Latest news with #houseSitting
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Daily Mail
I was sent home from the US for a trivial reason... now I get a lump in my throat when I visit other countries
An Aussie woman says she is constantly worried about being barred from other countries after she was sent home from the US for a trivial reason. Madolline Gourley recently applied for a working holiday visa to Canada and had a shocking 2022 experience in the back of her mind. Three years ago the Brisbane local flew into Los Angeles for a pet-sitting holiday, but was denied entry because she was in violation of her ESTA visa waiver. It was because the free use of an owner's home was considered a form of payment and anyone with an ESTA visa waiver is not allowed to work. She spent 75 days in the US in early 2022, which Ms Gourley sensed the officer was looking at as he questioned her. 'He started asking things like why I spent so long in the US, where did I go on that trip and why was I back again so soon,' she said. 'I told him I was able to get around to so many places because I looked after people's cats - unpaid, of course, and through a legitimate house sitting website - in cities and towns I wanted to visit.' Just hours after she arrived at LAX, she was kicked out of the country and sent back to Australia. And it was on her mind as she planned her working holiday to Canada. 'The US, Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand share the information collected by their immigration departments,' Ms Gourley told Sydney Morning Herald. She applied under the International Experience Canada program, and one question worried her. Her application asked: 'Have you ever been refused a visa or permit, denied entry to, or ordered to leave Canada or any other country/territory?' 'That had been weighing on my mind a lot,' Ms Gourley said. 'How being refused entry to the United States would affect future visa applications. I wasn't sure if telling the truth would result in an instant rejection, but thankfully there was an option to attach a letter outlining the particulars. 'I wrote a two-page letter and two weeks later I got an email saying my application status had been updated. 'I logged in and scrolled down to see my work permit had been approved. 'This was pretty exciting because it meant I was able to house and cat sit in Canada, and I could get a paid job if I wanted to.' Ms Gourley did the right thing, but had she lied about ever being denied entry to another country the consequences could have been serious. She even has a stamp in her passport from the US Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection that reads: 'Refused in accordance with INA section 217.' It means she's a non-US citizen who has been determined by an immigration officer to be ineligible for admission. When she got to Canada she said the immigration officer only cared for her passport. 'He said to take a seat and wait for my name to be called. I didn't know what the next steps would entail, but my work permit was printed within 10 minutes,' she said. 'It was valid for two years from July 5, 2023. 'The only other thing the officer said to me was I'd need the work permit details to apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN). 'A SIN is required before I can start working in Canada, and apparently it gives me access to certain government benefits.' Last month Ms Gourley flew to New Zealand and was again worried about answering 'yes' to the question 'Have you been deported, removed, barred or refused entry to another country?' on the traveller declaration. 'A Qantas staff member had to call NZ Immigration, and I was asked several questions before the officer went to discuss my situation with his colleague,' she said. 'The passport block was lifted, and I was able to check in, but all of this happened before I'd even left Australia.' But if she wants to go back to the US, she needs a B2 visa, which requires an interview in Australia. Deportation from a country generally means someone has committed a crime. Being deported from a country has serious implications for future travel. In most countries you can't go back for at least a year and sometimes bans are permanent. A deportation order goes on a person's permanent immigration file, and countries share the information. In March 2025, someone was denied entry to the US because he flew from Sydney to New York via Hong Kong rather than taking a more direct route. His did it to save money, but it looked suspicious to US authorities.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Daily Mail
I was deported from the US for a trivial reason... now I get a lump in my throat when I visit other countries
An Aussie woman says she is constantly worried about being barred from other countries after she was deported from America for a trivial reason. Madolline Gourley recently applied for a working holiday visa for a visit to Canada and had a shocking 2022 experience in the back of her mind. Three years ago the Brisbane local flew into Los Angeles for a pet-sitting holiday, but was denied entry to the US because she was in violation of her ESTA visa waiver. It was because the free use of an owner's home was considered a form of payment and anyone with an ESTA visa waiver is not allowed to work. She spent 75 days in the US in early 2022, which Ms Gourley sensed the officer was looking at as he questioned her. 'He started asking things like why I spent so long in the US, where did I go on that trip and why was I back again so soon,' she said. 'I told him I was able to get around to so many places because I looked after people's cats - unpaid, of course, and through a legitimate house sitting website - in cities and towns I wanted to visit.' Just hours after she arrived at LAX, she was kicked out of the country and sent back to Australia. And it was on her mind as she planned her working holiday to Canada. 'The US, Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand share the information collected by their immigration departments,' Ms Gourley told Sydney Morning Herald. She applied under the International Experience Canada program, and one question worried her. Her application asked: 'Have you ever been refused a visa or permit, denied entry to, or ordered to leave Canada or any other country/territory?' 'That had been weighing on my mind a lot,' Ms Gourley said. 'How being refused entry to the United States would affect future visa applications. I wasn't sure if telling the truth would result in an instant rejection, but thankfully there was an option to attach a letter outlining the particulars. 'I wrote a two-page letter and two weeks later I got an email saying my application status had been updated. 'I logged in and scrolled down to see my work permit had been approved. 'This was pretty exciting because it meant I was able to house and cat sit in Canada, and I could get a paid job if I wanted to.' Ms Gourley did the right thing, but had she lied about ever being denied entry to another country the consequences could have been serious. She even has a stamp in her passport from the US Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection that reads: 'Refused in accordance with INA section 217.' It means she's a non-US citizen who has been determined by an immigration officer to be ineligible for admission. When she got to Canada she said the immigration officer only cared for her passport. 'He said to take a seat and wait for my name to be called. I didn't know what the next steps would entail, but my work permit was printed within 10 minutes,' she said. 'It was valid for two years from July 5, 2023. 'The only other thing the officer said to me was I'd need the work permit details to apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN). 'A SIN is required before I can start working in Canada, and apparently it gives me access to certain government benefits.' Last month Ms Gourley flew to New Zealand and was again worried about answering 'yes' to the question 'Have you been deported, removed, barred or refused entry to another country?' on the traveller declaration. 'A Qantas staff member had to call NZ Immigration, and I was asked several questions before the officer went to discuss my situation with his colleague,' she said. 'The passport block was lifted, and I was able to check in, but all of this happened before I'd even left Australia.' But if she wants to go back to the US, she needs a B2 visa, which requires an interview in Australia. Deportation from a country generally means someone has committed a crime. Being deported from a country has serious implications for future travel. In most countries you can't go back for at least a year and sometimes bans are permanent. A deportation order goes on a person's permanent immigration file, and countries share the information. In March 2025, someone was denied entry to the US because he flew from Sydney to New York via Hong Kong rather than taking a more direct route. His did it to save money, but it looked suspicious to US authorities.
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- News.com.au
Australian woman Madolline Gourley reveals how being ‘refused' at the US border has changed her life
An Australian woman who was rejected at the US border and put on the first flight back to Brisbane says the ordeal has been life-changing in the worst possible way ever since. In 2022, Queenslander Madolline Gourley arrived to the always-chaotic Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on a flight in from Brisbane. Ms Gourley revealed to at the time — almost three years ago — she was detained while passing through the international terminal on June 30, 2022 — claiming officials were suspicious about her intention to house-sit while holidaying in Canada. After an interrogation barely five hours after arriving to the US, Ms Gourley was told she was being denied entry and would be sent back to Brisbane on the next available flight. The reason? According to officials, she had breached the conditions of the visa waiver program. Ms Gourley had made the mistake of attempting to enter the US (and onwards to Canada) on a tourist visa. But given she had intended to house-and pet-sit through websites like TrustedHousesitters to cut accommodation costs, this was deemed as a breach. The US Customs and Border Protection said the visa waiver program prohibited applicants from engaging 'in any type of employment' or receiving 'compensation for services rendered'. This includes house-sitting services in exchange for free accommodation. The CBP spokesperson said it took 'allegations of unprofessional behaviour seriously'. Following her detention, Ms Gourley made headlines around the world after speaking out about the interrogation experience — including the moment she was patted down by US immigration officials and even asked whether she was pregnant or had recently had an abortion. Ms Gourley at the time explained to the ordeal went from 'one disaster to the next' but three years later, the now 35-year-old said the refusal has plagued her travels and attempts at entering foreign countries around the world ever since. Speaking to from Brisbane, Ms Gourley said her most recent venture across the ditch to New Zealand was met with questioning from immigration and even having her passport blocked before she'd left Australian soil. While filling out her New Zealand Electronic Travel Declaration for a trip in April, she was met with the single question about previously being deported or refused entry to a country. 'I mulled on the question before answering, but always say yes to whether I have been deported or refused entry,' she said. 'The frustration is that the question doesn't break it down [whether a person was deported or refused] … it's just a very broad question, so when I do answer 'yes' to it, immigration doesn't know if it's a 'yes' to being deported, or a yes to being refused.' Upon arrival for her trip to Auckland, Ms Gourley said she was unable to check-in for her flights from Brisbane airport because she had answered 'yes' to the entry declaration's question: 'Have you been deported, removed, barred or refused entry to another country?' 'A Qantas staff member had to call New Zealand Immigration and I was asked several questions before the officer went to discuss my situation with his colleague,' she explained. 'The passport block was lifted and I was able to check-in and travel, but all of this happened before I'd even left Australia at Brisbane Airport. 'Being deported, removed or barred makes a traveller ineligible to enter New Zealand. But as I was only refused entry, I was permitted to enter, but not without having to explain what happened at length. 'I left [doing the declaration] until the last minute, because I knew I had to answer that particular question and it made me very nervous. I knew I should be OK to enter, but with this — I never really know if I will be OK.' Ms Gourley said because anyone deported, removed or rejected from another country has stronger barricades in place for entry into Australia, the UK, the USA and Canada — she expects this will be an issue for life. And for those who think she should simply tell a lie on the form, there's a stamp on her passport that says she was refused entry. 'My understanding is this will always happen … So while I was prepared for this, I was prepared for it to happen in New Zealand … not before I'd even checked in to Brisbane airport and left Australia,' she said. 'Travel comes with anxiety for me now. I didn't expect all this drama at Brisbane airport … I expected it once I got to Auckland. So it was even more anxiety causing because I hadn't even left the country and I was potentially being told no.' Ms Gourley said despite this refusal from the US for having the wrong visa, and the subsequent havoc that has caused for other international trips — it has not deterred her from seeing the world. 'It's not turned me off travelling, because not every country asks that question on the incoming passenger declaration,' she said, 'I do know you need a work visa … I have learnt my lesson so with that … but for it to follow me for the rest of my life without having broken laws in those countries [I am intending to visit] is a bit excessive. 'My record will never leave the US immigrations records and it will always be there. As long as you get that question on the declaration, I will always answer it truthfully'.
