Following the second interrogation, officers said house and pet-sitting violated the terms of her visa waiver agreement.
"One officer asked a series of questions and said what I was doing went against ESTA rules because homeowners would need to pay for someone to feed the cat if it wasn't for me," Gourley said.
Therefore, she had to be placed on the next flight back to Australia.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) is a system that determines whether visitors are eligible to visit the US under their Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
However, like every visa, it is subject to conditions. In this case, visitors are banned from any kind of employment or compensation for services.
House-sitting or looking after pets may not seem like official employment, which has resulted in a number of people being deported from the US since international travel has resumed.
In response, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is urging people to research requirements for entry, transit and exit.
"All travellers are responsible for ensuring they meet the entry and residency requirements of countries they visit," a spokesperson told Traveller.
Gourley said she has house-sat several times before in the US and has never had an issue with border officials.
"I wouldn't be the only traveller on an ESTA [program] visiting the States on a holiday who'd be house- and pet-sitting through websites like TrustedHousesitters to cut accommodation costs," Gourley told Traveller.
The official ESTA website says visitors can "perform or offer commercial or industrial activities as long as you are not compensated for those activities from a US source, such as a company or an employer".
But what if no money is exchanged or contract signed, Gourley asked. "The [house-sitting] website operates on an exchange model."
Border rules around the world
America isn't the only place that has restrictions on house-sitting.
In the UK, house-sitting is also considered work, even if it is not paid. House-sitters must apply for a different working visa and the only exception is if it is for friends or family.
If Facebook groups dedicated to house-sitting are anything to go by, Gourley isn't the first person to be tripped up by the rules.
Online, thousands of people share information, experiences and advice about house-sitting, including how to navigate border controls.
"People who have been doing it for a long time have got their procedures for going through immigration down pat," one group member wrote. "It's not necessarily lying about why they're there, but it's not fully disclosing."
