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Jan
26
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The Department of Homeland Security and Liquid Abatement recently changed the rules for entering the US from Canada - as of last Tuesday you need a passport rather than your driver's licence or other easily forgeable photo Id. Fortunately I knew that and grabbed my (British) passport as I left the house for a series of all day meetings followed by a late flight to Vancouver from SFO.
On the way back, checking in at the e-ticket machine in Vancouver it dawned on me that I'd forgotten my Green Card - that's the thing that proves I'm allowed to be in the US (vs. a temporary visa). Ah well I thought - I have the number in my organizer and I'm sure they can quickly determine that I have a Green Card (after all it's the same people that issued the card) - right ?
So I queued up at immigration (you pass through US immigration in Vancouver) and explained my situation to the immigration officer expecting to be quickly on my way. Nope. He explained I'd need to go to the immigration office. As I walked through the nondescript door I saw a room full of people who looked like they'd given up all hope of every seeing their loved ones again. I asked a couple of people how long they'd been waiting - I got various replies from 45 mins to 4 hours. Oh, feck, 45 mins 'til boarding. I asked one of the uniforms what the process was and was told to take a seat. I called the travel agency to see if I could get on a later flight but the same uniform told me I wasn't allowed to use my phone. I was about to rant about the lack of any signs saying anything about not using cell phones but decided it wasn't important enough to risk getting rubber-gloved.
Another uniform walked by so I explained very politely my situation and asked him what the process was; skipping the details he told me there were a couple of options but my best bet would be to stay in Vancouver a few more days and get my Green Card Fed-Exed. Vancouver is a really nice place and if it were Summer I'd probably have gone for that option. The uniform also explained I couldn't actually leave until I'd been 'processed' which could be a while, Feck^2.
So I sat back in the chair along with all the other dejected souls and start thinking of the Tom Hanks film - The Terminal - a fellow immigrant called Victor Navorski who get's stuck in JFK for a couple of years because he didn't have the right travel documents. I also start imagining the the smell of freshly powdered rubber gloves. Shudder.
Then, five minutes 'til boarding, out of nowehere a voice summons me into another office and another uniform asks me a bunch of security questions then explains the process (which I've already heard) and insists that they'll need to sort my case out tomorrow. After a bit of persistence - the uniform consults with one of his buddies and decides they can do something but it'll take time and cost $260 - and I'll probably still miss my flight. After several more minutes of furious form filling I'm running through the terminal and make my flight with a whole couple of minutes to spare. Yeeeha.
BTW if you're ever in Vancouver and like Indian food - I'd recommend Vij's, It's more like West Coast Indian Fusion but don't let that put you off - it's a very lively place, the food is top notch and they sell beer.
