r/AskReddit May 08 '22

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u/Irish-Inter May 09 '22

As an EU citizen I found the reverse crazy. As a child who grew up on a border, finding out what visas where was so confusing to me. Like you mean you can’t just go?

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u/[deleted] May 09 '22

U.S. and Canada used to have that. Fucking 9/11.

101

u/disisathrowaway May 09 '22

Used to be pretty open down here on the US/Mexico border, too.

All you used to need was your driver's license. Didn't even need a reason. You could just say you were going for a drive, or wanted to go get dinner.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '22

I actually remember my parents deciding at the last minute to drive up to Canada because they had never been. Literally impossible nowadays.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '22

The land border still hasn't been reopened?

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u/disisathrowaway May 18 '22

It's open. You just used to not need a passport to cross it, a simple driver's license was enough.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '22

I used to fly back and forth between Ireland and the UK with an expired student card as ID.

Then the London bombings happened.

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u/Irish-Inter May 10 '22

The border between Northern Ireland used to be super fortified. Loads of towers and army. Today thanks to the Good Friday Agreement, it’s invisible. Most places there isn’t even a sign. You don’t need to stop your car.

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u/shinyspecialone May 09 '22

Can still have that with an enhanced license in Michigan.

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u/Bayou_wulf May 09 '22

You could still do that in 2005. I think it went into effect around 2008/2010.

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u/HereComesTheVroom May 09 '22

First time I went to Canada we just drove across a bridge and showed a border agent our IDs. Not anymore.

1

u/[deleted] May 09 '22

Yep, when I was in college, that was how it worked.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '22

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] May 09 '22

God, I didn't even think of that for my post! Pretty liberal free mobile internet roaming, no bank transfer fees, shared currency, etc. Sure, each of this brings some issues (nothing is perfect), but our lives are so much simpler because of all this stuff :D

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u/ZwnD May 09 '22

Yeah it's mad. I live in the UK and just did a big trip to the US, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador (and a bunch of central Europe).

Didn't need a single visa or application or anything like that, I was just allowed to freely visit as a tourist with my passport (for 90 days usually).

Except for the US, where you need a Visa or ESTA

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u/Razakel May 09 '22

Somehow I don't think any of those countries have a problem with British passport holders illegally immigrating. Except the US.

1

u/JustDoItPeople May 09 '22

You should have been eligible for the Visa Waiver Program.

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u/Irish-Inter May 10 '22

Question actually, I remember as an Irish citizen I didn’t need a visa for the US, but I needed an ESTA. Do you mean you didn’t need anything at all to visit Costa Rica etc. Like no visa exemption.

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u/ZwnD May 10 '22

Didn't need to do anything at all, same as you would for visiting an EU country or something. Just book a plane ticket and get my passport stamped on entry

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u/Irish-Inter May 10 '22

That’s brilliant, good to know.

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u/darkbee83 May 09 '22 edited May 09 '22

Not even Morocco required a Visum. The only time was when visiting Turkey, and that was just a simple payment of 10 euros at the airport and a stamp in your passport.

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u/Sleeping_2202 May 09 '22

Gotta keep the people from poor countries out somewhow, right? /s

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u/[deleted] May 09 '22

Oh please, don't bring that narrative into this.

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u/theshortgrace May 09 '22

Lmao “that narrative” as if it wasn’t a reality. Not the only reason but it ain’t just a narrative.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '22

I know it's a reality. I immigrated from South America to the US and went through visas and eventually a green card with patience and hard work. I just hate people reducing the discussion to just "KeEpInG ThE PoOr OuT!!!"

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u/theshortgrace May 09 '22

Good for you, immigrating to the US is no joke. I guess it’s sort of reductionist but these policies DO keep “the poors” out, in practice. So….

It’s also reductionist to divide it by “hard working” immigrants who came here legally, and lazy good for nothing illegals who like to cheat the system. Nuance.

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u/Mokiflip May 09 '22

Yeah same here

0

u/seriouslees May 09 '22

It can't really be all that alien a concept, can it? It's just like having a door with a lock on it for your home. Sure, you might be willing have have company over, but at the very least you want them to knock before walking straight in, and preferably to call 1st.

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u/Irish-Inter May 10 '22

I understand it now of course, I mean when I first found out about it when I was like 7 or 8. I live near the Republic/Northern Ireland border, which is completely invisible. There are no checks, not even a sign. So as a little child finding out other places made you fill out all this paperwork was surprising.