dito sa Pinas..na discriminate daw sila

meron den akong nalaman nun na yung isang matanda...first time niya mag punta ng US....that time medyo malamig ata yung state na ppuntahan niya, so hindi siya naka-jacket...parang sabi nung officer " how come you dont have a jacket, you know that it's winter here" parang ang dating sa kanila, kung may kaya ka bakit wala ka man lang kagamit-gamit alam mo naman na malamig yung ppuntahan... tapos nakita ata na meron dalang palayok na may burong isda dun sa bagahe niya, na question den siya nun...

minsan kasi iba 2x den ang pag iisip ng mga officers...

usual na tanong diyan:

where are you going to stay?

for how long is your vacation?

how much is your money? (since tourist, wag mag sasabi na malaki ang dala, kasi ma-qquestion ka talaga nun, para bang dapat good for 1 month lang ang dala na dapat i-state mo, para ma-assure mo sila na babalik ka ng pinas) kasi pag sinabi mong good for 6 months, yari hehe

[aquacharly]

^ sis aquacharly super thanks sa mga tips mo! i'll keep those in mind! i plan to go to the US kasi this summer. sa Chicago punta ko then local flight na lang from Chicago to LA and back. first time ko kasi kaya yun i asked for tips.

Okay so you have an itinerary.
Before you go, do practical research.... as in what airlines you will take from Chicago to LA.  Mga ganoong valid concerns of bonafide tourists.  The more you come up with a detailed/scripted itinenary -- the more confident you will be. 

[aquacharly]

I want to add to what PURPLEISH cited about the amount of money you are bringing in.

The practical guide is to bring in what is reasonable.
Hindi dapat kulang kasi the next question is:  how can you be a tourist eh ilang dolyares na duling lang dala mo?  Then you will be asked to present your credit cards.  And 1 thing leads to another... sa 1st interview at port of entry pa lang yan ha.

Now, it is okay to bring in a lot of money.  Again, what is reasonable.
The 1st time I brought in over US$10thou cash (you just have to declare if over US$10thou per family yan ha) -- 
Now, when you bring in over US$10thou ... you get another interview by another person after the 1st liner immigration officer.

I was asked why I was carrying so much money (but that was not my 1st  US trip ha) -- I said, my credit cards had been malfunctioning now and then the week before I left and there was no time to have these replaced.  To be sure, I bought US$.  Then, prior to my departure, my husband asked if I had enough cash.
Of course, what does a wife say:  just enough, not enough. (hindi ba yan ang English translation nang: hmmm, puede na, meron naman)
So my husband gave me xxxx cash. 
What do you think, Mr Officer??  I was gonna return or refuse his cash?  You think your wife will refuse your cash?!
He laughed and signed my sheet en punto.  He even said:  go shop but don't drop dead.   

Hehe,  of course as I always advise others:  when you enter as a tourist, dress the part!  Eh ano kung naka shorts  at tsinelas ako?  May Birkin naman akong bitbit.  Some variation of that.  Remember -- it is only those Caucasians who think they are the only ones who can travel scruffy and not be challenged.  Atchaka yang mga Immigration people at ports of entry .. pag tinapatan mo nang gold Rolex -- tiklop na yan.  Ahh but do not be cocky ha, ma machohan yan and make you pay for it.   Be respectful, but no need to grovel.

Going back:  what is reasonable ha.
For that last Paquiao fight.. a politician who went there to "watch" brought in cash of US$1Mio.  No kidding.  If you have friends who arrived in LA during that time... ask and you shall receive the info. 
Was he allowed to enter afer a 4-hour detention?  Yup, supposedly after 1 phone call from some big house by the Pasig River.  hay buhay.

[purpleish]

^ uy sis ok na reason yun ah hahaha natawa ako promise for sure nakarelate den dun si Mr. Officer

pansin ko puros swipe 2x talaga ang mode of transaction ng mga peeps dun noh sis (bills...bills..bills)....more on C.C.

nung ako nga sis dun sa 2nd interview ng port of entry ko sa L.A., yung palabas na ...eh sakto Pinoy, sabi saken...kung may mga delata daw akong dala, sabi ko naman wala...sabay ngiti siya hehe....

[somethingreal]

^ nakakaloka din pala mga sis, nakakapraning. mukhang sa detroit ang first port of entry ko, pero gusto ko nga iwasan at nakakaloka daw ang mga IO dun. shucks. ang plan ko is to stay for a month para mag vacation lang kasi stressed din sa work.

pano pala sis kung by that time eh wala kang work, and you just really want to go on vacation? di ba questionable din yun?

[babyluvs_78]

somethingreal: san k sa chicago? dun din punta namin ng family ko

[aquacharly]

SOMETHINGREAL:  eh bakit mo naman sasabihin na wala ka nang work na babalikan dito?  They have no way of knowing that.
How will they know?  Dadalhin mo ba ang resignation letter mo at ang Quit Claim ng company mo? hehe   
Or, magdadala ka nang mga personal documents mo?
IF yo are a tourist, of course hindi ka magdadala ng NCSO Birth Cert., transcripts, other proofs of your employment, etc.

Eto hwag ka  magdadala  - at baka matapat ka sa 1-hour bulatlatan - .. yung mukhang baket mo dala mga documents mo .. hindi ka na babalik ng Pinas?  Maghahanapka ng work dito?  Or, you are getting married here?  And tourist visa is just for shopping and for spending money there.. it is not gonna cover a marriage to a US citizen tandaan mo yan.   Kahit na every month ka punta ng punta sa US basta tourist visa -- you are not to enter the US to get married on that.  ma airport to airport ka dyan so ingat sa pagdaldal.  The best is   1 question, 1 answer.

IF you  should need these docs later on for whatever reason/s (hwag na natin pag usapan yan kasi hindi naman yan ang posted issue/s mo) -- eh pa FedEx mo na lang... kesa risk na magbulatlatan makita pa.  Yan, ma airport to airport ang trip mo.

Every hour, at a certain time -- intervals of 1 hour -- kung sino ang tapatan -- they will ask you to open your luggage.  Nakatapat sa camera for their performance record -- hindi sa kaduda duda ka -- they will really open up and go through your luggage thoroughly.  Routine hourly random inspection tawag nila doon.

Natapat ako once sa ganoon sa San Fo at tinaasan ko ng kilay.  Moi?!  You gotta be kidding, bitbit ko Birkin ha... and since we went back to the Phils,, I never stay longer than 2 weeks per trip in the US --   -- look at your records!. 
The officer was apologetic and explained to me he had to go through my stuff coz it was exactly 1 hour after the previous set inspection.   O sige.  He was smiling broadly... what do you have? buro mango?  bagoong?  chicharon?  kornicks?  tinapa?  Mind you, he was white ha.   LOL   I said:  excuse me?  I have a live pig in there  oink oink oink....  LOL   End of inspection.
My husband said.. hindi mo pa binuo ang performance mo?  Sabay he makes that kadiri loud kababoy singhot sound of pigs hindi ba.  Lalong natawa the inspector.  (they opened only -- 2 sila -- my suitcase, my husband's hindi  kasi nga ako yung tumapat sa 1-hour random)

I never make baon food coz well, they just seize those kasi mga yan kahit na mga puti alam our goodies are really good.. they just get it for themselves.  Lalo na those hams we bring in Xmas.
Kaya better for you parang wala kang jitters, eh SOMETHINGREAL  hwag ka magdala kahit na Lucky Me Pancit Canton


If you have calling cards, magdala ka.  Parang kuno eh seryoso ka sa pagmamalaki mo sa work mo dito.
Make sure printed cards ito ha hindi iyong linuwa lang ng printer ng computer mo.  kelangan talaga company card.
Act as if you just have 1 month talaga to spare coz you have a project or whatever to start here.

Do not also bring business samples or paraphernalia /literature or anything that smacks you will do some sideline or business in the US if you are entering on a toursit visa.  Bawal din yang mag sideline or racket sa US kung  tourist ka lang.

[aquacharly]

SOMETHINGREAL   it is true that some ports of entry like New York and Miami are harder for Pinoys.  Well, it is the fault of those who have gone before us, another long story.

Once I came from South America, and landed in Miami.
Grabe!  kulang na lang itapon ako sa detention room.  Ewan ko ba ha ayos naman ako, as usual.  hindi naman ako mukhang drug dealer or what.   
 Imagine, mga less than 30 kami from that single plane held back.  After my carry-on was inspected, my passport ata eh nagka cancer na sa kaka inspect ... 1 hour na andoon pa ako!

Ayaw pa rin ako bigyan ng reason for my delay.     
There were about 30+ of us from that plane who were all just standing around.   Ka gigil!

And then ,,, I had a BOINK! moment.
I said:  Why are you detaining us?  What is the reason?  You have already gone through our stuff.   I have noticed we are all Asians, AFricans, or Indians.   NOBODY held back is WHITE.   Are  you being discriminatory?  LOL   Ang bilis nila akong pinalabas!   Mga [textspeak!]@s.  Yan ang takot nila -- you slap them with a court case or legal complaint.

SOMETHINGREAL -- you are a tourist and you dress the part.  Practice in front of the mirror before you set foot there... the look that says:  i can afford to travel here.  I do not want to stay here, walang lavandera, walang driver, walang yaya, walang taga linis, wala akong puedeng dakdakin pag mainit ulo ko.  You are in recession, you need me to shop here.   So that pag natapat ka, kahit na looks like a mountain... pag malaki at hindi white eh hindi ba kung minsan nakaka intimidate.....    so that you do not get rattled.

also, if your port of entry is Detroit -- hindi ko alam yan ha... you better have a good reason ready why doon ka bumabagsak.

Are you sure Detroit ang offload mo?

Paesnsya na ha.. but pagka alam ko Detroit is a major hub for domestic flights or connecting flights.
IF you will land in LA or San Fo and then get a connecting flight or local flight to Detroit -- eh ang immgiration mo doon sa San Fo or LA.
Sa Detroit -- wala nang tanong tanong.   

Pag tourist ka kasi, they expect you to hit San Fo, New York, and LA.  Detroit is not a primary tourist  target kasi. 
Alam ko meron entry at Seattle ... kasi this Cathay? or what airline from Asia lands in Vancouver muna then proceeds to Seattle.
But if you take that route eh ..  kahit ata transit ka lang basta umapak ka sa Canada you get a transit visa from the embassy here... pass your papers lang naman so hindi hassle like the US visa: show your face.

[purpleish]

sis somethingreal ...oo nga sis, bakit Detroit kaagad ang Point of Entry mo? kung sa Chicago ka ppunta?...kame kasi nun kaya dumaan pa kame ng Detroit (NorthWest Airlines)  kasi from New York, stop over muna sa Detroit then Chicago...

tyaka kung point of entry lang naman, hindi kana tatanungin sis kung may trabaho ka dito sa Pinas, unless na lang kung sasabihin mo ng out of the blue tama yung sinabi ni sis aquacharly...na isang tanong, isang sagot..kasi pag masyado ka pa nag kkwento mas lalo ka matatanong...

usual question lang naman diyan is..saan ka mag sstay? anung purpose ng trip and for how long do you plan to stay...

sympre sis as a tourist 1month lang talaga, kasi mag sshopping lang naman eh tyaka gala 2x....pero pag sinabi mong 6 months or for as long as you want "SUPER QUESTIONABLE" isang lang papasok sa utak nila "mag ttrabaho" kasi sa totoo lang, ganyan talaga ang mga racket ng ibang mga pinoy....

minsan ang nangyyari either hindi ka papasukin or bigyan ka lang ng 1 month stay at pag mabait naman yung officer 6months ang pinaka matagal =)

[theflygirl]

FYI, tama ka jan purpleish...port of entry kasi ng NW/DL ang DTW out of NRT or NGO...maybe somethingreal is taking that carrier...

[k_heart]

Promise, super tempted ako magdala ng sardines for my trip this march kasi talagang fish ang namimiss ko pag nasa US ako. Although may mga nabibilhan naman na Ligo dun sa mga Pinoy stores. Pero mukhang di ko naman gagawin ang magdala.He!he!
Yung brother in law ko, nagdala ng chicharon,ayun,naquestion sa immigration.Ha!ha!

[dovey]

pa update [textspeak!]... tnxs

[somethingreal]

@ sis babyluvs_78, yung sister ko is in Gurnee, just near Chicago. :-)

@ sis aquacharly, super helpful ng mga tips mo! :-) yup, I don't plan to bring any documents, or any food. kaya lang kasi I am medyo praning about work, kasi i am resigning in March, and gusto ko muna mag enjoy, and super timing naman na vacation din ako sa US in May for a month and it is my first time to go to the US. So naiisip ko lang is if what if they ask "what do you do?". And I don't have work at that time diba. Ayoko ma-rattle sa ganyang tanong. Or hopefully wag na lang sana itanong.
your immigration stories are funny! haha, sana ganyan din kalakas ang loob ko. winner. thanks for sharing sis, super helpful talaga.

@ sis purpleish, haha nakampante naman ako sa sinabi mo, yeah i don't plan to voluntarily tell them naman about work if they ask. and true, pag sinagad sagad naman ang 6 months eh kamusta naman, siyempre other pinoys ganyan ang racket, sayang naman at inabuso nila ang tourist visa nila.

Also, kasi sa Delta Airlines as what sis flygirl said, I think ang port of entry is in Detroit then connecting flight to Chicago. Pero nakakita ako ng Minneapolis then connecting flight to Chicago. Naghahanap din kasi ako ng relatively cheaper airfares and so far yung Delta Airlines ang mura compared to other carriers.

And sa duration ng stay ko sa US, punta din ako ng LA to visit some friends, so pag nakapag book na ako ng flight ko, asikasuhin din ang local flight and side trip to LA na ticket. So pag nag-book ako, mga before the memorial weekend ang punta sa US and dun na din ako mag 4th of July at balik dito sa Manila ng July 5.

Again mga sisses, you've all been very helpful. Thanks for sharing your stories and insights! Just keep them coming! Thanks thanks! :-)

[purpleish]

sis k_heart ...oo nga sis meron nanaman mga pinoy goodies sa Seafood Market kaya sabi ko next time hindi na ako mag dadala...last time kasi nag dala ako ng 555, yun ang request ng mga tito ko...nung pag punta namen sa Seafood, meron naman pala, complete den hehe...

bakit sis? saan ba niya nilagay yung chicharon?...ako nun nakapag dala pa ako ng Boy Bawang (musta naman at todo sealed hehe, kasi baka kumapit sa damit)

sis somethingreal ...welcome sis goodluck, kaya mo yan... wala na nga atang NorthWest kasi nung pag dating ng letter namen Delta Airlines na ang nakalagay parang ng merge na yung airlines (di ko lang sure) ...yung miles kasi namen credited na sa Delta

[theflygirl]

^ yep purpleish, the two merged but in a way DL bought NW, bigger share...hence my prev post of NW/DL...DL is now flying the routes of NW so the MNL-NRT or NGO-DTW routes still exist..oops, baka OT na...so DTW pa rin nga port of entry yep, mileage will be under skymiles instead of worldperks under the skyteam alliance, which the airline company I worked for is a founding member of