An approved authorization lets you board a plane to the United States and present yourself at the border. The decision to admit you is made there, by a US officer, and it is a separate decision.
For travellers whose trip matches what they declared, this is a short formality. It is worth knowing how it works anyway.
What you are asked
Why you are visiting
How long you intend to stay
Where you will be staying
How you will support yourself while you are there
Sometimes, what you do for a living and when you will leave
Your fingerprints and photograph are taken. Answer briefly and factually. There is no advantage in volunteering a long story.
What makes arrival straightforward
A return or onward ticket
The address where you will be staying, the same one you gave on the application
Answers at the border that match what you declared
A passport valid for the whole trip
What causes problems
The usual issue is a mismatch. Saying at the border that you are going to work, study, or stay for several months, when the application says tourism for two weeks, is what leads to questions and sometimes to a refusal of entry.
Frequent long stays are also noticed. The Visa Waiver Program is for visits, and someone who spends most of the year in the United States on repeated 90 day stays will eventually be stopped.
If you are refused entry
It is rare, and it is not something we can influence or appeal. If it happens, the officer explains the immediate consequences, and future travel will usually require a visa.
A refusal of entry is not caused by the authorization being wrong, so there is nothing in your file with us to correct afterwards.