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Originally Posted by Therapy  UMMM..................I think it is about the same.
Plus they know that if they really, really want to come to the US and stay there, all they have to do is get their "feet dry".
Try that on them and see what happens.
Most other countrys are much stricter than the US and always have been. |
Therapy, I beg to differ. Arrival at international airports in the USA has often been a nightmare for many non-US citizens, particularly in recent years. The shenanigans caused by over-enthusiastic customs and immigration officers, admittedly sticking to the letter of the laws of the countries in which they operate, have to be seen to be believed.
The rise of bureaucracy and ludicrous entry requirements in recent years has been led and promulgated by the USA. When other countries follow suit, it may because of prompting from US agencies who want to know who is travelling where and when. Because of local problems e.g. trying to stop the flow of drugs the Caribbean governments/civil servants may of course simply have latched on to the US idea that knowing everything about everyone is the only way to go.
You may have read on these forums lately about the difficulties for sailors who are thinking of sailing to Australian ports. Perhaps all this tracking of people is inspired by the manufacturers of satellite communications equipment who see a handy way of increasing their market? The military-industrial complex looking for new avenues to exploit?
In any event all this paperwork is just one more nuisance.