[Gold-2K]

With ESTA machines you still have to get your passport stamped and hand over the printed receipt at a desk. Is that the case with GE or do you get to miss out completely on the joyous experience of interaction with an immigration officer?

[NTarrant]

Just read on another site that the US house has voted that ESTA won’t be available to those that have visited Iraq, Afganistan, Syria and Sudan (there is one other) in the last five years

[chriswiles]

@Gold-2K

True, but in my (albeit limited) experience, this was super-quick. They don’t ask many questions. You just hand over the slip, effectively.

My biggest issue with regular immigration is that, if you get stuck behind a plane from, say, the Caribbean, US immigration interviews each person for about 10-15 minutes. That’s why you get slow-moving queues.

With ESTA, they trust their machines, so there’s no interviewing, so fewer queues.

For me, I still don’t understand why we need to pay for Global Entry, then receive an interview with a US immigration officer, for the few minutes it might shave off ESTA-machine entry.

[Stevo58]

Just been to Boston Logan for my Global Entry interview, took less than 15 minutes and I’m good to use from now.

I started the process 12/3 last year and had my interview scheduled for initially 3/30 however I kept checking on the GOES site and managed to get one for today.

If this does away with running for connections after getting back from trips abroad then it’s been worth the fees. I landed at ORD one time and had a three hour buffer for my connection to BOS and still had to run for it.

[first_class_please]

Just seen this on another site, could be of use to some of you:-

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency announced plans to open, on a temporary basis, an enrollment center for the Global Entry trusted traveler program in London.

Interviews will be conducted at the U.S. Embassy at 24 Grosvenor Square in London for conditionally-approved applicants who register online for an appointment. The interviews will commence on September 26 and the temporary center will be open for 60 days.

U.K. citizens have been eligible to apply for Global Entry for longer than six years and almost 9,000 have signed up. Global Entry is available at 49 U.S. airports and 13 preclearance locations and allows travelers to use dedicated kiosks, bypassing the standard immigration, that use biometrics to authenticate the traveler.

Participants in Global Entry are also eligible to use PreCheck lanes at security checkpoints in the United States. With PreCheck, travelers are able to forgo taking off shoes and jackets, and removing liquids and computers from carry-on bags.

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FDOS_UK

[MartynSinclair]

“Clear” which perhaps requires a separate thread, is the Fast Track system through airport security in USA. Has anyone successfully applied and been accepted.

I spoke to someone last night and appears non US citizens can now apply as long as you have a US driving license and a social security number.

I will certainly attempt an application.. means you don’t need to turn up 2 hours before hand to deal with the growing lines at US airports…

Security at Philadelphia was more stringent last night due to a VIP arrival on Air Force One, when everything just stops!

[DavidRenton]

Hi Martyn,

I successfully applied and had my interview in NYC. GOES lasts for 5 years, however it is linked to your passport, so if your passport expires before the 5 years, then you lose it.

I normally fly via Dublin to use the pre-clearance, however I did spend 2 hours in the queue there on my last trip. I’m off to Boston next month, so I’ll see how it works for me.

[MartynSinclair]

@DavidRenton – I am not sure you are correct about losing GOES if you change/renew your passport. I recall seeing on the GOES website an option to advise GOES if you get a new passport.

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DavidRenton

[DavidRenton]

Thanks @MartynSinclair – I’ve just checked the GOES website, and only a name change requires a re-interview!

[Nigel]

The man who did my GE “interview” in NYC said it was linked to my I-Visa. So, the first time I used it at JFK, I put in the Visa page and not the passport info page, and it didn’t work. I then put in the passport info page and it worked normally.
So, given that my visa will expire in March 2018, I take it that I do will still be OK to use my GE till it expires in late 2020 (providing I have an ESTA).
If my I-Visa is renewed, do I have to re-do the whole process?

Thanks

[Author]

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