LyfeSaver

My mother applied for Global Entry on 6/18 and still hasn't heard back (7/3). (Seattle-based) Is there a place I can contact to see what is taking so long for initial review?

blueskeyes

FYI - I applied that same day and received my conditional approval Sunday 6/28

boboqui

Applied 6/25 and got the following email today (12 days) and scheduled the interview at EWR on Wednesday:

timezone_trooper

Submitted application - 19 June

Conditional approval - 30 June

Interview scheduled - 17 July @ IAH

Rather annoyed that there were zero (and I mean not even 6 months out) interview slots at SAT or AUS which are much closer than trekking to IAH. If they are not conducting interviews, why even list them as options?

Randyk47

We went through the same thing at SAT last year. I just kept checking, like every morning and late afternoon, and over a week or so we went from no interviews available at all to a few months out to a few weeks out to a week out. Not sure how they manage or don't manage their time slots but stick with it and I'm pretty sure you'll see slots open up.

While we really signed up for GE to get PreCheck......there wasn't a PreCheck interview site within 100 miles of San Antonio at the time......I'll have to say GE is fantastic. We had our first chance to use it last week entering through PHL from Athens, Greece and it was as smooth and as easy as it could be.

darkguy2

Does anyone know what the wait time is for CLT interviews? I submitted my application on June 27th so I hope to get my approval in the next few days, but want to get the interview done before I fly out at the end of the month.

dasanmarco

Took me 10 days to get conditionally approved, interview and full approval was the next day.

darkguy2

Got my approval today.

Applied: June 27th

Conditional Approval: July 7th

Looks like CLT is booked solid for the future as I cannot even get to the calendar selection menu. The only other ones near me are 4+ hours away. I guess I will be checking pretty often to see if any open up.

swy

How does the appointment time at Seattle look?

darkguy2

The next appointment for Seattle is on 09/25/15. If you go to Blaine then the next one is tomorrow.

boboqui

Ran into a snag at the interview, their stupid computer can't read the old green card style.

Woofdog123

Any feedback on how long foreign nationals (non-resident, b1/2) take to get conditional approval? country of citizenship is Panama (which now is on the GE-eligible list).

MARINFLL

I applied on about June 1 for Global Entry. Following advice from here and others, I admitted on the online application of a customs violation in 2010. A brief explanation - I was returning from Peru and purchased a box of assorted teas at the airport duty free for $5. At the Miami airport I was randomly searched and Customs informed me that the assorted tea box also included 3 cocoa tea bags. They confiscated the box and made me sign some paperwork, after 30 minutes I was on my way. I did declare the tea as "tea" on my customs form. Of course this was a violation, but not a knowing one.

With knowledge of this incident, i filled out the GOES application, and admitted this when it asked if I had a customs violation. I received my denial letter a few days ago (about a month after applying). Here is the part where they explained the denial:


"You have been found to have violated CBP laws, regulations, or other related laws

2010 seizure for failure to declare is disqualifying. "

Of course the reason is somewhat inaccurate, as I did declare the tea seized. But that said, I am technically not eligible due to the customs violation. Is it worth the effort to appeal this?

Also, a word of advice to others who may have had a violation (even if minor), I suggest you DO NOT admit it on your application for GOES. Basically you give them a reason to reject your application by admitting it. I have a friend who had a customs violation (bringing items into the country without declaring/paying duty, which he was written up for). He applied for GOES, marked that he never had a violation, and was approved almost instantly! I think the process must be very bureaucratic, so if you don't give them a reason to look into your details, you have a better chance of approval, especially if you know you had a violation or problem in the past.

Just my experience and comments. I fly in/out of the country A LOT (at least 10 times a year), so GOES would have been very nice to get. My passport is maxed out with extra pages and dozens of customs stamps. I suppose I'll never have the Global Entry option now, which sucks!

My key points/questions here:

1. Should I send the time to appeal (with a known customs violation)?, and
2. Advice to future applications, if you have a prior violation, don't admit to it - it seems that will guarantee your denial.

swy

Thanks. I guess this calls for a road trip then.

PaxALotl

Could this be my lucky day? I applied for Global Services on 6/29, and got the conditional approval email today, 7/9.

Denver is a busy GE office - no appointments until September. So, I grabbed one for the first week of Sep.

I have an international trip coming up in 2 weeks, and I'm in front of the computer anyways so I decided to apply a bit of OCD to the situation. I set my little desk timer to go off every 5 minutes, and each time it did I refreshed the scheduling page.

This went on for two hours. During that time a few dates came up in August, so I tried to grab them. It seems like I'm not the only one - the appointments were typically gone in a minute or two!

Long story short, I lucked into an appointment on Monday of next week - 7/13 which is in 4 days. If I get the card in the usual 5 days (from what I hear) I'll have done the whole process in around 3 weeks!