Arriving in the USA

Now here is where the fun can begin. And by fun we mean queuing. Thankfully most Brits are professional level at this most understated of sports. Most airports of entry in the USA can have lengthy queues to pass through Immigration control. This has been the case for decades and is unlikely to change. There are some methods to help with this, read on later. What I want to emphasise here is what to do on arrival and seeking immigration clearance.

1. Your ESTA is for tourist or business travel only. It CANNOT be used for entry as a student, or seeking entry for other reasons. Please treat US rules appropriately. Seek guidance from the ESTA website if unsure. If you are on this page, we’re assuming you are a tourist and therefore all good.
2. The queue is long, and can take hours. My main steer here ? Go with that expectation. You may be there for a couple of hours, and generally speaking, the authorities ban things like phones out whilst queueing. Kids with tablets technically is also not permitted, but we saw this happening a lot on our travels.
3. When called forward to speak to the immigration officer, you will be asked for your passport(s) for you or your group. Hand them over and if possible have them ready on the details / photo page.
4. At the time of writing, you’ll also need to provide a face / iris scan, this is less invasive than it sounds. On our last trip in 2025, you need to look into what is just a webcam.
5. You may also need to provide fingerprints to gain entry, even as a repeat visitor. This isn’t old school ink and paper, you will be directed to place your fingers onto a digital reader. There are lights on it to make it clear which digits it can read.
6. The officer may have some questions for you, such as purpose of visit, how long for etc, just answer these honestly. Sometimes they might ask for proof of where you are staying, so have your hotel / villa / airbnb booking available on paper if necessary.
7. The officers manning these booths are generally actually quite personable and well natured on average, despite what some news media may indicate. So treating them with respect and courtesy is just good practice. They want to process you as quickly as possible – they have 300 people per tin can that’s just landed to process. Have to hand what you will be asked for is the best advice I can give here. Do NOT moan about how long the wait is. Just be open, honest and courteous, and you’ll be grabbing your bags soon.
8. Once through, you have officially been landed legally in the US for your holiday. Enjoy

Skipping the queue (sort of)

I mentioned above a potential way to skip the queue at immigration. This doesn’t apply to everyone. Some ports of entry (and Orlando and LAX are included at time of writing) that allow use of the “CBP app”. Technically this is to facilitate smoother access for more trusted tourists. The use of the CBP is officially for people who have already entered the USA under the same ESTA (i.e. within the two year limit).

Use of the app is simple, install, and the app actually works offline in the main, so you can do it on the plane. You enter your passport numbers and your airport (and terminal !) of entry, along with your ESTA group’s key information. Save that. (note about terminals if flying Virgin Atlantic to Orlando. They operate their aircraft from terminal B, but their ticketing / check-in facility is Terminal A, and they advertise they operate from Terminal A – which doesn’t appear on the app. Choose Terminal B, as this will be the one you land at),

Then on landing, fire up your data plan or Wifi if you can get it. Tell the app you have landed and you will be asked to use the app to take a selfie of all those in your group. It will ask if you are travelling for business or pleasure (i.e. tourism). It will then direct you to a separate queue at immigration. At Orlando they normally have a member of staff to direct you to the appropriate queue (sorry, line). Do the selfie thing in their eyesight if you can, they will then direct you to the CBP app queue. You will still need to talk to an immigration officer, of course, but the process is quicker, and the queue is normally much, much shorter.

The only drawback ? You normally clear immigration so quickly you then end up waiting for your bags for a while, but at least then you can get to the loo.

Worst case ? You get told you can’t use that mechanism and you’ll have to go back to the main queue. But that’s ok, you normally find someone to chat to – you’re in the same boat as everyone else. Plus, maybe its good to stand up for a while after been sat in that aluminium tube for 8 hours or more !