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Comment by WatchDog | Hacker News Reader

I made a mistake filling out the ESTA, I was traveling for a job interview and ticked the box saying that I was seeking to work in the US, big mistake, instant denial.

There is no one you can talk to, no way to expedite any remediation, and you can't travel to the US by boat or plane to talk to the CBP.

What I ended up doing, and I don't necessarily recommend this, is flew to Canada and entered over the land border.

After spending something like an hour at the border, and holding up my bus, they let me in.

Supposedly I should be able to apply for an ESTA in the future, but it's not something I have tried since.

I didn't get the job.

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Similar experience incorrectly checking the “Have you committed a crime” checkbox for the Australian ETA. They are unable to “change my response” (Department of Immigration seems to have found a use case for blockchain :) I previously lived and worked in Sydney for 3 years. Now I’m banned from using ETA for life.

Once COVID is over...if you know someone’s first name, last name, and passport number, you can fill out an online form to ban them from visiting Australia for a mere $20!

Reminds me of the scene in the series "Lilyhammer", where

<spoiler> a similar literal interpretation of the ESTA check list, i.e. a Norwegian police officer answering "Yes" to the question if he has ever been in contact with terrorists/terrorism, eventually causes the protagonists' witness protection bubble to be pierced through a series of unfortunate events. </spoiler>

Heh, I could have had similar experiences that I didn’t want to push (but in hindsight, the border should have taken it as a lesson to improve for COVID).

Back in the Ebola days (5 years ago?), the Canadian border entry terminals at airport would ask:

“Have you been in contact with anyone with Ebola?, Yes or No?” and I wanted some help from them, because how the hell do I know? Can barely spell the disease, let alone explain it.

I had a similar experience. I was flying to the US for a job interview, so I ticked the box that said I was seeking work. I was denied and missed my flight. I've been told I will never be eligible for and ESTA again. I got the job and am now on an E-3 visa, however if I ever want to visit and don't have an E-3, I need to apply for a proper tourist visa.

I made a similar mistake waiting for my H1b. I went to the embassy in London to sort it out - didn't work, they denied a tourist visa. Had to wait it out in rented accommodation - nightmare. Next year I'm applying for citizenship - mainly because I don't want to face GC renewal...

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