Too Many US visits ?
 

As my partner lives in the US and I live in the UK I've been doing a lot of transatlantic travel the last few years. We used to alternate but a change of circumstances meant that I've been doing most of the travelling recently

I fly into Logan and there's usually a raised eyebrow at immigration when they see how often I've been but the last time I arrived the officer packed my items into a plastic wallet and escorted me down to a room so that I could be questioned further

They were nice and polite, asked me quite a few questions about my job and how often I was coming over - when I said it was mostly long weekends and that I got 30 days vacation in my job they seemed happy with that though there did seem to be a lot of typing going on into the PC

Am I gonna get this every time from now on ? anything I can do to flag that I'm a frequent visitor and it's all above board ?

You may. I have gotten it going the other way before and with some other countries that I frequent a lot. It is never too big a deal (except Canada likes to push my buttons sometimes) as I think they are just worried you are doing work as opposed to actually visiting. Perhaps, you will get lucky by having the sit down session and it is all documented now and in the future they will just let you go about your way but it may just depend on the station and the person you are dealing with.

Immigration seem to be a law unto themselves in many ways regardless of the country you are entering. The information you give is a little scant in that you do not mention how you are entering the USA? By that I mean do you have a visa if so what type, or are you as I suspect entering under the VWP?

it's the VWP
I go about every 3-4 weeks, usually just for a long weekend with the occasional longer visit
they often do ask me if I'm doing any work over there, going to conferences and such stuff
nope, just pleasure :D

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as they don't confuse someone for a drug smuggler, generally the person doing such kind of travel will be fine -- sooner or later.

If they get confused, prepare for a dose of laxatives and/or X-rays. :D Fortunately that is highly unlikely.

I used to have that happen alot going to Canada. I go there 12-18 times a year. Now, I have a Canpass automated pre-clearance, and when its not available, the agents see I'm pre cleared and they don't seem to care.

Coming back to the US, I get some grief when coming back from short trips (I went to Tokyo for new years, and Paris for a long weekend) but not when I come back from Canada. I don't know if they know I have canpass or what.

If you travel on such a regular basis it is probably worth your while to obtain a visa.

The VWP is fine while it works for you however the major drawback is that you have in effect no right of appeal whatsoever against the decision of the Immigration official at the POE.

A common abuse of the VWP is for the person entering to overstay then apply for Adjustment of Status so regular trips will flag you up for extra attention eventually. The magic word 'girlfriend' has been known to send immigration officials into apoplexy as they instantly suspect that the real purpose of your visit is to marry and immigrate (paranoid little people aren't they?) :D

A visa does not in itself ensure entry but should make your life a whole lot smoother. The more times you enter on the VWP the more times you will get selected for secondary screening which may not end up with the same result you had the last time.

As they say you pays your money and makes your choice :D

I was in the same boat for a while, and the impression I got was that it didn't really matter how many times I came over so long as; I wasn't planning on staying or working, and that anything I could do to prove that was good to them. I wouldn't expect this every time you visit though, after all, while you have a habit of visiting the US regularly you also have a habit of leaving.

On another note, it never ceases to amaze me the number of people who have transatlantic relationships.

What sort of grief do you get from the U.S. folks ? I assume you are a U.S. citizen ?

I wonder because I also like to visit Tokyo or Europe for long weekends, though I try to stay a week these days as I get older !

It could be worse. You could be making frequent short trips to Amsterdam and coming back with lots of luggage. ;)

"You seem to come through this crossing regularly. Is there any reason for this?" They seem to think I may be testing the crossing. Since I got my Canpass, that stopped at YYZ. Coming back from Paris, I was secondaried. I was there for a long weekend.

Yes, I am a US citizen. Born here.

I went to tokyo for new years. I was there for less time than the flight there and back. The customs guy couldn't fathom someone traveling so far just to see midnight in Tokyo.
"So you just decided to go to Tokyo for new years?"
"Yes"
"That seems kinda odd"
"I wanted to see new years on the other side of the date line. It was easier to get to Tokyo than Sydney"

A friend of mine (ivy league education, well spoken, financially well off, spending lots of money) used to visit his girlfriend very regularly in Vancouver while she was doing her post-doc in an area greatly lacking in Canada. They hoped eventually to settle down if they could find jobs. The last time he came in, Canada customs told him that he had 6 hours to go to Vancouver, pack his stuff and leave the country or else he and his friend would be arrested. No explanation at all of what rule might have been broken. They both now live in the States and will likely never return to Canada :(.

I always find other country's immigration, including the US, WAY easier than Canadian, even though I'm a Canadian citizen.

LOL, only an FTer. :)

There is a major flaw in the above story. He probably told customs he was there to visit his girlfriend. You NEVER say that at customs. They assume you're going to stay, possibly illegally, since you have ties to someone in the country. I've had border guards at customs canada ask me if the friend I'm visiting is more than a "friend" They may be, they may not. Thats none of their business as I don't plan on staying up there for extended periods of time. The guard may have also assumed they would try to get married up there if neither is currently a Canadian. Any sort of inter-border relationship is bad to bring up at customs.

Thats also why I got canpass.. less questions, faster lines, less hasles.

Everyone has to have a hobby :)