Refused entry despite B1

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

19 hours ago, sanfairyanne said:

and that I'd have to go to the U.S embassy in London to find out why. 

And did you?

[sanfairyanne 0]

22 hours ago, Boiler said:

Did you apply for ESTA?

No because one of the questions asks if you've ever been refused entry to the U.S. I guess for the cost of the ESTA I could apply, but my guess is that I could get the ESTA then book a ticket and be refused again. Then of course I'd lose another £1000 flight. A better solution might be if I got an ESTA I could fly to Canada and then try to pass say between Vancouver and Seattle. The trouble is I have no need to go to Canada, it's a pain in the ### whatever I do. 

[Boiler 45,907]

You do not need ESTA to enter by land although it is recommended 

 

But you can of course be refused and you are stuck in Canada and that assumes you can enter Canada

[sanfairyanne 0]

On 4/28/2022 at 10:03 PM, SusieQQQ said:

So an airline employee refused to let you board… and you didn’t think to ask them why? really?

Well, that doesn’t count as being refused entry to the US as it has to be a US CBP official refusing you entry. However seeing as you apparently didn’t think to question why the airline refused you boarding, you have no idea what the issue was. It could have been as simple as passport expiry too soon or some kind of covid restriction in place at the time, which has no bearing on any future application for entry,  or somehow a directive from CBP, which does affect your chances of future entry. Only one way to find out … so apply for ESTA, all you have to lose is a nominal fee.

 

 

I did ask, of course I asked, I spent months planning the trip. The check in girl treated me like dirt but I remained polite, she either didn't know or refused to tell me why. I questioned why the embassy never sent me a letter to tell me I couldn't use my visa. She virtually laughed at my suggestion and told me "If they did that they'd have to tell everyone". My passport doesn't run out until 2029. The visa also doesn't run out until 2029. This was just prior to Trump's announcement that Europeans would not be allowed to travel. Covid was not the reason, I know that because other U.K citizens were allowed to board the plane. I could apply for an ESTA, the main reason I haven't done so is because I believed I had been refused entry into the States (one of the questions on the ESTA). If I got an ESTA I would hazard a guess and say I could still be refused to board and I'd waste another £1000 flight. 

[sanfairyanne 0]

19 hours ago, JeanneAdil said:

March 2020???

we left Paris March 17th CDG airport

i should have asked "what date in march did u try to board the plane?"

March 11th only USC and LPR were allowed to the USA and after that ban the covid ban went into full force

so,  it wasn't u 

 

Mar 21, 2020 — On March 11, 2020, the U.S. enforced a 30-day ban on travelers from the Schengen Area, a free-travel zone consisting of 26 countries in Europe.

I can't remember the exact date offhand, but I distinctly remember reading in the news that morning at the airport that European citizens would be banned from flying the following day. So Covid regs had nothing to do with me not being allowed to board the plane. Plus other Brits were allowed on the plane. 

[sanfairyanne 0]

3 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

And did you?

No because I cannot find out how to. It's not like you can call them, write to them, email them. You can't just knock on the door, you have to have an appointment and I can't make one to ask my question. 

[sanfairyanne 0]

5 minutes ago, Boiler said:

You do not need ESTA to enter by land although it is recommended 

 

But you can of course be refused and you are stuck in Canada and that assumes you can enter Canada

I have recently managed to get a Kenyan e-visa, so I'm not banned from every country in the world. At least Kenya wan't my tourism.

[Boiler 45,907]

6 minutes ago, sanfairyanne said:

I have recently managed to get a Kenyan e-visa, so I'm not banned from every country in the world. At least Kenya wan't my tourism.

I doubt that is a very high standard and not aware the US shares info with them

[JeanneAdil 6,606]

14 minutes ago, sanfairyanne said:

I can't remember the exact date offhand, but I distinctly remember reading in the news that morning at the airport that European citizens would be banned from flying the following day. So Covid regs had nothing to do with me not being allowed to board the plane. Plus other Brits were allowed on the plane. 

that depends on how the airline views the regulations

if your flight would land u in the USA on the wrong date ,  u would not be allowed in

 

and not all personel in airports understood this ban 

 

do u know if the other Brits had a US green card?   Or US spouse or fiancee visa?

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

1 hour ago, sanfairyanne said:

No because I cannot find out how to. It's not like you can call them, write to them, email them. You can't just knock on the door, you have to have an appointment and I can't make one to ask my question. 

They have a contact form on their website

https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-information-services/contact-us-immigrant-visas/u-s-embassy-london-visa-unit-contact-form/

 

 

[Boiler 45,907]

27 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

They have a contact form on their website

https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-information-services/contact-us-immigrant-visas/u-s-embassy-london-visa-unit-contact-form/

 

 

I have not heard of anybody getting a response in this sort of situation 

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

8 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I have not heard of anybody getting a response in this sort of situation 

OP was saying there is no way to contact the embassy. The embassy does in fact have a contact form. I don’t know anyone who has used it so I have no idea if it works, but surely trying it is better than just wringing one’s hands online.
 

I’m also surprised that a £1k airfare between the UK and US would be non-refundable (ref the comments about wasting it), or why OP would not try with a cheap budget airline instead, but that’s another matter.

[sanfairyanne 0]

On 4/24/2022 at 11:56 PM, JeanneAdil said:

Refused entry at a  USA port of entry ?

OR

not allowed to board the plane in Manchester?

 

Do u have the covid vaccine?

did u show a negative covid test?

 

 

 

 

Refused to board the plane in Manchester. Since coming on this group I now realise there's a difference and of course that gives me a level of confidence, but I'd never book a flight to the States because it could be another £1000 down the drain.

This was NOT about Covid. This was prior to the lockdown of travel between Europe and the U.S. At the time Covid tests / vaccinations were not a thing.
 

[sanfairyanne 0]

23 hours ago, jan22 said:

It perhaps should be noted that the likely reason you were denied boarding was because you did not have a visa that matched the main purpose of your trip.  If you were going for a personal trip/visit, a B1 visa cannot be used for that.  You would need a B2 or B1/B2.

That's a good point and I was bitter to receive the B1 visa and not a B1-B2, however, I was told by the embassy at the time that I could travel for travel purposes on a B1. Besides this my purpose for travel was not asked at Manchester. 

[jan22 3,056]

30 minutes ago, sanfairyanne said:

That's a good point and I was bitter to receive the B1 visa and not a B1-B2, however, I was told by the embassy at the time that I could travel for travel purposes on a B1. Besides this my purpose for travel was not asked at Manchester. 

Not sure exactly what you mean by "travel for travel purposes", but I'm assuming it means personal travel not related to the yacht job for which thever B1 was issued.  And, you could use it for personal travel incidental to your yacht job, going back and forth to it or side trips from it. 

 

But, you were not heading to the yacht or no longer have the yacht position for which the visa was issued, right?.  There are almost certainly notes somewhere in the system that indicates the visa was issued for working on a private yacht, even if it's not annotated on the vIsa itself.  They may have been concerned why you only had a B1 visa, since that is unusual and there are usually some restrictions tied to its use, and therefore called the Embassy (or a CBP liaison) to see what they should do.  Since you said it was issued for a job on a yacht, but you haven't been in the US for 6 years and never used this B1 at all, it may have been reported that you no longer worked for the yacht for which you applied for the visa and/or no longer had a position on that particular yacht and/or that the yacht was no longer opeating in US waters, so your vIsa was no longer needed.  They don't always have to specifically ask the purpose of your trip to see that your travel plan/purpose of your visit does not meet the requirements of the category of visa you have.  

 

Use the Embassy contact form and see what they say (cheapest alternative, will take some time for a response).  Or, apply for ESTA and, if it's denied, you'll see there really is some issue (slightly more expensive, but likely fastest).  Or, apply for a new B1/B2 visa and see what you are questioned about and what happens abut being issued a new visa (most expensive, and likely longest wait right now).  I would not try to use the B1 visa again for a personal trip.