An Auckland woman has had her 60th birthday plans thrown into chaos after an automated form botched her US immigration application.
Having saved for the past year, the woman, who asked not to be named for fear of jeopardising future travel, was due to fly to Hawaii with her husband last night for a month-long vacation. Instead, she was left red-faced in the departure hall after being told she didn’t have the valid travel documentation required to enter the United States.
The couple decided at the airport for the husband to continue with the booked flight and she hoped to join him on holiday after her administrative issues were sorted out.
“I’m just devastated to be honest. I’ve just been crying,” the woman said.
“My husband’s over there. He doesn’t want to be. He’s holidaying on his own and then there are the friends he barely knows staying.
“It’s just a nightmare, really.”
A month ago, in preparation for the birthday trip, the woman’s husband applied for ESTAs for the pair. Introduced in 2009, the ESTA or Electronic System for Travel Authorisation allows tourists from 42 nations, including New Zealand, to visit America and stay up to 90 days visa-free. To obtain an ESTA, travellers have to upload an image or scan of their passport’s biographic page to the official website of the Department of Homeland Security and confirm the details scanned are correct.
It was at this stage in the process the man overlooked an inaccuracy in their application – the automated technology had scrambled their birthdates on her form. This meant that when they arrived at Auckland International Airport to check in for their Air New Zealand flight her travel document didn’t match her passport and she was denied boarding.
The woman’s husband was allowed to travel, leaving the woman in Auckland to rectify the discrepancy.
“I thought I might be able sort it and then join him in the lounge or, at the very least, book it for tomorrow night.”
Homeland Security referred questions about the situation to its website.
The US Government website says applicants can review and correct their data before submitting the application, advising that “data entry errors could potentially delay the processing of your ESTA application”.
“Prior to submitting an application with the required payment information, you can correct all application data fields except the passport number, passport issuing country, country of citizenship and date of birth. If an applicant made a mistake on their passport or biographical information he or she will need to submit a new application. The associated fee will be charged for each new application submitted.”
However, the woman said that was not the case and she had been advised she had to cancel the issued ESTA, a process that could take five to 10 business days, before reapplying.
“I’ve spoken to two lots of US border security, last night and this morning, and they’ve said, ‘Look, there’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll put urgent on your claim, but you are going to have to wait five to 10 working days’.”
The oversight has proven costly, with the woman upset about having to submit the documentation again as well as paying for another flight to Honolulu. If the process takes the full 10 working days the woman will miss a considerable chunk of her birthday holiday, which was meant to be spent at a waterfront apartment in Waikiki.
“We’ve paid a s***load of money, prepaid for this apartment, I’ve got my daughter coming, I’ve got some friends from Australia that I’ve invited. I’m not even going to be there.”
The woman says the experience has left her feeling “totally depressed”.
The woman doesn’t think she is the only one to encounter the issue, saying a couple she estimated to be in their 80s at the check-in desk were in the same position and an airline worker said they had encountered a similar issue the previous night.
In April, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Herald it was “aware of eight New Zealanders who have been detained at US borders, and one New Zealander arrested for immigration-related reasons, since November 1, 2024″.