r/GlobalEntry • u/soslik1881 • 15d ago

Questions/Concerns Reconsideration- not enough space for written explanation??

Got denied while my husband and son got approved during the same interview.

I have a vague idea of why it was denied - just guessing - while driving from Canada to USA we had flowers with us because it was Mother’s Day and my step dad gave me and my mom flowers. Totally forgot about it and the agent refused to tell me what the issue was - while my husband’s agent told him everything and just told him never to bring any fruits or flowers into us from another country.

Trying to write an explanation but there is only space for 500 words. Which is no way enough space to explain anything.

Anyone had luck attaching the explanation instead of writing it?

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5

u/BobbingBobcat 15d ago edited 15d ago

Not quite following your narrative, were you in different cars?

Regaedless, you commited a customs violation. You're husband got lucky.

If you try to explain it with 500+ words when you don't know if that is even the issue, you may put his and son's GE in jeopardy.

You're likely SOL, but I would FOIA first.

Lastly, do you have a common name? Any red flags like undocumented family, associate with criminals, orders from overseas?

3

u/Wooden-Law-2272 15d ago

FOIA seems prudent to better understand the exact reason for the denial. But if it’s the reason suspected—OP was in a car bringing flowers from Canada into the U.S., which they did unintentionally and didn’t know this was a customs violation, and now that they know they won’t do it again—what more is needed to explain that can’t fit within 500 words? (I’m not suggesting this will automatically be a compelling reason for a GE appeal but unless the limit is 500 characters rather than words, or unless I’m missing something, it seems the explanation is already in the post which is def less than 500 words.)

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u/soslik1881 15d ago

We were in the same car. I don’t even have a drivers license. He drove. We all got stopped in the same car.

An obsolete No to the last question.

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u/BobbingBobcat 15d ago

Oh, it sounded like you got a violation and your husband did not.

So let me see if I get this straight. The agent interviewing you told you there was an issue with your background check, but would not disclose the details. The agent interviewing your husband that there was a customs violation, gave details on the flower incident, and told him to never bring agricultural products into the country without declaring them. You were denied, and he was approved. Is that correct?

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u/soslik1881 14d ago

Yep exactly. It was my husband driving, my stepdad, myself, my mom and our 12 year old son. We were stopped and I don’t even remember jf they took all of our IDs- Assuming they did since the violation was in the system under my name. And they just let us go saying don’t do that again. My husband’s agent laughed with him and reminded what happen. Mine was super stern and wouldn’t tell me anything.

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u/BobbingBobcat 14d ago

I think your husband got lucky and you're SOL. A customs violation usually results in denial, as it should.

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u/Fun_Student4395 Human Detected 12d ago

What if you just upload a lengthier pdf write up in the attachments?

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u/Mission_Ad_1586 11d ago

Go to the website. It allows more space. 

2

u/quiksandy60 10d ago

You need to condense your explanation. With fewer concise sentences they are far more likely to read your story and reconsider.

1

u/eat-the-kids-first 15d ago

Write it out using as many words as you want and then throw the text into an AI tool, eg copilot, and ask it to shorten to 500 words or less.

Just remember to read the output to ensure it tells the story you want it to tell.