IMMIGRATION

I Paid £8,000 To Be Locked Up In An Immigration Cell and Banned From The USA Forever

Sleeping on the floor of an LAX holding cell was the least of my problems…

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

In late 2017, my dreams of living in Los Angeles, California were destroyed by U.S immigration banning me from ever again entering the country on an ESTA. Because of this, I then applied for the O-1 talent visa which would allow me to work and live in the country for 3 years, for which I paid close to £8,000. After two strenuous years of compiling hundreds of pages for my visa application along with monthly communication with the necessary Labor Unions and Californian authorities, it was still denied. So, alas, I am still residing in sunny old London Town. Here is my story and how you can best avoid it happening to you…(and what to expect in an immigration cell).

Being an Australian citizen, I always used my Australian passport to enter the country, which along with the addition of a $14 ESTA Visa Waiver, allows you to stay for any 90 day period at a time. This waiver lasts for two years unless your passport expires or your ESTA is revoked. Anyone who is a citizen of any of the 39 countries participating in the VWP (Visa Waiver Program) can quite easily apply for an ESTA with a few easy steps online. It’s a…