SFGuy37

My partner submitted his GLobal Entry application on March 26th using a UK access code, and the status has been pending review ever since.

Does anyone know any way to contact CBP to enquire - the phone numbers on the CBP/GOES website always have busy tone or 'all circuits are busy' during their stated hrs.

Can I call one of the enrollment centers - are they able to address application enquiries?

Wozza2404

Just as a data point, I finally got around to doing this after ageing 3 years in an ORD immigration queue earlier this year.

1-6 Applied to Home Office for code (14:00)
1-6 Received code from Home Office (21:00)
2-6 Applied via GOES website
22-6 Conditional Approval granted and interview booked.

techie

No harm in trying.

televisor

Just to report back: I'm consistently getting the X with my J1. I have a feeling they just want to verify we're carrying the accompanying forms every single time (yay bureaucracy...). I might email CBP to confirm that suspicion (the officers who process me seem too grumpy to bother asking).

That said GE is still a huge benefit since I skip all the queues and there's usually no wait for the manual processing when you get the X.

Note: the manual processing includes a fingerprinting and photography session every time (even though the kiosk has already done that). But no questioning, most of the time is spent with the officer copying numbers from the visa and form.

G-CIVC

Yes, can confirm with my F-1 I've been 'X-ed' every time since the first time. Kind of sucks, but officers I've encountered were friendly and even funny (as in like 'oh no what have you done!' sarcastically)...

still MUCH much better than the alien lines in the past.

woglet86

Hi all,

Applied and approved for GE last month - very impressed so far.

I need to renew my UK passport in the next couple of months. I think this generates a new passport number. I believe I can update my passport details in my GOES account online. However, at my interview, the officer told me I would have to drop into an enrolment office with my new passport to get it all linked up.

My question is, on my next trip to the US, how should I enter? Use the GE line with the new passport, assuming it will not let me through, then see an officer? Or should GE work fine assuming I have updated my passport online? Or third option, don't try to use GE at all, until I have entered the US the slow way and visited the enrolment office?

Many thanks

televisor

Note: I don't have any experience with updating my passport, but when I get to that stage I'd go for the second option: update the passport number online (and make sure you have a new ESTA or Visa for that passport), use the GE machine, take it from there. If the system works as expected, you'll get admitted. If it doesn't you *might* get an X.

Absolute worst case the machine won't recognise you, in which case you can always try going to the officer at the desk and tell him you got a new passport, updated it online, and the machine didn't recognise you. It's probably worth bringing a copy of your GE enrollment letter: (A) so that they don't think you're just trying to blag your way through the GE lanes, (B) the letter contains your TTN which they seem to need for finding you in their system (useful at the enrollment office too, at least based on my experiences when updating other GE info there).

Simon Schus

Hi all,

For those that are applying for Global Entry, the US Embassy in London UK is now opening an enrolment centre albeit for a limited period. This will be where you can have your GE interview rather than having to have it at an enrollment centre else (e.g. usually in the US).

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection will open a Global Entry enrollment center at the U.S. Embassy in London for 60 days beginning on September 26."
Source: https://uk.usembassy.gov/global-entr...pen-in-london/

They mentioned that they will only accept people with an appointment. This will be handy for some, and make no difference for others. Admittedly, it wouldn't have been too handy for me as I was in the US more than I was in Central London.

Global Entry was so handy for the 7 months I've had it. It made the monthly trips so much more enjoyable knowing that the immigration process would be fairly speedy! (also... in some cases, I didn't feel the urge to stone-cold-sober up so quickly prior to landing in the US).

Simon.

P.S. Annoyingly, I've changed the visa I entered into the US on as I'm in the process of becoming a permanent resident there. I can't use Global Entry again until the process is complete. Also, neither can my wife as she has a new surname due to our marriage. We have to visit a Global Entry Enrollment Centre with the marriage certificate and her new passport to update her name in the Global Entry system.

techie

It's not rocket science that there should have been one at the embassy from way back in December when the GE launched en masse to UK citizens. Needing to go to US and add to CBP's workload over there is just silly. Rough guess: all slots will be booked -- apart from drop-outs that are bound to happen -- which will strengthen the case for a permanent post or a pre-clearance facility at LHR.

televisor

There are reports of people successfully entering on a new Visa: the Kiosk won't offer the new Visa, so you would select "other" (which I presume gives you an X + "See passport control"), and get processed old-school by the agent closest to the kiosks, but you would get to skip the lines. Then you'd still need to visit the enrollment center. That said, the LPR process sounds more complicated, whereas this person simply switched between one of the various work or tourist visas.

However I'm not sure this is 100% recommended. I don't think there's any official advice requiring you to visit an enrollment center before using GE with a new Visa, but I'd be slightly worried about coming across an unhappy / annoyed agent. Moreover if you're travelling with your wife who can't use GE at all, it's probably easier to just wait in the normal lines together.

televisor

I wouldn't be so sure about this. There are plenty of brits in the US too, I'm not convinced that the majority of British GE applications actually happened from the UK.

I won't dispute it's still useful - but I don't see how it would affect the CBP workload: it seems more efficient to have them in the US rather than temporarily hire/station officers in the UK. After all most other nationalities also have to interview in the US (although there do seem to be interview locations in singapore at the embassy, and possibly in Dubai - but Dubai having preclearance means that CBP officers are stationed there long-term).

BAGoldBoy

We had our interview in MIA and absolutely no problem booking two slots back to back. Shame BA isn't part of the scheme.

techie

Who said about temporary? There are pre-clearance facilities in Ireland and UAE, so the least CBP can do is to open a GE post in London. I do not think it is unreasonable to think that most UK-based GE applicants are likely to be within reasonable commuting distance from London, so could make the trip if it allowed them to take care of it here. The reason I think that doing so is more efficient is because it deals with the situation at source rather than asking Brits to compete with US residents for slots over the pond. Also, being able to take of everything without needing to travel and then experience it for the first time during the very next trip makes for a better overall satisfaction.
Quite. I did mine in Miami and there was lots of slots. Even when connecting, there was plenty of time to go land-side, do the interview and then re-clear security. Too bad all airports do not have the same opening hours for GE interviews. For example, Charlotte has flights from UK arriving in the afternoon and evening, but its office opening hours are Mon-Fri 0830-1530. Therefore, no chance to make it even if you arrive on the first flight from Heathrow. And slots were always full for weeks/months in advance when I was checking last year.

televisor

The CBP aren't running GE for your "satisfaction", it's being run to make things more efficient for CBP.

And they haven't opened permanent GE posts anywhere that they don't have CBP officers stationed permanently (the same officers also do border admittance, I imagine CBP might want to keep them in charge of GE interviews for various reasons). The UK isn't somehow special enough to warrant having 1-2 officers for interviews (I can imagine that might change *if* they open a preclearance facility).

The fact that they haven't even bothered to add interview spots at their existing European preclearance facilities makes it clear Europe doesn't (to them) warrant an interview location. They have the numbers, and they do open temporary locations on demand, but it's silly to think a permanent location would be worthwhile. Moreover that would probably open a world of pain due to staffing. A lot of overhead just just one CBP officer to be able to interview us snotty Brits? Yeah right.

techie

How is it more efficient to ask people to fly over there (and be in the cattle queue initially) to complete the process and needing to compete with the locals for the same pool of interview slots? This US embassy interview location is a good move and I hope that its success will lead to a permanent place being open.