Aussies being treated like "criminals" at US airports
<p><span>Australians have shared horror stories of being interrogated at the US border and being stuck in limbo over visa applications due to the US immigration crackdown.</span></p>
<p><span>Australians are finding it harder to visit and work in the US after President Donald Trump’s administration has tightened rules on granting visas to foreigners in a bid to increase border security.</span></p>
<p><span>32-year-old Brisbane compliance director, Jinda Baikham, said she felt “very violated” after being questioned at the US border in Hawaii for a visit to Iran years before.</span></p>
<p><span>Jinda recently travelled to Hawaii for her fourth time with her mum, dad and three sisters.</span></p>
<p><span>Jinda declared the Iranian trip on her visa waiver but when a customs officer saw the stamp on her passport, she was moved into a room and interrogated for three hours.</span></p>
<p><span>“I was told nothing. I had to sit and watch an officer go through my entire phone at the counter for over an hour,” she told <a href="http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/aussies-treated-like-criminals-at-us-border/news-story/d3748c9b67f4f9fcbc59a535e878a4bd" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>news.com.au</strong></span></a>.</span></p>
<p><span>“Every now and then, he would ask who certain people were, like texts from my sister, and he commented that I have a lot of photos of my dog.”</span></p>
<p><span>“After he went through everything on my phone, he decided there was nothing threatening on my phone against America.”</span></p>
<p><span>Jinda was eventually allowed into the country but has said it is unlikely that she will return.</span></p>
<p><span>“I felt very violated,” she said.</span></p>
<p><span>Another Aussie, who wished to be known as Julie, said she was “traumatised” after attempting to enter the US with a valid J-1 visa but did not have a particular form that was needed.</span></p>
<p><span>“You would’ve thought I was a criminal,” she told news.com.au.</span></p>
<p><span>“I was whisked away to a separate holding area, whilst my partner was separated and cleared through customs to baggage collection, where I proceeded to sit for three hours, the first 2.5 of these with no explanation, interaction or any idea of what was going on.”</span></p>
<p><span>“Post a 17-hour transit, this was considerably painful.”</span></p>
<p><span>“Finally when someone called me through, I was yelled at for a good 10 to 15 minutes, asking where my form was (I had told them repeatedly) and that I needed to get someone from Australia to fax them one straight away, being 1 am Queensland time — and who owns a fax machine?”</span></p>
<p><span>“Over-tired, overstressed, the tears started from me. Keep in mind, at this whole stage they were yelling — not just discussing like rational people.”</span></p>
<p><span>“After being passed on [through customs], the result was I basically just needed to fill out a form with my personal details and send it back in before 30 days. I’m still slightly traumatised by the experience and, to be honest, post this trip I don’t think I will return to the US.”</span></p>
<p><span>An Australian immigration lawyer based in the US, Zjantelle Cammisa Markel, said there is “more scrutiny than ever before” for Aussies who want to work in the US.</span></p>
<p><span>She explained that US immigration and consulate staffers have been given increased powers to deny foreigners access to the country due to White House-sanctioned updates to the Foreign Affairs Manual, which guides the issuance of visas.</span></p>
<p><span>The updates allow officials to refuse visas, if granting one would harm the US’s best interests.</span></p>
<p><span>Ms Camissa Markel highlighted that the increased authority was commonly being applied if there was a suspicion that a foreigner was taking a job away from an American.</span></p>
<p><span>She also said that there has been increased scrutiny for foreigners who want to change their visa statuses within the first three months of their trip.</span></p>
<p><span>Visa holders who get a job or marry an American without telling an immigration official could be accused of lying on their application and deported.</span></p>
<p><span>“If you do anything that’s inconsistent with your visa application within 90 days, it can be considered a misrepresentation,” Ms Cammisa Markel said.</span></p>
<p><span>Immigration lawyers have urged Aussies to be vigilant with paperwork and transparent with their intentions when visiting the US. </span></p>
