Sime

After checking in for our SYD-LAX flight today, we proceeded to the customs area, only to find the line of people almost back out the door to the checkin area !!

I know in the past I've occasionally got to use the "express" lane (the same one flight crew and diplomatic pass holders use). But I didn't get the opportunity today ... I'm wondering what the go is with this lane ? There's no markings to say that people with status can use it (and I didn't want to lose my spot in the line to go check !).

Are we allowed to use this lane anymore or must we still line up with the rest of the tourists

Dave Noble

The priority lines for business/1st class were stopped several months ago. The only ones with priority access now are those passengers with an APEC Card

Dave

Sime

Ahh - that would explain it then

thadocta

Just found at Flying with Us - Travel Classes - First

"For international departures from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne there is a dedicated First Class lane at immigration for Express Immigration Clearance."

Likewise, at Flying with Us - Travel Classes - International Business the following appears:

"For international departures from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne there is a dedicated Business Class lane at immigration for Express Immigration Clearance."

Seems they are even slower than usual in updating their website.

Dave

flyinghighboy

why does australia still have an outgoing customs? After flying from France in 01 at CDG, and each time out of the US, all you do is hand your I-94 card in or what other card you have at check-in or at the depature gate and that's it.

og

I have several I-94 cards at home (SYD). I have never been questioned on a subsequent arrival why I did not leave the USA and am now re-entering. I suspect their system of tracking who enters and who leaves is more geared to picking the bad people and not targetting visa abusers. Certainly when asking an immigration official at DFW (arriving from MEX) as to whether their system recorded that I entered through LAX (from SYD) 3 weeks prior, the blank look and non comment (sort of "no")suggested they had no idea of what I had been up to.

HeyAussie

I have a work colleague with a drawer full of them, he takes them out himself, he told me you got asked more questions if you arrived with them still in your passport. Opinions ?

Dave Noble

Australia does keep a very good log of people coming in and out of the country. I had a look recently at my immigration arrival record and it showed the date and time of every arrival and departure I have made into/out of Australia , together with the visa class details used for entry.

It would seem to be a v good system for catching people overstaying they permitted period as well as stopping people leaving the country who are not permitted to leave

Dave

HW

I made the mistake of leaving an uncollected form in my passport on a re-entry to the US, thinking that they would prefer to see it in there than have to explain why it wasn't collected. However I got the spanish inquisition, and was given a form that essentially said I had to mail all kinds of certified proof that I had left the country on time, none of which I had since Australia doesn't stamp passports and I had long since thrown away the boarding passes. I have been in and out of the US a multitude of times since without a single comment about why I never followed up on this form. My advice would be the same: if for whatever reason it's not collected, make sure it's not still in your passport on the way back in.

flyinghighboy

i had that same problem, i forgot to hand in my I-94 card or which ever card it was the white one with my J-1, took a 2 week visit to Canada and when I came back to the US the guy was like why do you still have this, I think in the end he realized it was an honest mistake and he took it off me while I filled out another one as I had a day left before my 30 day grace period on my J-1

ozstamps

Yes there was no express lane at SYD when I flew out last week to NZ.

When I arrived there WAS an express lane there for Biz and F pax.

I always ENSURE I hand over my green I-94 stub at last exit point from the USA to airline staff. Whether they ask for it or not. (It *should* be stapled to your boarding pass but often is not.)

I fly out of the USA many times a year. I agree their system is lax, but with the Americans being so gung ho lately about anything at all, need to give them no reason to grill me over their own dopey system.

fjgolder

I-94s are not collected anymore by airlines or immigration officials for short trips to Canada. I kept the original I-94 from an earier entry to the US in my passport and the US immigration official upon reentry to the US said it would suffice.

AllyB

When we left the US last week, my husband (Australian citizen) had to be entered into the computer and fingerprinted by the Dep't of Homeland Security at the gate of departure. He was given a little white receipt (like a NYC taxi receipt) which he had to turn in along with his I-94. Now they will have it in the computer when you leave, so I think turning in the I-94s may become less important.

The only problem was they weren't very vocal about the requirement to be fingerprinted before departure (and they only announced it in English, and the flight was going to Japan) - so I don't know if people will miss out and then have trouble coming back into the US at a later date.

Sydfly

I had the same happening last week. I also made the mistake and showed them my green form and I was given the same instructions like you. I flew to Germany for only one day and back to the US and luckily I still have BPs and CC receipts with my name on, so I guess I will send it to them. I fly to the US three or four times a year and I really don't want to get into trouble next time I'm there. This time they had a mismatch with my birth date and I had to wait with al the other "illegal immigrants" for an hour at LAX until everything was sorted out. They really make you feel like a criminal over there, don't want to experience that again.

channa

Oh my, I had the reverse...US citizen entering SYD, and the agent who did my electronic travel auth apparently had a typo in my birthdate. I got pulled to the side by a supervisor who was pleasant and said she'd have to fix it in the system. I took a seat, and she came back less than 5 minutes later with my passport stamped, "Enjoy your holiday, Sir," she said. On leaving the terminal, I said to my partner, "Could you imagine if this happened to someone in the U.S.? We treat people so badly, we'd put them under a bright light and hold them hostage for an hour."

Sorry, Sydfly, for how poorly we treat our visitors.