I-94 Admissions Poised to Break Records?

get Widget!2006 saw a resurgence in the number of I-94 admissions to the US at almost 34 million - a level not seen since 2000. There was an obvious dip after 2000 associated to the economy and 9/11. Some say that 2007 is poised to break the records with an increase of I-94 admissions by CBP because of tighter scrutiny and a more streamlined process.

Certainly the scrutiny is much tighter than ever before but I would question that the process has been streamlined very much (if at all). Welcome to the bureaucracy of secondary screening: you'll sit idle in a room for on average 60 minutes with other I-194 waiver holders; immigration seekers; refugee claimants; and the odd other visa applicant. Sometimes you'll sit until radically close to your departure time. Other times you'll actually miss your flight. For what? For a CBP officer to take a 30 second secondary look at your waiver. A stamp. Sometimes a smile and you're free to go.

I recognize that travel to the US is not a right but a privilege, and I can understand that I-194 waiver holders make up a small (tiny) minority of the claimants who pass through secondary screening. All that I'm asking is why, if my waiver was already granted, approved by DHS, and reviewed by the CBP officer, do I need to be re-processed in secondary screening?

A US Vacation with the Family

As most of you long time readers already know - since receiving my waiver just over a year ago I only travel to the US alone and only on business.

Well, not anymore. We've just arrived home from our first family vacation to the US since receiving my I-194. The process was surprisingly pretty painless but also probably completely up to the discretion of the inspecting border officer. At the airport pre-clearance I immediately produced my waiver and told the officer that we were headed on a family vacation (my first one with waiver). I currently have an I-94 which is good for multiple entry until February 4th 2008. He did his usual checks: Scanned all of our passports; clarified something with a colleague (not sure if it was about us or about what he was having for lunch); and then quickly let us pass.

This time around - no secondary screening! He probably did that to save the trouble of keeping my 2 overly excited children in line. We arrived at the airport 3 hours prior to departure to ensure we didn't face any interruptions. Although there was a lot of wait time at the gate, we were still happy to not be rushed. And yes, we had a terrific vacation in warm and sunny Florida :)

For Americans with Criminal Records Travelling to Canada

If you are a Canadian with a criminal record and you hope to travel into the US (but not immigrate) you will need to apply for an I-194 waiver. I've provided a lot of information on this blog as a resource to hopefully aid in your process.

So what about those Americans who wish to travel to Canada who have criminal, DUI related or other convictions? Well, in order to visit Canada, one must apply for a "Minister's Approval of Rehabilitation" which can be obtained through many Canadian Consulates (here is one in Buffalo: http://geo.international.gc.ca/can-am/buffalo/visas/inadmissible-en.asp). The Minister's Approval will permanently remove the inadmissibility caused by conviction.

There is an interesting article I found here on The Plain Dealer (A Cleveland daily) which discusses the increased intolerance at both sides of the border. You can read the article here: What to expect going to Canada if you're an American with a record