Visas to US: Hubby violated VWP ten years ago, and now it's caught up with us...

Has anyone been through the process for applying for a visa to get a husband back into the US? When we last entered the US we were nervous about taking baby formula in because we didn't want to get done for smuggling and were practically opening our bags and showing them what we had. They said fine, fine, then sent us into a room and didn't tell us what was going on. There were loads of questions about when we'd got married (1995), how long we lived in the US (5 years), etc. Apparently TEN years ago we left the US two days later than the 90 days the visa waiver program allowed, and Scully (yes, really) in Philadelphia said he could send us back to Heathrow. Now we have to go back to the consulate and apply for a visa like a common criminal, never mind that he'd actually filled all the requirements to be a citizen if he'd wanted! Getting the appointment meant a phone call to a premium line at £1.30/minute, he's got to give yet another set of fingerprints and have his retinas scanned again, and I can't go in with him, and of course it all costs...

But having said all that, has anyone actually been through the process? Can you tell us what it's like and anything we should look out for?

Has anyone been through the process for applying for a visa to get a husband back into the US? When we last entered the US we were nervous about taking baby formula in because we didn't want to get done for smuggling and were practically opening our bags and showing them what we had. They said fine, fine, then sent us into a room and didn't tell us what was going on. There were loads of questions about when we'd got married (1995), how long we lived in the US (5 years), etc. Apparently TEN years ago we left the US two days later than the 90 days the visa waiver program allowed, and Scully (yes, really) in Philadelphia said he could send us back to Heathrow. Now we have to go back to the consulate and apply for a visa like a common criminal, never mind that he'd actually filled all the requirements to be a citizen if he'd wanted! Getting the appointment meant a phone call to a premium line at £1.30/minute, he's got to give yet another set of fingerprints and have his retinas scanned again, and I can't go in with him, and of course it all costs...

But having said all that, has anyone actually been through the process? Can you tell us what it's like and anything we should look out for?

has your husband ever had a green card?.....did he have one at one time (you mentioned that you lived there for 5 years, I assume together) and he's been out of the States for over a year? If that's the case then he would have to re-apply for a spousal visa and new green card, those are the rules....leave for a year or more and the green card becomes void through abandonment.