SocialBias :: a Digital Abstraction of Michael Parkatti

For those wondering, I did get into Boston pretty well a couple of weeks ago, the place is great, and Mike and I are working crazy hard. But I did have a bit of an adventure trying to get into the States, and it’s all due to a few scrupulous border officials.

To get into the States to participate for 3 months in Y Combinator (YC), I had prepared a massive portfolio of documents to support my entry. Description of the program, proof of where I was staying, proof of the financial ability to support myself, printed plane tickets to and from Boston, proof of medical insurance, that kind of stuff. I assumed I was the most prepared Canadian to enter the States for YC ever, because I usually like to overestimate myself.

Entering the country cast a decidedly different picture though. The initial official I talked to didn’t really understand what I was doing… therefore I had to sit in the spare room at the airport and wait for an hour while the rest of the crew had looked over my documents and spied on me.

You have to imagine like an empty customs area. This was in the Edmonton International Airport (not exactly known for its high volume), and for some reason I was like the only person at customs. The only person in the big room with the service stations, and then the only person in the side room. There must have been 12 American border officials, and me, for like an entire hour.

After that, I get summoned to meet with the top guy, and he tells me that I need a student visa to enter the United States for this program, and he presents me with a form for me to sign to withdraw my application to enter the country. For the next 20 minutes, I try to explain what YC is and how it’s not a student program, etc etc. He listens to me, but he’s obviously already made up his mind, and he especially can’t reverse his decision now with his subordinates looking on.

He tells me that I can reapply for entry in the future with new documentation. They escorted me out of the customs area and closed the door behind me. …. … wtf?

I walked right over to the ticketing agent for Alaska Air (yeah, I know), and asked if I could reschedule my trip. He said it was either going to be tomorrow or a week from now. I couldn’t wait a week, so I said just schedule me for tomorrow at the same time.

I immediately got on the phone and arranged the documentation to try again the next day. That night I had a few hurried conversations and desperately compiled documentation and printed out every single scrap of information I could find on the B1 Visa for temporary entry for business purposes.

I was able to fax my materials into the customs office in the morning, and by 1:30 pm I’d received a call back from them saying that I had addressed their concerns and that I would be granted entry that day.

Those few hours were some of the most tense I can remember. I actually spent that time pouring through family records with my mom to figure out when my Great-Uncle Clements had died in WWII and then research what battle it was. It turns out he died during the Allied Invasion of Sicily in the summer of 1943 as part of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division… probably not more than a couple of weeks into his first action. He was 23. Battle hardened Nazis were training their gun-sights on my Great-Uncle on the Italian coast when he was 23… and here I was worrying about a customs problem. That kind of put things into perspective.

I barely slept on the plane, but the rest of the journey was relatively painless.

Here’s a few lessons I learned for future Canadian YCers to take into account:

1. Shave OFF Your Facial Hair! - the first day I showed up with a full beard. The second day I was completely clean shaven. Coincidence? I think not. I’m not sure if they thought I was a terrorist, but it probably didn’t help.
2. Get a Letter from the Program - having an American vouch for you in writing can only help things.
3. Prove that you Live in Canada - I had just moved from Vancouver, so I had a clunky story for why I was leaving from Edmonton. I got my parents to write me a letter saying that I had a place to return to after 3 months.
4. Print off News Articles about Y-Combinator - I printed off stories covering YC from The New York Times, Newsweek, and USA Today. I felt like I was faxing them hand grenades of legitimacy.

And that’s pretty much it. Prove you can pay your way down there, and prove that you’re coming back with a return ticket. Other than that, you should be set.