A Terrible Flag Pole Experience

[krisanna]

Hi.

First of all, here is my situation...
Right now I'm on a Tourist visa because my WP had expired and I got the LMO after I applied second time. So in the mean time I applied for TRV so I could stay.I got the TRV till May.

Anyway I got my LMO last week which was the good news and I've been told that I can do flag polling in stead of sending my documents to Seattle. I went to the border, first went to Canada office and been told that I've to go to America office(The attitude was so rude and I don't even wanna begin with the disturbing tone).

I took all the papers and head to America office and the guy there wrote me a piece of paper for flag pole and even walked with me kindly outside to show me where I should go next(Thought American officer would be an ass but they were really nice).
Anyway I went back to Canada office with the paper and unfortunately same guy called me up and I gave all the papers he asked for. After a minute he told me that he can't give me a visa because my WP has expired. Then I told him I got TRV till May. Then he told me my passport is expiring in 7 months. I told him it doesn't matter, give me a visa for 7 months and then I'll extend my passport and WP again.

Then he told me he can't give me a visa because I can't change my status from a visitor to a worker... And he added I better send these to Seattle..

I still don't get it... I've been told many times here on this forum that I can do a Flag pole on TRV...

Can somebody please explain it to me???

 

[angelbrat]

You cannot flagpole if you are not from a visa exempt Country. If you need a visa to enter Canada, then you need to leave Canada, go to Seattle and obtain the work visa from there.

 

[Leon]

You need to be visa exempt to get a work permit at the border, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/apply-who-eligible.asp#enter

I have also heard of people with multiple entry TRV who were given a work permit at the border. Maybe it depends on if the immigration officer knows the rules or not or if they are feeling generous.

 

[krisanna]

Thanks guys,

I can't go to Seattle because I don't have an American Visa so my best option would probably be sending documents to Seattle. Although I've heard there is a possibility that they may call me up to Seattle for an interview. I have no idea what I can do if that happens...

 

[angelbrat]

You get an American visa at the Border.

I need a visa to enter the USA, I just turn up at the Border, go into a room, answer the questions and fill out a form and pay the $6. The USA then issues me a 90 day visa. Simple.

 

[kelKel]

You get an American visa at the Border.

I need a visa to enter the USA, I just turn up at the Border, go into a room, answer the questions and fill out a form and pay the $6. The USA then issues me a 90 day visa. Simple.

You're speaking of an I94 because you're from a visa waiver country. The OP has to apply for a visa to enter the US. Much more difficult if not impossible.

 

[job_seeker]

You are probably from a country who has a visa waiver agreement with the US. Not everybody could do that. We need to apply for a B1 or B2 visa, to an American consulate or embassy weeks or months ahead of a projected trip and pray a lot that we be granted a US visa that could be with a duration of a month to 10 years validity, single entry or multiple, and usually are given a 6 month stay upon arrival in the US (the officer always place a date of up to when the I94 is valid, and we leave the US on or before the expiry date or else they could revoke the visa and deny us entry for up to ten years).

You get an American visa at the Border.

I need a visa to enter the USA, I just turn up at the Border, go into a room, answer the questions and fill out a form and pay the $6. The USA then issues me a 90 day visa. Simple.

 

[angelbrat]

You are probably from a country who has a visa waiver agreement with the US. Not everybody could do that. We need to apply for a B1 or B2 visa, to an American consulate or embassy weeks or months ahead of a projected trip and pray a lot that we be granted a US visa that could be with a duration of a month to 10 years validity, single entry or multiple, and usually are given a 6 month stay upon arrival in the US (the officer always place a date of up to when the I94 is valid, and we leave the US on or before the expiry date or else they could revoke the visa and deny us entry for up to ten years).

Really?...wow...I never realized that at all. I assumed, that as I needed a visa to enter the USA, I was the same as anyone that needed a visa. When I went over at Xmas, there were a lot of Korean and Vietnamese tourists in the room, getting their visa's too.

I have no idea if the UK has a visa waiver agreement but if it did, then why do I need a visa to get into the USA?

Sounds a bit complicated to me....are you saying there are 2 levels of people that need visa's?

 

[scylla]

Really?...wow...I never realized that at all. I assumed, that as I needed a visa to enter the USA, I was the same as anyone that needed a visa. When I went over at Xmas, there were a lot of Korean and Vietnamese tourists in the room, getting their visa's too.

I have no idea if the UK has a visa waiver agreement but if it did, then why do I need a visa to get into the USA?

Sounds a bit complicated to me....are you saying there are 2 levels of people that need visa's?

It's not that there are two levels of visas - but people are assessed differently based on where they're from. If you're from a "first world country" then you'll probably get a visa pretty easily because you're regarded as a low risk (i.e. low risk of overstaying). If you're from a "third world country", it's going to be a heck of a lot more difficult if not impossible to visit the US. Even some who have obtained PR in Canada have a great deal of trouble obtaining a visit visa to the US because the US assesses them based on the passport they're traveling on (rather than the fact they have Canadian PR).

As an aside, I don't think you needed to obtain a visa since you're from the UK.

 

[kelKel]

It's not that there are two levels of visas - but people are assessed differently based on where they're from. If you're from a "first world country" then you'll probably get a visa pretty easily because you're regarded as a low risk (i.e. low risk of overstaying). If you're from a "third world country", it's going to be a heck of a lot more difficult if not impossible to visit the US. Even some who have obtained PR in Canada have a great deal of trouble obtaining a visit visa to the US because the US assesses them based on the passport they're traveling on (rather than the fact they have Canadian PR).

As an aside, I don't think you needed to obtain a visa since you're from the UK.

Angelbrat it's not a visa you get when you go to the States. Its a green I94 that they put in your passport. My bf has to get it when he goes as well and he's from Germany Like Scylla says a visitor visa is much harder to obtain.

 

[job_seeker]

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html

list of countries participating in VWP with the US:

Which countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)?

Currently, 36 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program, as shown below:
Andorra Hungary New Zealand
Australia Iceland Norway
Austria Ireland Portugal
Belgium Italy San Marino
Brunei Japan Singapore
Czech Republic Latvia Slovakia
Denmark Liechtenstein Slovenia
Estonia Lithuania South Korea
Finland Luxembourg Spain
France Malta Sweden
Germany Monaco Switzerland
Greece the Netherlands United Kingdom

Sorry it's a copy paste; badly aligned

Really?...wow...I never realized that at all. I assumed, that as I needed a visa to enter the USA, I was the same as anyone that needed a visa. When I went over at Xmas, there were a lot of Korean and Vietnamese tourists in the room, getting their visa's too.

I have no idea if the UK has a visa waiver agreement but if it did, then why do I need a visa to get into the USA?

Sounds a bit complicated to me....are you saying there are 2 levels of people that need visa's?

 

[job_seeker]

Those with B1/B2 visas also get the I94 when they enter the US, though the I94s are white.

Angelbrat it's not a visa you get when you go to the States. Its a green I94 that they put in your passport. My bf has to get it when he goes as well and he's from Germany Like Scylla says a visitor visa is much harder to obtain.

 

[angelbrat]

Right.....I got it....seems I got my visas in a twist. To be honest, I have never really studied the paper that the USA put in my passport, just note the date stamped on my passport when it runs out. Therefore, I know when I need to go to secondary again when I cross over to shop.

Thank you to everyone that gave me the information and apologies to the OP for giving her the wrong information.

 

[job_seeker]

You'd be surprised that even with a US B1/B2 visa, the officers at CBP are still rude, scrutinizing, almost seems an interrogation each time we enter the US

Right.....I got it....seems I got my visas in a twist. To be honest, I have never really studied the paper that the USA put in my passport, just note the date stamped on my passport when it runs out. Therefore, I know when I need to go to secondary again when I cross over to shop.

Thank you to everyone that gave me the information and apologies to the OP for giving her the wrong information.