CBP Officer

CBP Officer

CBPGuy

7 Years Experience

SouthWest, US

Male, 25

I am a U. S. Customs and Border Protection Officer on the southwest border between Mexico and the United States. I know the ins and outs of the job as seen on TV/News and things intentionally hidden from the media! There's more to this job than "Anything to declare?" I dont know all but I'll do my best to answer any questions you have! All answers are my opinion, and my opinion only!

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Last Answer on April 22, 2019

Best Rated

Also I may have not been very clear but is this waiver is required even if I have obtained new L1 A visa?Where will it mention in Visa aboutWaiver...I din ask for any waiver when i went for interview so not sure if they havegiven it.

Asked by Abhishek over 8 years ago

The waiver will be mentioned on the bottom of your visa. This should have been disclosed to the US embassy in India when you applied for you L1 A Visa. There is a question on the visa application that says something like "Have you ever overstayed your visit in the United States", to which you would answer yes. After answering yes, the US Embassy will interview you and ask you about what happened. More than likely, they will then grant you a waiver. Once you get this waiver, an immigration officer will not remove you from the United States upon entry.

In my honest opinion, I think you should go to the US embassy in India and explain that you overstayed your previous stay in the United States and tell them why. You should do all of this before you come back to the United States, so they can issue you a new L1 A Visa with a waiver. This also means you will have to pay for a new visa.

As an experienced immigration officer, if i saw that you were a previous overstay and nothing was done about it, i would charge you with 212(a)(7)(A)(i)(II) - because you will not overcome the assumption of being an intended immigrant. If the embassy granted you a waiver for your overstay, then I cannot charge you for that overstay.

A family member who's is a regular cbp officer is constantly going to Arizona to "work". They don't show any proof of being there. Is this something that happens? Lately they have been going monthly. They are based out of Florida.

Asked by David over 8 years ago

For U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the southwest border is in dire need of officers. The agency provides support to those officers by having officers at airports work Temporary Duty (TDY) at various Ports of Entry for extended periods of time. Hundreds of officers have signed up to participate, most voluntarily, very few mandated.

So yes, it does actually happen!

I recently emailed a Q of the CBP website, & the info in it could be used against me at a port of entry, if they knew of it. Does the CBP website ever pass on query emails or put them into a computer database to pop up when one's passport is checked?

Asked by Questioner1 over 8 years ago

Thats above my pay grade, sir! I honestly don't know if the CBP website handlers enter information into our computer systems.

Why do a CBP officer ask for email? Do they have access to email and facebook or any social media platforms?
If a doctor or pharmacist is coming to USA for exam to obtain licensure, is it gonna be a crime? I heard that it falls in crime?

Asked by Kaka210 almost 9 years ago

CBP Officers may ask for email for a number of reasons. Our agency does a lot of behind the scenes targeting that people are unaware of. I cant really give you more information than that.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a doctor or a pharmacist coming to the United States to obtain additional licensing or certification. The only crime would be, if you were getting paid to provide services in the US or if you were to receive some sort of government provided financial aid to pay for the classes.

I am a legal permanent resident. What are some probable outcomes if I refuse to unlock my phone/laptop at the border? What's the worst-case outcome?

Thanks! This is a great thread.

Asked by James almost 8 years ago

You are not required to give your password to your laptop or phone to the officer. However, the officer only needs reasonable suspicion that you may have illicit information in the computer to use a device which unlocks it. In order to use the device, your computer would be seized and brought to a facility. This process takes time.

Worst case outcome for an LPR - You will be held at the border for several hours (later released) and your computer could be seized for several months. Unless you have something illegal, then it changes thins depending on what you have.

Are you allowed to have beards while working for the CBP?

Asked by Garret about 8 years ago

Yes. There is a policy on how long it is allowed to be, but I'm not exactly sure of the measurements.

I really love this thread and the amount you have put into it! Great information and resource! I was wondering if the divorce rate/stress on a marriage is the same as you might see for police officers? Have you noticed it in your own life?

Asked by micole14 about 8 years ago

Thanks for the compliment!

We don't have any factual statistics like local police do, however, I would say the numbers are very similar, especially at the southern border. Officers can expect to work between two and three 16 hour shifts a week. This puts a huge damper on relationships. I would say at least 30% of the officers I worked with have been divorced at least once. 5 to 10% divorced more than once.

I got a little lucky with my wife. Before I worked for CBP, I worked 2 jobs, sometimes 3 jobs, at one time and I was rarely ever around. I would have only 1 day off and work approximately 12 to 18 hours a day every day. My wife came into this relationship already knowing that and accepting it. Once I was hired with CBP, I worked a lot less hours than I have in the past so It worked out for us.