LOT Polish Airlines has launched the campaign “Without visas to the USA”, aimedto encourage as many people as possible to apply for American visas and to do so correctly. For the purposes of the campaign, the website www.bezwizdousa.pl has been started, where it’s possible for travllers to get familiar with how to meet the required criteria for being granted a visa. With the campaign, LOT also helps Polish passengers to understand what is required from them once they land in the US. So what does a first-time traveller need to know?
We have landed happily in the USA. And what now? Only the last hurdle at the custom and immigration control and all the opportunites the United States has to offer will be waiting for us.
In addition to picking up your luggage, you will have to talk to an immigration official. It’s a standard procedure that everyone who comes to America passes through. It does not matter if they come with a visa or from a country which is encompassed by a visa-free travel program – a conversation is obligatory and it will always take place in English.The situation in which Polish passengers are denied entry into the US is extremely rare – people who have correctly defined the purpose of their trip have no reason to worry. However, if it turns out after arriving in the US, that our actual reason for arrival differs
from the one declared (for example, if there is a suspicion that you have arrived on a tourist visa but plan to find a job), an immigration officer may come to the conclusion that you have violated immigration regulations. Then the traveler may receive a decision to refuse entry to the USA and is sent back to the country of origin. Severe violation of the law, may even result in a temporary ban on entering the US. Otherwise, you will be able to appeal the decision, but only after returning to Poland by filling out the form on the website of the Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov/trip).
An immigration officer will definately be interested in the your customs declaration that you have filled out on the plane. A passenger can also expect a couple of standard questions, for example about the places you plan to visit in the U.S. There is nothing to fear: most of the questions have already been answered when you filled the DS-160 document necessary for being granted a visa. The official will also take your fingerprints. At the official’s request, place your thumb and four fingers on the special glass panel. A photo of you will also be taken on the spot. Then just a stamp in your passport and you have passed through immigration.
Take your passport with a long-awaited stamp, your checked baggage and at the customs control point hand over the customs declaration. It may happen that you will be randomly selected for a personal check. It’s also a standard procedure that you do not have to worry about. Just remember not to bring things with that are forbidden to the US, usually the main problem is different kinds of food. When you leave the departure hall, the United States is open for exploration and it is up to you what you want to do and see in this great and beautiful country.