Immigration Story
Immigration Story
Hello everyone. Today, I would like to share my experiences at the immigration during my travel to the United States for the first time. I recently wrote the same as an answer on Quora and I do not know why and how it went on to get 46,000 views and over 600 upvotes. So I thought maybe I need to share it on my blog as well. And here it is.
I was traveling for the first time to the U.S. for my master’s. I had been admitted to the University of Cincinnati, Ohio.
I took off from Hyderabad, India, and had a layover in New Delhi, India, and then the final destination was O’Hare International, Chicago. (Yes it is more than a 16-hour flight and it is not a pleasant one). This was on August 5th, 2016.
It was my first time traveling abroad and I had no clue how things work at immigration. They gave us a form in the flight an hour before landing to be filled out. Below is the customs declaration form.
I only knew one of my friends in the US. who lives in Chicago. In the box where it asked for the U. S. address, I thought maybe it was the address of where I would be going first in the U.S. and gave my friend's address in the box. Little did I know that the address had to be the one near to my university.
In 2016 many students were deported due to some fraudulent travelers whose destination was something else from where they were supposed to go.
Now, I go up to the immigration counter and have all my files ready.
I do not exactly remember the conversation but this was most of it.
Officer 1: So, where are you headed?
Me: I got an admit to the University of Cincinnati.
Officer 1: Then why does your form say that your destination is Chicago?
Me: My friend stays here, he is coming to pick me up from the airport, I thought the address meant the place I would be heading to first, sir.
Officer 1: That does not seem right to me. Do you have any proof of travel from Chicago to Cincinnati?
Me: (a little nervous) No. My friend who would be picking me up now at the airport would be driving me to Cincinnati.
Officer 1: When will you be reaching Cincinnati?
Me: On 9th of August, sir. (I landed in Chicago on 6th August and wanted to stay 2 days with my friend.)
Officer 1 : (Gets up from his chair) Sir, please follow me.
I was panicking as everyone in front of me was just leaving to the baggage area and I was called aside to sit in a hall.
I was waiting there in a hall, and I couldn’t use my phone inside. I had no contact and I looked around; there was the bunch of other people. I waited for 25 minutes in that hall and everyone else in the hall who was waiting had already left and I was the only one left. The ground personnel of my flight came up to me and asked how long it would take and informed me everyone on my plane had left already and my bags were placed aside.
Then an officer asks me to come up to the desk.
Officer 2: Good morning, so where are you headed to?
Me: I got an admit to the University of Cincinnati, sir.
Officer 2: Then why have you written an address in Chicago?
I explained to him all over again as to why I wrote that address.
Officer 2: Do you have an address in Cincinnati? Address for the place you will be staying at?
Me: Yes, sir. I have already signed a lease and it is a place near to the campus.
Officer 2: Can you show me some kind of a proof of this address?
Me: (I was already trembling a lot as it was my first time abroad and I remembered the recent deportations that had happened to a few students.) I have a signed lease agreement in my mail. If I am allowed to use my phone I could show you.
When I handed the phone to the officer, my hands were trembling a lot. The officer had the phone on the table with the agreement open.
Officer 2: Well, you need to write the address of your final destination in the declaration form. Do you have any family or friends in Cincinnati?
Me: This is my first time traveling abroad, sir, so I had no idea what was to be filled in the form. I do not know anyone in Cincinnati.
Officer 2: Then why did you choose the school?
Me: It was the best university out of the few I got admitted into. And also I was given a good scholarship which covers almost all of my tuition fee.
Officer 2: (Giving back my phone, he saw that my hands were trembling and looking at my I20.) You really earned a good scholarship. Congratulations. But, why are you trembling so much? Is there an issue?
Me: This is my first time traveling abroad and I'm a bit nervous about all this as it is new to me.
Officer 2: Do not worry. It is just that you have written a different address than where you are actually going to, so we had to call you in. It happens sometimes with few first-time travelers. There isn’t any problem with your credentials. I am going to go ahead and get your passport stamped and will be right back.
I waited for another 5 minutes in the hall and the officer went inside, got my passport stamped, and came outside.
Officer 2: It is all okay. Welcome to the USA and all the best for your future. Make your parents proud and have a nice day.
I know this sounds silly. But I am paranoid about such small things, and it was my first time ever traveling alone and abroad and I had my fears. I came out and saw that my bags were placed beside the conveyor belt. I collected them and came out of the airport and my friend was waiting for me. He too was worried as to why I was detained inside for such a long time.
In all this hustle, I lost my I20 in the parking lot of the airport. I do not remember how, but I lost it. Luckily I was out of the immigration and immediately contacted my university to issue a new I20.
After this experience, I never had any other issues with the immigration as I knew what to do. I traveled 3 times after this and never was I asked any more questions other than my Passport and I20.
Thank You
-Sushant Thotakura
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