Immigration: Reasons Why Customs Asks Questions at Ports of Entry

 

Have you ever noticed that Customs agents at the airport, or other Ports of Entry, ask many of the same questions every time? Do any of these questions look familiar?

Where have you been outside the US?

Where did you go?

How long did you stay?

What did you do there?

What was the purpose of your visit?

Why are you coming to the US now?

Do you have any family or friends here?

Through questions like these, Customs Border Protection agents are trying to determine if a Green card holder has Abandoned their status as a Legal Permanent Resident. For a Legal Permanent Resident to lose or abandon their status, their place of residency must have moved from the US, to another country.

When a Green card holder or Lawful Permanent Resident tells the officer that they live in another country, have a residency in another country, worked in another country, or are moving to live in another country, these purposes and details can signal to the agent that the Green card holder may have abandoned their status of residency in the US.

So the next time you travel, look for the types of questions that the officers ask.