Global Entry question along with update on timing of approval

There was this recent post. It sounds like you can just ask the CBP officer when you return from overseas. No appointment needed.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/us-customs-global-entry-interview

Hi Jenny. Wow! That is a long time to wait! I can only post my experience with your very last question. When I traveled with my two granddaughters to Paris and back, I had Global entry and they were allowed to go through the (included) TSA precheck when we left as well as the Global Entry line when returning home. This was in Denver just before the Covid slowdown in travel so not recent. I can’t tell you if your experience will be the same. All three of us were on one ticket Denver-Paris and Paris-Denver and I don’t know if that might have made a difference.

I just had this conversation at dinner with a friend. She and her boyfriend applied for Global entry on New Years Day. She was approved within a week while his application is still pending. She also says that there are no appointments available anywhere. If his gets through the system before their trip, their only option maybe to do at the interviews upon entry to the USA,

I applied for mine right before the COVID lockdowns. Approval was quick but it took over a year to get an interview. For months and months, there was absolutely nothing available until one day, there were appointments everywhere. I don't know if it's funding or if there's a mobile team that travels to different locations to do interviews. It was a lot of energy used for a 10 minutes appointment. Also, the clock starts when you apply. Although it's supposed to be good for five years, in effect, I will be able to use it for only four years. However, I am still very glad that I have it.

Jenny, you might try calling one of the sites and asking. I was shocked when the PDX site answered the phone. My husband and I applied Feb 2022. I got conditional approval a week later, my husband received his in June, after our return from France. The closest airport with interview options within 2 months, was Seattle. Portland, which is still 2 hrs. drive, had none until this March. We decided to fly through SeaTac to go to Wisconsin and scheduled our interviews for September to line up with the flight. The day before departure we got an email saying that due to budget cuts they were closing early and cancelled our interviews. I rescheduled for PDX for this April, but then started watching for available times, sometimes checking daily. Out of the blue SeaTac showed 2 full days of openings in Feb. We scheduled 2, booked flights to Seattle, booked a hotel night ,crossing our fingers. The bookings had all been filled within a couple hours. We got our interviews- the place was packed and they were running late and we heard that they were turning scheduled people away because it would be too far past their closing time... Idk. Given their fickleness, I would want to know for sure if your niece could accompany you in advance. You can try for the interview on arrival, and I have talked to a couple of people who did that successfully last January in PDX. I think the agents have a lot of discretionary powers, and you might fare well.

CT, are you sure about the time frame? Our agent told us that we had 5 years from approval, not application.

it seams that Global Entry is more then a but if a pain to get. So is it worth the effort

I have had Global Entry for nine years . Let me give you two experiences on why I covet it.

1) My record, thanks to GE, at JFK, from plane to exiting the terminal, is seven minutes. That includes all the walking from plane, through immigration and customs, and out the door.

2) Last month at JFK, I have never seen the arrival hall so busy. The line was beyond the barriers, around the escalators, and people were actually standing on the stairs bringing them down from the gate area. It was a mess. However, thanks to GE, I could bypass that line, go to the GE area, and went on a separate line with two people ahead of me. We were given priority over those waiting in the "regular" line. Out in five minutes.

Regarding interviews.....When I applied in 2014, I had to drive 200 miles for an interview. For my first renewal, I timed it so I could do it on arrival. No appointment necessary. My GE expires next year and I plan to apply for renewal about 11 months before expiration. This way, if I do need to have an interview, I can do it upon arrival. No hassle with appointments.

When I first applied, I received conditional approval in a couple of days and then had to make an appointment for an interview. After the interview, I got final approval in a few hours. For my renewal, I had to have an interview and the guy interviewing me said he put me in for renewal. They must really be backed up now if it's taking long time for approval.

I applied for my husband and myself in October or November of 2022. Both conditionally approved immediately, but no appts available at SFO. Could fly to LAX for appt (um, no). We will be doing our interview when we return from Portugal in May. I pray it isn't a long process since, as I'm sure many of you will agree, returning to the West Coast from Europe after a long trip, we are sure to be exhausted. However, if this is my biggest worry, I guess I should consider myself lucky. I guess everyone is applying or they are having post-COVID staffing shortages, too.

ETA 03/19/2023 - I guess they randomly add openings, so I guess keep looking. MKE is closer to us, and had dates open up for when school is out.