The OP will probably be staying with his girlfriend, and certainly visiting with her. It's the goal of his travel. He indicated that in his post. You're the one who choose to fabricate his friends.


He will probably indicate her address as his location while in the US. Her name and address were certainly noted during his last inspection. An inspecting officer will have access to that information next time around if he is examined again.

Will the OP or anyone else be able to provide names and addresses of other friends as readily as he will be able to provide her's. Who will be waiting for them at the airport? Will they know of his arrival and vouch for him if contacted? Will the OP or anyone else be able to maintain their calm and not give off indicators of untruthfulness?

Credibility lost during an immigration inspection is credibilty lost forever.

OP, keep doing what you're doing.

I don't think that the 1-day overstay due to a flight issue is itself an issue, but a history of staying for the absolute longest amount of time permissible doesn't help contribute to giving the officer the feeling that your main ties are to the UK! When you give the impression "I'm trying to stay in the US every last day that I legally can", it's not that far a stretch for the officer to feel that you may one day extend that to days that you legally can't. I'd suggest some significantly shorter stays (1-2 weeks) to try to dispell that thinking.

A friend who is a girl (girl friend) is not the same as a girlfriend. It's unfortunate you cannot see the distinction; rest assured the immigration officer will.

OP is of course free to take or ignore my advice, just as he is free to take or ignore yours. I don't think any advice from Americans on this matter is particularly valuable anyway since none will have been in the same situation.

You could say that you are coming here to break up with your American girlfriend because doing it over the phone is just so wrong. Tickets cost so much that you figure while you are here you may as well go see Death Valley or Yellowstone or something. Then the next time you come they can look in your file and confirm that you do not in fact have that American girlfriend anymore.

Basically you already screwed yourself by telling them you had a girlfriend here last time. Just be prepared to tell them how much you hate the US and love the UK. You love your job. You love your house. You are very close with your family and couldn't imagine spending much time away from them. You might want to actually make up a list of all the things that suck about America and Americans. Shouldn't be too difficult. You could start with the lack of travel freedom in the US.

You could tell them that you also have a girlfriend in the UK and have a female friend or sister be prepared to answer the phone and vouch for you if immigration tries to call your bluff and phone the UK.

You're right, I've never been in OP's position.

However, you don't need to tell me what the immigration officer will see... I've been doing the job for 14 years.

Any more pointers for me?

The level of nonsense being posted on this thread is unbelievable - really - if you don't know what you're on about and are just having a layman's guess then that's fine - as long as you say as such.

To the OP - I heartily recommend pursuing any subsequent questions you have on the other forum, where there are many who have the specific experience you need for this.

In case you've posted across more than one additional forum, PM me if you want to know the one I mean.

How did you manage to get 2 stamps to figure out entry and exit dates. I thought the CBP only stamped the passport on entry. Since they did away with I-94Ws I do not know how they track when a person leaves the US on ESTA.

If you really did stay 91 days it could be a problem. If the dates are recorded on the computer it will probably show up. What was the reason they grilled you on a previous occasion. It is not a good idea to mention visiting boyfriends/girlfriends. Actually this applies to the UK too. I recall seeing something (I think on the BBC) when I lived in the UK about a US citizen being denied entry to the UK revealing he was there to see a girlfriend. Hopefully you have not mentioned a girlfriend in the past. If you did and you did stay 91 days it could be an issue. Unfortunately the two are not a good combination especially if they have it on record.

On other thing you could try is to apply for a visitor (B) visa. If there is an issue the visa will be denied and you will find out upfront if you may have an issue when you get here. Another thing that people don�t realize about the visa waiver is that you also waive your right to a hearing if the officer decides to deny entry. With a visa you are entitled to a hearing before an immigration official (possibly a judge). So that is one thing you could consider although since you are from a visa waiver country they may question why you are applying for a visa.

Ah, it all becomes clear.

Had you said that at the beginning I never would have had the temerity to suggest being less than forthright during an <strike>interrogation</strike> interview. To you, anyway.
Pass.

I think most realize the nature of this forum; it's a place to exchange opinions on various subjects. Anyone who expects to find definitive, unequivocal answers here (lay or otherwise) probably shouldn't be let out alone.

Volunteering the information that the purpose of a visit is to see one's girlfriend/boyfriend is unwise IMO. If you search you will find anecdotal evidence to support that opinion.

If you consider withholding the absolute truth the same as lying, then I'm guilty as charged, Frequently.

Sorry I should have been clearer. When I say "stamps" (plural), I mean from past visits too, not just this year. I have only one stamp from this year

I don't suppose you would know who I should contact specifically with this issue? I'd really like to simply speak to someone who can let me know if I am flagged or not. That is the single most valuable piece of information I could have at the moment.

I have so far written to the US Embassy in London, the UK embassy in the US and Immigration services in the US.

And thank you (all) for your insight.


Oh and I wonder, does the fact that I have visited frequently and returned each time when I said I would count for anything/ much?

You can still be denied entry with a visa. And two different departments (State and DHS, respectively) deal with visas and admissibility.

While correct, the hearing will mostly be dealing with issues of law, not fact. I think it unlikely that such a hearing would override a border officer's concern about the reason for entry.

Somewhat, but the bottom line is that the burden of proof is on you to show that you intend to return to the UK. That's hard when you have a strong tie in the US (a romantic relationship) and none in the UK (no job or school). So, on the one hand, showing that you have a history of doing what you say you do is helpful to you, but on the other, the more time you spend in the US, the stronger you're making your ties to the US and that's not helpful to you.

if all else fails...

Tell the official (male OR female) that you are a legendary lover of women. You love many women all over the world (be sure to tell him how hot you rank the American women compared to others, but indeed it's so hard to choose just the women of one place). You may only stay in America for a short while, but cannot stay... there are many women waiting for you elsewhere in the world. That should do it!

uh... mebbe

ymmv

You're not going to get anywhere by doing this.

Anyway, as you've already been informed this is a non-issue as you left by the deadline.

No, he said he didn't leave by the deadline. But I agree that's not his major problem.

His major problem is that as he spends more and more time in the US with his girlfriend and continues to not have a job or school enrollment in the UK, he's getting closer ties to the US than the UK and that's a reason for inadmissibility.

What he needs to do is establish sufficient ties to the UK to be able to prove that's where he intends to live, despite having a girlfriend in the US.