USA Customs and Immigration Questions | USA Port of Entry

hey all i am apoorva and welcome back to vidysified immigration check is the last step of your journey into the us once you complete the immigration check then you can enter into the u. s most people think that immigration check is something like a baggage or customs check but it is more than that in many cases it would be a quick 30 seconds interview just like your visa interview but sometimes it can go into a full-blown interview and everyone has to go through this immigration check every time they enter into the u. s irrespective of a student visa work visa or a tourist visa so if you're planning to travel to us soon then this video is for you so watch this video until the very end but before that please subscribe to our channel and click that bell icon to encourage us to make more such helpful videos [Music] when i came to the u.

s five years back i didn't know much about the immigration interview and luckily mine was very simple the officer just asked me a couple of questions and let me go so i did not think much about it but later when i talked to my friends i heard so many experiences where they were asked for secondary interview which almost went for an hour or even more and some were even deported back to their home country that was scary and i'm always better prepared now for immigration check every time i travel in and out of the us in this video we will explain everything from the basics to benefit even the first time travelers the immigration check happens at the port of entry the port of entry is your first stop in the us like if you're going to seattle via new york your port of entry will be new york and your immigration check will happen over there it's literally like the first point where you enter into the u. s irrespective of your final destination apart from the port of entries in the u. s there are six more countries that do immigration checks before you even enter into the us we will provide the list in the description box below abu dhabi in uae is a popular port of entry if you are flying ether airways from your home country so if you're flying by ethiod your immigration check will be done at abu dhabi before even entering into the u.

s itself so even if you have one more stop in the u. s you won't have to go through the immigration again many people ask us which is a better port of entry like if you get your immigration done at abu dhabi instead of new york then would it be easier or chicago is more strict than atlanta etc etc but we don't think it really matters they are not going to let an illegal immigrant or a terrorist enter into the u. s just because they are coming from a different port of entry right the scrutiny would be more or less same everywhere so you have to be prepared always yes busier airports like new york or atlanta will have bigger lines and may take more time in the waiting so you have to plan your journey and layovers accordingly usually two to three hours is good enough for smaller or not so busy airports and three to five hours is good enough for busier airports if you were sent for a secondary immigration check which usually takes time and you don't have enough layover time then you might miss your connecting flight at most of the port of entries you will have to recheck in your bags as well so that would take more time too considering all these we would suggest you to have three to five hours of layover time at your port of entry to avoid any complications also you don't have to choose a port of entry that is closer to your destination you can fly via any route that is convenient or cheaper to you now that we understood where this immigration check is done let's talk about what would they ask and how can you be prepared for it so once you land at your port of entry you would directly go into the immigration check line from your plane like we said earlier the lines can be long or small depending on the location time of entry number of people already waiting etc so once your turn comes the officer would ask for your passport and other supporting documents like i-20 or ds-2019 or i-797 you can keep them ready in your hand when you are in the queue itself greet the officer with a good morning or good evening or a simple hello and pass the documents the officer usually asks a couple of basic questions like your purpose of the visit where would you be staying in the u.

s how long would you be staying in the u. s and if you're going to visit any friends or family etc based on your visa type like if you are going on a student visa then you can expect questions like which college what course and if you're going on a tourist visa then they can ask you about who would you be visiting and what places you are going to how many days you would be present in the u. s etc so be truthful and answer honestly don't give too much information and lend the answers just answer to the point with a few words or a single sentence immigration officers talk to hundreds or even thousands of people every day so they want it to be quick and simple if you answer to the point confidently and they don't have anything to double check then they will ask you for all 10 fingers print and let you go with the immigration stamp on your passport this will be the case for most of the people and your immigration is done here immigration officers are very experienced and they can easily sense if you're lying or if there is anything suspicious sometimes they may just want to take a good look at your profile even if everything is all right and in those cases because there are a lot of people waiting in the queue they will send you for a secondary immigration check where you would wait in the lounge to meet with another immigration officer if you refer to a secondary immigration check don't panic most of the times it's because that they just want to go through your profile carefully many of my friends went through this secondary immigration check and completed it successfully usually you will have to wait for 30 minutes to an hour in the waiting room based on the number of people that are already there before you once your done comes an officer will meet you for further questioning the questions will also be similar to the earlier like if you're traveling on a student visa then they would ask questions like what all admits you got why this university if you have a register for classes your gpa if you're working on cpt opt etc or if you're going on a work visa then they would ask about your job duties prior work experience how did you get this job etc they just want to make sure that you don't have any other intentions than your purpose of visit so if you're honest then you don't have to worry about anything apart from these they may ask about your bags like what's in your luggage if you're carrying any food items then make sure that you know that ingredients and if they are allowed or not many people get questions about the pickles and the sweets or snacks they carry also if you're carrying any new jewelry or electronic items then keep their receipts with you keep the prescriptions for any medicines and be prepared to pay the custom duty if required for any items avoid carrying large sums of cash and precious items unless required they scan your bags before talking to you and may even open your bags if they find anything in the scan and question you you can google and easily find out about what's allowed and what's not if they find everything all right then they will put an arrival stamp on your passport and let you go if they find anything suspicious then they may ask you for supporting documents check your luggage and even check your phones so make sure you carry all the necessary documents you can carry your file that you must have taken for your visa interview and also make sure that you do not have any suspicious conversations or messages in your phone about working off campus or doing anything illegal that can be used against you to stop you from entering into the us the immigration officers can deport you and ban you from entering into the u.

s if they find that you are doing anything illegal so please be very careful about this and be honest we are not trying to scare you or anything but nobody wants to be in that position right getting deported in the immigration can have serious complications on your profile if you want to travel to us again or any other country for that matter so we want all of you to take this very seriously and make no mistakes like we said in the beginning most of the times the interview would be very quick and simple but even if it goes for the secondary check be confident and answer truthfully you will be fine we will share an experience of a friend who was deported back to their home country at the u.