Do you use the "wrong" line at immigration?
 

I have recently received my green card, and although that's good news, it has ended my favorite sport: standing in the wrong line at immigration. You know what I'm talking about: the line that moves much faster than yours (in case you're a foreigner), or: the line that moves at acceptable speed, but much faster than the other one (in case you are an American). The officers never seem to care, and of course the system is set up to facilitate this kind of cheating, with handlers often directing foreigners over to idle lines for Americans, and the like. Over the years, I have done this at most US airports, and while I never had any problems, I would say that Atlanta and LAX are especially ideal for this purpose. As far as European airports go, frequently there is no apparent distinction between EU-citizens and non-citizens; most will agree, for instance, that only chaos reigns in CDG and Amsterdam. Whenever there is a distinction, I pick the shortest line, sometimes in blatant disregard of the signs. Fellow FTers, please enlighten me, do some of you engage in that wicked cheat as well? If so, what methods do you use, how do you spot indifferent officers, do you prefer certain airports? How does this work in the EU and Asia? Can you recommend a place where one could get in trouble for this ("you were standing in the wrong line, call your lawyer")?

I only have a US passport so I really have no choice...

if you're a perm resident or legal resident, I think you too can exploit that grey area of 'foreigners' since technically you're not an American citizen. Then again, i've seen legal residents go through the US line so who knows...

Once I thought the line at a US airport for non US Citizens looked considerably shorter and I asked an officer if I could use it. He said sure, but beware the line may not move as fast as you think. I stayed put and watched and sure enough the US citizen line got me through before I would have in the other.

I like using the VIP lane in a certain asian country which will remain nameless. Immigration officers have never had the guts to ask who I am and why I think I am entitled to use this lane. All I can say is that I have had a 100% success rate with this and spend less than a minute taking care of entry formalities which includes a digital photograph.

It often works to go with a fellow passenger or friend who qualifies for the faster moving line. I have never been hassled for attaching myself to such people, and neither have friends who attached themselves to me, anywhere in the world.

I once tried to do this with the SO. I had a 'permit' in my passport that allowed me to go through the EU residents lane but SO didn't. When we got to immigration, all lanes were open so I went to the EU lane and SO broke away and went to non-EU. This aroused great suspicion with my Officer. He questioned me as to why my travelling companion chose to go elsewhere (could there be some nefarious reason why we split??). So, I told him the SO didn't feel entitled to come with me - IO just smiled and waived me through.

DD

One time I stood 20 minutes in the transfers only Immigration line at CDG after a 9 hour flight from IAH(I was staying in Paris), needless to say I wasn't to thrilled to have to go to another line. I still dont like CDG, but Paris makes up for it ;)

No chaos at AMS. Usually they have queues for "all passports" and for "EU passports". Just last Friday, when queues were relatively long for AMS (between 5 and 10 minutes wait), I saw a guy with a non-EU passport being sent away from the EU desk and told to queue again in the other line.

I've been turned away from the Japanese citizen line at KIX before. It was kind of embarassing, but I wasn't really paying attention the signs and there no more than 50 people in the whole immigration hall after the flight from Busan.

At airports with separate lines for each officer, I try to stand in the line right beside the home-citizens. Often times those citizen-only lines will be opened for all passports when they get down to a few people.

I was at LHR one AM and the guy in front of me was an American citizen while his wife was a EU citizen.

Well, their little daughter was crying SO LOUDLY and profusely that the mom begged the intra-EU line agent (who wasn't really busy as it was mostly American flights landing) so she went and checked him in even though he was a US citizen.

In Germany they have EU and non-EU lines for Immigration, as well as for leaving the county. I have often seen non-EU citizens go through the EU line and then get turned away by the immigration officer. But, I have also seen people get away with it. The annoyance factor also depends on what airport you're talking about. At FRA, there are often much longer waits for the Non-EU line. But in Stuttgart, there are 2 EU lines and 1 non-EU line, although there are usually >90% EU citizens on any given flight. So I often breeze through Immigration at STR while 100 EU citizens stand in line.

Do NOT try this as a non-US citizen using the US citizens line at a US airport.

There are documented cases of people being denied entry and subjected to expedited removal as this may be construed as misrepresenting oneself as a US citizen.

As far as a know and have done, Canadians can use the US citizens line at immigration. I have never had a problem or odd glance using it whenever flying back into the US.

Personally, I wouldn't play around with immigration.

I am just going to follow the rules, read the signs and get in the correct line.

Now this I've never heard of. I'm a U.S. Citizen and my GF a Canadian Citizen. Whenever we fly to the States together, we would be separated at the immigration lines (i.e. she queuning at the visitors line and me at the citizen's line) and later re-join together after having cleared it. In the future we would continue using the "correct" lines as we always do in the past to prevent being scrutinized by the officials.