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✎ EN Which country is strictest for immigration ?
    

Discussion in 'Departure' started by grover, Jan 16, 2012.

  1. grover

    grover Member

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    with regards to immigration?

    I vacationed in UK in 2000 and they were pretty abrupt in greeting inbound tourist.

    By extension, which is most lax?

    I was generally thinking Europe, but other countries I'd also like to hear about.

    Japan was very upfront. Vietnam didn't say anything but definitely went through my luggage. I don't remember anything particular regarding New Zealand and Spain.

    g
     
    #1 grover, Jan 16, 2012
  2. EasyExpat

    EasyExpat Administrator
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    Hello,
    Are you talking about the greeting as a tourist when visiting a country, or getting through the immigration process to live and work in the country? Those could be quite different.
    And it also depend on the government policy at the time.

    For example in countries such as France, rules have piled up in the last decade in order to make things more difficult to immigrate (the country is also going to face election in 3 months with the conservative government trying to please and attract the right wing/national vote).

    Spain has not tighten its conditions, but the economy did the job: with more than 20% unemployed this has now become a country of emigrant for the first time in 20 years.
     
    #2 EasyExpat, Jan 16, 2012
  3. grover

    grover Member

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    I was talking about both. I know of two countries where customs and immigration are linked departments.

    In Japan, customs at the airport went through my luggage in front of me and started asking questions regarding whether I wanted to stay etc. Later in that trip in NE Tokyo, Ueno, a policeman stopped me and asked me for my passport. I did not know one needed to have one just to walk down the street (luckily I had mine on my person).

    I remember the Sydney Morning Herald having a front page picture above the fold of an American physically being deported at the airport. It was probably some notorious case which I don't remember the details of, but that struck me as extreme.
     
    #3 grover, Jan 20, 2012
  4. EasyExpat

    EasyExpat Administrator
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    Although it depends on the countries (US officers are not known for being particularly welcoming to visitors), it also depends a lot on the customs officers. I started to be deeply questionned (as a fraud or suspicious immigrant probably) after I suggested that it was a bit stupid to check the photo on the passport of a 1 month old baby with closed eyes with its owner, now aged 2 (years)... and it happened 1 month ago, in Paris, going to London! (I concluded that either it was a very offensive and dangerous question... or the officer was just being very stupid)
     
    #4 EasyExpat, Jan 20, 2012
  5. grover

    grover Member

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    I remember in Honolulu coming back from Hanoi I was asked to step into an 'investigation room' where two ambitious customs agents went through my person as intimately as I'd wish a woman on a first date would (drugs). I also know a 5 year old girl who was singled out for pat down at Heathrow because she is half Iraqi (terrorism).

    There's this case in New Zealand unfolding now, where apparently you can buy citizenship for $10m (firm). http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/6308387/Kim-Dotcom-denied-bail-to-appeal
     
    #5 grover, Jan 26, 2012
  6. paprecamartin

    paprecamartin New Member

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    Newbie here . I just made an account and look forward to being a part of this forum and community.
     
    #6 paprecamartin, Apr 11, 2012
  7. EasyExpat

    EasyExpat Administrator
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    It is the second time you post the same message... :crazy:
     
    #7 EasyExpat, Apr 11, 2012
  8. Safari

    Safari Member

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    well in my views "Central African Republic" has very strict immigration rules.
     
    #8 Safari, Apr 16, 2012
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