what happens on the trip home?

[Guest fhtb]

Hi, we leave for home Wednesday. I have a couple of questions, not sure if this belongs in "General Visa Discussion" or the AOS (mostly) thread.

 

1. When we arrive at LAX, will we be separated and be routed through customs

separately?

 

2. Will we be visible to each other?

 

3. Will she be held up for a significant amount ot time?

 

4. Will she be able/asked to apply for SSN at entry? (vj.com seems to imply this)

 

5. Can she use a cell phone? Should I consider giving her mine so I can call

her if something takes a long time?

 

I'm hoping the answer to 1 is "you will not be separated" so that 2-5

become relatively irrelevant. I searched for answers on the AOS-like thread

but didn't see anything recently. If someone can just send me a link that points

me to the right answers that would be great. I'm sure someone MUST have

asked this kind of thing before...

 

Thanks,

 

- fhtb

[tonado]

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index....5897c8cfc241e28

 

http://www.visajourney.com/faq/k1k2visa-enter.html

 

4. Will she be able/asked to apply for SSN at entry? (vj.com seems to imply this)

 

No, she cannot apply for SSN at entry. Some POE like JFK and Dallas will give her an EAD stamp. And that will help getting SSN later on.

 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?pg=ssn

[frank1538]

Jingwen and the kids went through SFO, so LAX may be a little different. Also, it was over a year ago, so my experience may be a little stale.

 

Make sure you have completed her I-94 and customs declaration before you get off the plane. It can be a pain to try to complete them while standing in line.

 

First, she will go through immigration. Use the visitors line, not the immigrants line and not the citizen line. I accompanied Jingwen even though I was a USC. The immigration officer will take the sealed brown envelope and passport. He/she will take the I-94 and write in the A# and staple it to one of the pages of the passport. He/she might ask a question or two and will take her pictures and fingerprints.

 

After you clear immigration, the process is routine. You'll claim your baggage and go through customs and give the customs officer the declaration. Usually, this is painless. You may have to re-check your baggage if you have a connecting flight.

 

All is all, for Jingwen, it was fairly straightforward. I went through immigration with her since we were together on the flight. The officer tried to ask Jingwen a few questions, but her English wasn't good enough for him to understand, so he asked me a couple of questions - how we met, what was the purpose of her "visit", etc.

 

I don't recall specifically how long it took to clear immigration, but a lot will depend on the crowds and where you are in the lines. I want to say the entire process was about one hour, maybe a little longer.

 

Social Security numbers are not handed out at POE.

 

Jingwen's cell phone was useless in the US.

[Guest Gene]

At Seattle POE we all went through together Two USC and K-3/-4 visa's I picked the shortest line, I believe it was for immigrants, not USC.

 

I recall other posts in the past for different POE and never heard of anyone being seperated.

[ed and ying]

From what have read and numerous trips thru passport control - Stay together, no one will separate you. Go to the non-US lines. Your actual experience may depend on how busy the POE is when you arrrive. If you see/find immigration officer before you get in line, you may get some special treatment

 

Best Wishes

[CR1togo]

LAX routinely posts officers before the immigration lines (to direct people to the proper line) and has seemed very helpful in the past. I have meet a few family based visa folks here and one of them beat me thru immigration- 15 minutes. THEN we stood around for 30-45 minutes chatting waiting on the darn luggage. acw

[Guest fhtb]

Thanks everyone, that's great news that we apparently will not be separated.

 

Wow, we've done so much packing and cleaning the last two days!

 

- fhtb

[Tina_&_Jarrod]

Just an FYI for those that might be traveling through SFO in the near future.

 

I came home today via SFO. Immigrations is separated by visitors to the right half and Citizens/LPR to the left half. I was practically on the farthest left line for Citizens when I noticed a sign to my left stating "New Immigrants".

 

Jarrod

[Martytb]

Stay together, no one will separate you. Go to the non-US lines.

You can stay together and go through the citizen's line, no problem. It's shorter and faster.

[frank1538]

Just an FYI for those that might be traveling through SFO in the near future.

 

I came home today via SFO.  Immigrations is separated by visitors to the right half and Citizens/LPR to the left half.  I was practically on the farthest left line for Citizens when I noticed a sign to my left stating "New Immigrants".

 

Jarrod

"New Immigrants" typically won't include those traveling on a K-1 visa.

[pkfops]

The Officer instructs you to go to the line for US citizens and your SO to the line for Immigrants.

 

As you watch your SO from a distance you see the Officer rip her papers to shreds and another Officer putting her in handcuffs saying she is being deported.

 

Then you wake up and realize you are still on the plane and she is next to you as the plane readies for the final approach.

 

You've made it!

 

Just be careful of what you eat and drink on that ride home.

[tonado]

The Officer instructs you to go to the line for US citizens and your SO to the line for Immigrants.

 

As you watch your SO from a distance you see the Officer rip her papers to shreds and another Officer putting her in handcuffs saying she is being deported.

 

Only if she tries to smuggle drugs or illegal stuffs.

 

Warning: Don't help friends or relatives bring stuff to USA because you don't know what is inside. Unless you are really sure what is inside.

 

This is a little off-topic but is very serious.

[pkfops]

The Officer instructs you to go to the line for US citizens and your SO to the line for Immigrants.

 

As you watch your SO from a distance you see the Officer rip her papers to shreds and another Officer putting her in handcuffs saying she is being deported.

 

Only if she tries to smuggle drugs or illegal stuffs.

 

Warning: Don't help friends or relatives bring stuff to USA because you don't know what is inside. Unless you are really sure what is inside.

 

This is a little off-topic but is very serious.

That is a good point as my SO has family here in SF and I've carried herbs/Chinese medicine to and from as gifts, not sure what they really were.

 

I did have to refuse to bring a large plastic bag of tea from China as it looked like pot, buds and all.

[MikeXiao]

I have dreamed of that time.

 

Here is what to do. Stay in the line with your SO. Depending on the POE, they will look for USC's. If the USC line is not busy, they will pull you and your SO out, and take them there. I recommend this, do NOT leave her in line by herself. Stay with her. I did that years ago with my Philipina wife, and we always got good and quick treatment.

[Nucks]

we came thru Chicago and we ask a officer there and he took us to the front of the line and was out of there in 15,,very easy

 

good luck