Tricky one this....Us immigration related
 

Off to the states for a break next friday-> midweek
It is a holiday, and a well overdue one at that.

here is the problem
Im a dj in the uk- thats my profession
Ive been asked if i want to spin some tunes at a huge loft party in nyc while i am there- not for money- purely for fun, which i am well up for.Any excuse to play records- even for free, is always welcomed.
The problem is getting my tunes to the US.

Now, if im travelling with a box of records+headphones etc, its going to look like i am working- which i can deny, until they ask me my profession- then it looks very blatantly like i am working.
I have no work visa- so if they dont believe my story, they could refuse me entry.
Ive also never flown before- let alone been to the states

I must stress i am telling the truth- im not getting paid for it and it is purely for fun and potential future self promotion.
Hotel and return flights have been paid for- so im going regardless.
Just wondering what others take on this is and whether or not i can do this a) legally, and b)hassle free, or whether to turn it down and leave my box at home.
Bit of a strange one, but scoobynets collective wisdom has never let me down before...

Can't you just say you doing it all for a pal's party?

Get an exchange of e-mails before you go to confirm if you were ever asked about it. Is your profession stated in your Passport? DL

They'd be more likely to pick on you for the drugs+dj connection rather than any Visa related stuff.

You often hear of some of the Big Name DJ's spending an extra couple of hours at US airports because the Customs assume they'd be carrying.

I'd just say you are meeting a friend out there who's also a DJ so naturally you'd have records and your headphones as you want to strut your stuff. :)

Maybe get a written statement from the club saying you are a guest DJ and not being paid for your session.

Failing that I wouldn't risk it. US immigration is particularly anal right now (they've always been anal, just a lot more so now).

Well i can say that yes- but im unsure as to where i stand with regards to proof.
how exactly do you prove its not paid work and is purely for fun?
Ive heard a lot of horror stories about US immi being harsh at the best of times

edit to add: its not a club- its a house/loft party.If it was a club i would be getting a nice pay packet- but would have sorted a working visa well in advance to keep it all legit

Have with you the address of the house and the phone number of a contact there. If they doubt you, they can always follow it up and check.

While I'm here, and at the risk of stating the obvious, don't carry lots of cash on you - US Immigration often regard that as an indication of an intention to stay.

I got stopped and held for 2 hours just 'cos I flew first class and stayed for two days - avoid USA at all costs :mad:

I got accused of "kat" smuggling - no fecking idea what that was :(

A quick google revealed what khat smuggling is.

I was last in NY in July 2004. no problems whatsoever.

Mind you...If I was in your shoes, I would get at the very least an exchange of emails, a formal letter would be better though.

Surely there can't be that much profit in Khat to fly people first class?

I've only met one American customs officer who was polite and he wasn't even dealing with me. They're so rude and treat you like cattle. Canadian customs officers on the other hand are very polite, they couldn't be more different.

Regards your particular case, just show them an address and telephone number of the place you're going to so they can verify your story. I don't think you should worry too much.

Oh...and carry a copy of the Koran as well.;)

Why worry. How many people take ski's over, I'm sure they're not all accused of being instructors or pro skiiers. I've taken a my record bag over on a few occations as hand luggage and not had an issue. Plenty of people will have iPods on board with more tunes than you can carry. Other times I've stated that I'm there on business - stamps in the passport to prove - no problem.

Wait till you get to JFK-What a dump :D
Honestly mate you're reading far too much into this. They are not going to bar you entry for carrying a few cases of cd/records. Don't lie just tell them what the records are for and they'll let you through no problems. I've been through jfk many many times. You'll laugh about this later I promise you.

Freak,

YHPM

Cheers,

tiggers.

I used to got through U.S. immigration very regularly (although I live there now). The immigration officals are often a pain in the arse. If they give you grief raise your right arm and loudly shout that your rights are being abused and that you know someone in the ACLU, and a supervisor will come scurrying over and whisk you through the whole process then take you on a golf cart to your taxi. They'll collect your checked luggage for you en route too.

(Seriously, don't worry about, you're not being paid and you just brought some records with you for a party. So what. It's the customs people who are more likely to give you grief because they might think you have drugs with you (what with all the records etc) - they thought I was running drugs when I drove through the US/Canada border in a flashy car. That wasted a few hours of my life.)