Changes to visa rules (2)

Yesterday I blogged about some changes to China visa rules as advised by The Practical Nomad. His response follows.

I wrote that *I* had never been asked this question before, which is
true.

I'm very much aware that the USA routinely asks all arriving foreigners
whether they have any criminal record, ever, anywhere, and has done so for
many
years.

But US authorities don't ask this question of US citizens entering the US.
Since I'm a US citizen, I have never been asked this question entering the
US. (US citizens don't have to complete the green I-94 form shown in your
blog.)

And I had never been asked this in any of the other countries I had
visited, or on prior visits to China (as a foreigner, travelling on a US
passport).

Edward Hasbrouck

The Practical Nomad

Fair enough. I have come across a few odd questions on immigration and customs forms over the years - some simply lost in translation, but others are more intrusive.

One thing I have found curious is that some countries require every single box to be filled in (eg visiting USA an address must be given even if only in international transit), while others (eg Australia) have some boxes that are optional and the voluntary nature is not even mentioned on the form in some cases.

On the subject of immigration and forms, look out for an upcoming blog entry about changes for USA visa waiver visitors (ESTA).