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I have just had a harrowing experience with an US immigration officer at Toronto airport, and I'm not sure what I should do now. I live in the UK and am employed by a UK registered company. I have been in Toronto visiting a customer of the company I work for. We also have an office in the USA amongst other countries. I am on my way to DC for the weekend, and then to Atlanta to meet with my American colleagues in the USA office to continue discussions relating to the Canadian customer. I am retuning to Toronto in a week to visit the customer once more, and then home to London.
The officer was not happy with the explanation and I was taken to a room for further questioning. He challenged my travel patterns and reasons for entering the USA, essentially claiming that I was "working" and taking a job away from an American. At one point I was told "your story is unravelling, and so are you". I was told "we are watching you, and next time you visit you will need to have a work visa".
It is my understanding that the planned activities with my American colleagues would be allowed under the visa waiver program for temporary entry for business purposes. I am not employed in the USA, I am employed and paid in the UK by a UK registered company who happens to also operate in the USA. He wanted to know why someone from the USA office wasn't doing the project in Canada. All sorts of strange questions. Was the guy just trying to scare me? Will I now have to visit the embassy in London to apply for a visa every time I need to come for meetings in the US? Can I find out if the warning has been officially recorded? Would he have let me in if I really didn't meet the requirements? He did let me in, but did not stamp my passport! What a great welcome to the USA.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
The officer was not happy with the explanation and I was taken to a room for further questioning. He challenged my travel patterns and reasons for entering the USA, essentially claiming that I was "working" and taking a job away from an American. At one point I was told "your story is unravelling, and so are you". I was told "we are watching you, and next time you visit you will need to have a work visa".
It is my understanding that the planned activities with my American colleagues would be allowed under the visa waiver program for temporary entry for business purposes. I am not employed in the USA, I am employed and paid in the UK by a UK registered company who happens to also operate in the USA. He wanted to know why someone from the USA office wasn't doing the project in Canada. All sorts of strange questions. Was the guy just trying to scare me? Will I now have to visit the embassy in London to apply for a visa every time I need to come for meetings in the US? Can I find out if the warning has been officially recorded? Would he have let me in if I really didn't meet the requirements? He did let me in, but did not stamp my passport! What a great welcome to the USA.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
