Question for all: US Customs

[Isaac Brock]

If anyone could help guide me to some information or contact it would be greatly appreciated!

I have a very good friend of mine from Russia who got a B2 Visa to the US, which was good for 6 months. Upon arriving by plane at JFK, she went to customs. She had all her documentation and is a regular vistor to the states for both work and travel. She was planning to visit a school in Deerfield, Kansas where she was being offered a teaching position for their Russian course. She got the job, and was going to helped by the school administration to apply for a work visa.

Given these circumstances, she did not arrive in the US with a return ticket. A customs agent, who was apparently having a very bad day, told her she must buy return ticket or be deported. In addition, he cancelled her visa, and shortened it to one month. She was forced to purchase a $1400 dollar ticket.

My question is, where can she find an appeals office or an agency that she can change the conditions of her Visa? She had a legal B2 Visa given to her by the US Embassy. In addition, the school has sent the paid, shortened paper work to apply for a US Visa on her behalf. She is a wonderful, law abiding person and wants to do this the completely legal way. Any help would be immensely appreciated.

 

[freeandfun1]

If anyone could help guide me to some information or contact it would be greatly appreciated!

I have a very good friend of mine from Russia who got a B2 Visa to the US, which was good for 6 months. Upon arriving by plane at JFK, she went to customs. She had all her documentation and is a regular vistor to the states for both work and travel. She was planning to visit a school in Deerfield, Kansas where she was being offered a teaching position for their Russian course. She got the job, and was going to helped by the school administration to apply for a work visa.

Given these circumstances, she did not arrive in the US with a return ticket. A customs agent, who was apparently having a very bad day, told her she must buy return ticket or be deported. In addition, he cancelled her visa, and shortened it to one month. She was forced to purchase a $1400 dollar ticket.

My question is, where can she find an appeals office or an agency that she can change the conditions of her Visa? She had a legal B2 Visa given to her by the US Embassy. In addition, the school has sent the paid, shortened paper work to apply for a US Visa on her behalf. She is a wonderful, law abiding person and wants to do this the completely legal way. Any help would be immensely appreciated.

She's screwed most likely. The conditions of entry for most countries, on a visa, is that you must have a round-trip ticket. Usually the airlines will not even let you on the plane unless you have a roundtrip ticket. Her only appeal MIGHT be to go after the airline that she arrived on. They should NOT have allowed her on the plane without confirmation that she had a return flight. I had a very similar incident happen to me a few years ago when I went to Malaysia. I usually purchased one way trips to Malaysi because it was a LOT cheaper to buy the return ticket there. I knew that I could get "busted" for doing this, but since I had been to Malaysia about 20 times and had done the same thing about 15 times, I told the agent, "don't sweat it, I know what I am doing". She let me on, but warned me that SHE could get in trouble cuz the airlines make the ticketing agents buy the tickets if there is a problem since it is their duty to make surey ou don't get on the plane without a round trip (the Airline was Singapore Air). Anyway, of course I didn't go after the airline cuz they made me buy a ticket on the spot before they would let me through immigration and it was still cheaper than buying a round trip from the USA.

 

[theim]

Dude, I just got back from a trip a few months ago. Do not even start with me on US customs.

Suffice it to say next time I meet this "R. Harrison", he will have a very bad day.