Nearly three years ago, on June 30, 2022, Madolline Gourley, an Australian tourist, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on a flight from Brisbane but was denied entry to the United States.
She was arrested at the international terminal on the grounds that immigration officials were suspicious of her purpose while traveling in Canada (after traveling to the US).
After a five-hour interrogation at the US airport, Gourley was told she was refused entry and would be flown back to Brisbane on the next available flight.
Madolline Gourley from Brisbane was refused entry to the US three years ago and will face lifelong challenges travelling abroad because of this.
PHOTO: NVCC
What was the reason? According to officials, she violated the terms of the visa waiver program (Australian visitors to the US are exempt from visa requirements).
Gourley made the mistake of entering the US (and later Canada) on a tourist visa but intended to house-sit and pet-sit through websites like TrustedHousesitters to cut down on accommodation costs. This is considered a violation.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the visa waiver program prohibits applicants from engaging in “any type of employment” or receiving “compensation for services rendered”. This includes house-sitting services in exchange for free accommodation.
At the time, Gourley made headlines around the world after speaking out about her interrogation experience, including a moment when she was patted down by US immigration officials and even asked if she was pregnant or had recently had an abortion.
Her passport has a stamp showing that she was denied entry to the US.
PHOTO: NVCC
She explained to news.com.au at the time that the airport ordeal had taken her from “one disaster to another”. But three years later, the now 35-year-old says the rejection has hampered her travels and attempts to enter countries around the world.
For example, her most recent trip to New Zealand was questioned by immigration authorities and even had her passport blocked before leaving Australian soil.
When filling out the New Zealand eTravel Declaration for a trip in April, she encountered a question about whether she had ever been deported or refused entry to a country.
“I thought about the question before answering, but always answered yes because I have been deported or refused entry,” she said.
“The frustrating thing is that the question doesn't specify whether a person has been deported or refused. It's just a very broad question, so when I answer 'yes' to that question, immigration doesn't know whether it's a 'yes' to deportation or a 'yes' to refusal.”
Back on her trip to New Zealand, she was unable to board the plane to leave Australia at Brisbane airport because she answered "yes" to the question on the immigration form: Have you ever been deported or refused entry to another country. After a discussion with the New Zealand Immigration Department and airline staff, she was able to enter the country.
Madolline Gourley, now 35, had to relive the experience of being refused entry to the US when she tried to enter New Zealand in April.
PHOTO: NVCC
“Being deported, quarantined or banned makes a traveller ineligible to enter New Zealand. But because I was only refused entry, I was allowed in, but had to give a lengthy explanation of what happened,” Gourley said, adding that anyone who is deported or refused entry by another country faces tougher barriers to entry into Australia, the UK, the US and Canada. It’s a lifelong barrier.
And for those who think she just lied on the form, there is a stamp on her passport stating that she was denied entry.
"Now travelling makes me nervous. I didn't expect such a mess at Brisbane airport... It's even more worrying because I haven't even left the country and there's a chance I could be turned away," she said.
Gourley said that although being rejected from the US for having the wrong visa and the subsequent troubles it caused for other international trips, it did not stop her from exploring the world.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bi-tu-choi-nhap-canh-vao-my-am-anh-nu-du-khach-185250526144442391.htm
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