Customs and immigration at the airport
By maximax8
@maximax8 (31053)
United Kingdom
June 4, 2012 1:15pm CST
When I traveled to America the immigration officer kept asking if I was going to work over and over again. Every time I said no and had explained that I had a working holiday visa for Australia in my passport. I intended to work there and do it legally. I did manage to work in Australia as a children's nanny, a charity collector and a factory packer. Going into Australia an official had pleasantly said to me welcome to Australia. Going to Australia in 1993 no food could be bought into Australia. The situation is now different and they do allow some food into their country. They don't allow fruit, vegetables and meat into their country. They make all travelers fill out a card which asks if they have any food. They search many people and give a fine if the passenger ticked no yet they do have food. It is around a 220 dollar fine. Nowadays they believe some people might be going to Australia to work illegally. They ask many questions to people coming into Australia to see if they are a true tourist and not an illegal worker.
Have you ever been asked anything by a customs or immigration officer?
Did you bring food over an international boarder?
Why do you think one airline gave every passenger an apple just before arriving?
Was it fair many of these passengers got a 220 dollar fine from customs Australia?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@bjc66bjc (6730)
• United States
4 Jun 12
wow are you serious...Thats a bait move...I have definately
travelled abroad and I actually have never been involved with
any customs issue except once when we arrived back here in
the USA, my girlfriend got off the plane before me and went
on her way to baggage, with my passport in her purse. which
means it look like I was trying to enter the coutry illegally.
anyway she was located and was returned to whereyhey were HOLDING ME.
My passport was presented and I was wished a good trip home..
It was a scary situtation to think I may not be able to go
home to my children...
But NO it was definately not fair what they did to the passengers
by giving them apples and then charging them for possession them.
@bjc66bjc (6730)
• United States
5 Jun 12
Thats true, because I didn;t know she actually had my passport,
I thought I might have left it when exiting the plane..they
sent security back to check around the my seat...I knew I had
to have had it to get on the plane to come home...but coming
through immigration here in the USA I just was lost for where it
was,,,when I told them my girlfriend was on her way to baggge claim,
they found her and she came back to the holding office..she
looked in her purse and there it was....
But it is a scary thought.....
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Jun 12
Oh, my goodness if you hadn't got your passport back you might not have been allowed back home. Arriving without a passport would be a nightmare at immigration. They look to make sure all the bank cards are in the passenger's name. Thankfully you got reunited with your passport.
@bjc66bjc (6730)
• United States
6 Jun 12
thanks maximax for your concern, but call me crazy because I
wasn't afraid because I knew I had it when I boarded back
to the states,and maybe it was because they were very nice
to me and and made me felt ok, because they were aware that
I had to have it to board the plane back home.
Anyway we just don't know when my passport slid into her
purse.
Thank God everything turned out fine.
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
4 Jun 12
Wow... the process sounds unusual in the USA these days. I guess they have to be tough, though. The process in Australia has changed because more domestic airports have turned international in recent years. There are many goods - not just foods - that are prohibited when crossing state borders. So it's not really an Australian thing - it's policed by the states. These bans are put in place to protect local industries from diseases found in foreign foods. The threat is real & in the past has nearly wiped out whole industries here. Unfortunately, travellers only see it as impinging on their freedoms & many flout the law. Sniffer dogs, electronic detection & other passengers reporting your every move are watching though! The tiny fine should be doubled at least... at the moment, it barely pays enough for policing. People need to get the message. TV programs like "Boarder Patrol" & others are helping to get the message out there too. New Zealand has different laws again... when I went there in 2003 & 2004, one was not allowed to have any mud on their boots when in the airport!
I think it's a good idea to offer an apple; might help passengers to feel more welcome, boost blood sugar & make them more likely to declare goods. Which airline did that?
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Jun 12
Thanks for your wonderful response. You are totally correct in your detailing why Australian customs refuse some food items coming into Australia so no diseases are introduced to it. Yes, I went to New Zealand at the time Britain had a problem with foot and mouth. Needless to say I got a free boot cleaning.
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
5 Jun 12
I took it the other way. Might have to clarify the situation with the topic opener on that one. Otherwise, I'll ring up the airline myself & ask them to clarify it for us. There are just so many of them that I'd need more information from the topic opener.
@albto_568 (1268)
• Costa Rica
11 Jun 12
When I enter the US, I have never been asked anything, I haven´t went for a while but, when I go, they do ask questions to people randomly, and I have been lucky, I am usually lucky in this things, for instance, I have never get my luggage checked by custom officers, when I come back to my country.
About the fee in Australia, well, if the their policy is not to allow food to enter the country, and it is well explained to tourists in the embassy when getting the visa, the arline etc, and people try to break the law, then it seems fair. What I don´t understand is the apple that the airline gives, seems extrange for me.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
8 Jun 12
That is so weird that they would feed the passengers an apple just at the end of their trip! Where did you hear about that one? I think it is fair that they were fined. People should know better than to try and take fruit into another country. Everyone knows you cannot do that!
We bought some food back into Australia from the USA but only dried products that we declared and they were fine with them. We did however accidentally bring some tomato seeds back into the country. We had planned to give them away at the end of our USA trip but forgot all about them until we got home and unpacked. We did not declare them and customs did not find them! 
We had heard all these horror stories about getting into the USA these days since 911, but we got in and out really easily. It seemed to take far longer getting back into Australia!
We had heard all these horror stories about getting into the USA these days since 911, but we got in and out really easily. It seemed to take far longer getting back into Australia! 
@Poseidon2012 (45)
• China
5 Jun 12
I went to NYC, America from Port of Spain by BWIA air flight in the February of 2002, I have already obtained visas from Trinidad local embassy. I went out and I was chewing the chewing gums.
I stopped by the immigration glass box, the officer took my passport and rolled up his eyes. "What do you mean transit, if it is transit, why you stay for three day?"
I explained to him:"I wished to do some shopping and site seeing before I go back to China." Office murmured:"If it is transit, you shall not stay over night". Well.I was thinking, if you can decide to let me go back with same flight to Port of Spain, I will claim my boss for extra salary for one month, I do not care, and who do you think who you are, I have already got visa from local US embassy, well, decision is all yours. Sure it is not likely he can turn me down, he murmured and let me pass the immigration.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Jun 12
It was totally reasonable you wanted to do shopping and sightseeing in Trinidad. You already had a visa so you were fine. It is horrible when an immigration officer is so very unpleasant. A smile and a pleasant attitude is needed by immigration officers.
@Chikezie (385)
• Malaysia
5 Jun 12
Maximax8, travelling to Malaysia was a good experience but the Immigration was not that fair. They a lot of questions also and why I came to study in Malaysia. My friend was also asked about his social visa passport and was thoroughly querred of his length of stay in Malaysia. I weary ones when you should be treated with great hospitality but sometimes you get a harsh treatment.
I know that Australia give room to work and live in Australia though there might also be good recommendation. To your questions:
1.When I came to Malaysia, I was as usual asked of my intention here.
2. I brought food especially since am coming from Africa and I will have to eat our food for some time till I get used to their diet here. That was part of my charged luggage.
3.Well I used Egypt Air, I was not given any apple before arriving but I commend their service greatly. The service was nice.
4. I do not see being fair for Australia to charge 220 dollars from passengers well there might also be justification by the government of Australia.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Jun 12
I think you had the right choice go to study in Malaysia. Immigration officers do tend to ask silly questions. It is the traveler's choice how long he or she is staying. You liked to have some African food because it is what you are familiar with.
