PRELUDE: Visa Complications ... don't leave home without it
TOWNSVILLE ~ Fitzy's Poverty Palace (Queensland, AUS)
Trip Planning & Overview ~ November 1st, 2019
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Greetings & Salutations,
This G'Day USA ~ 2020 trip centres around spending a week with the Alice Springs Dingoes Golden Oldies Rugby squad of lunatics & legends participating in the 23rd World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival, which fits squarely in the middle of my upcoming adventure - nearly 6 weeks in the United States of A Miracle.
From the outset, I will make my apologies for this length of this initial post's length, but as you can appreciate when dealing with bureaucrats - everything goes at their pace. I figured that seeing as the outcomes could have easily seen me being unable to enter the U.S., I thought I'd take the time a share the 'experience' with you.
About 6 months after returning from the 2018 Kiwi Kruizin’ trip, in which I participated in the 22nd World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival, festival packages and prices were released for the 2020 festival being hosted by Denver, Colorado, USA. As an early adopter, I paid up there & then and would sort out all the other travel arrangements roughly 10-11 months prior to departure, as that’s when the airlines generally release their ticketed airfare schedules.
In March 2019, I jetted off to the U.S. for my 73 day 2019 Taco's & Toucan's trip and upon arrival in Dallas, Texas, USA was initially refused entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and subsequently was allowed entry, but my Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visa waiver program visa was permanently revoked with me being advised to contact the U.S. Consulate when I arrive back home in Australia.
As outlined in my March 16 Blog update, the entire ordeal is based on the fact that I answered no to the ESTA Visa Waiver Program question regarding – "Have you ever been arrested or convicted for a crime that resulted in serious damage to property, or serious harm to another person or government authority?"
Back on July 4th, 2001 I was charged with alleged traffic matters which were subsequently dismissed with “the state having no objections to a final dismissal” and “the charges in the above-captioned case are hereby dismissed”. At the time of the incident, I had concerns regarding any charges having any adverse effect on my status of Resident Alien i.e. my Green Card and was advised by my legal representative, the Clerk Of Court and my immigration lawyer "that as the charges were dismissed in their entirety, there is nothing of record to worry about".
Subsequent dealings with US Immigrations saw me answering the same question to the negative until I used the ETSA system and the question had changed in its terms – with my understanding that it had read “arrested and convicted”, but now reads “arrested or convicted”. The other factor was that the traffic matters did not seemingly meet the serious damage or injury criteria’s, nor did it involve any government authority – so WTF???
My task when stepping off the tin crow in Boise, Idaho, USA was to contact my lawyer Coxy at Cox Law and then head down to the Ada County courthouse to get a certified copy of the case and its subsequent dismissal and I’ll sort it out when I got back to Australia about 10 weeks later.
Within a week of getting home, I was advised by the Sydney US Consulate to jump on the U.S. Department of State – Consular Electronic Application Centre website to apply for the Non-immigrant Visa with its $240.00 hit to the hip pocket and might I just add, what a lesson in frustration. It would have to be one of the least intuitive websites that I’ve had the displeasure of trying to navigate around. It took me 3 evenings and Saturday morning to get my application lodged.
I received notification 12 days later that my application had been processed and they had scheduled an interview for me on September 30th in Sydney – a mere 1,400 mile (2,260 kilometre) drive south of here.
I continue ½ heartedly researching and planning for the “G’Day USA” trip while booking airfares, accommodations and taking time off work to make the interview.
I arrive an hour early for my interview and then run the gauntlet of the rude and arrogant “Consular Security” rent-a-cop rejects, who’s favourite term seems to be “haven’t you read the sign” – well ..... actually, no weaponhead, there is no sign!!!
I sit and wait for an hour and a half only to be told my application has been refused as they need more information. I was basically was sent on my way with a yellow form, that had my name spelt incorrectly and a padded overnight airbag “should we require you to send your passport to us”. I hold my composure and simply smile, while thinking "Jeez ..... for fucks sake ..... really!!!"
To say I was saddened, dejected and frustrated at this juncture would have been a slight understatement. I provided all the relevant documentation requested of me, but now they wanted to see the court documents pertaining to the charges.
As my ex mother-in-law used to say, “Oh well .....”
I’m like what do you do? So off I trundle, but for some unknown reason, I had General Douglas MacArthur’s famous quote “I Shall Return” bouncing around in my scone.
I emailed Coxy and receive the requested documents the next day – onya mate, and fire them off to the US Consulate. 12 days later I receive confirmation of an approval for a B1/B2 business/tourism visa with a validity of five (5) years.
One thing that struck me over this whole turn of events - I’m more than appreciative with the advances and acceptance of technology. Imagine for an instant, trying to sort something like this out with microfiche, telephones and faxes.
So …. in the end, with the assistance of my travel agent Michelle Jardine, at Travel Associates - Castletown and my aptly-named Dingoes "View Crew" consisting of - ET & Trina, Josie and Shazza, we went at it full noise in completing the trip planning and finalising the details.
In total, I think I'll be on the road for around 42 days .... just on 6 weeks and I've thrown up a map of where I'm off to - click on the Travel Directions icon/link for an overview map of the entire trip.
Strap yourselves in and brace yourselves folks ..... here we go! 
• PRELUDE: Transpacific Business Class Airfares ... or not