From the U.S. to the Bahamas and Back

[grenade]

Hi Everyone, I brought my fiancée back to the US this January on a K1. We got married and I have filed for her adjustment of status which is currently being processed.

 

We would like to go on vacation to the Bahamas; more specifically, go on a cruise where we depart via boat in Miami, Florida. I was told that she needs to apply for Advance Parole using Form I-131. Have any of you had any experiences with this?

 

I'd like to know if they grant leave for non-emergency situations (aka leisure travel or vacation). And how long the process takes. And how immigration checks documents when you are returning from a cruise (is it like the airport?). And any other information you would like to share.

 

Appreciate it!

 

Shawn

[frank1538]

Unless she gets her green card or at least the I-551 stamp in her passport before you go on vacation, she'll need advance parole. Many people have been able to get advance parole for non emergency travel.

 

Jingwen used advance parole to return to China after her father died, and it took about 3 months to get it. Re-entry at the airport was a little less rountine - she had to go to a special room while they verified everything.

[Trigg]

heed Franks words for he is wise in such matters.

 

I have a question though. why do you have a picture of bait for your avatar???? Are you a fisherman too??

[grenade]

Thanks for your input!

 

[My avatar is not bait, and I am not a fisherman]

[tonado]

heed Franks words for he is wise in such matters.

 

I have a question though. why do you have a picture of bait for your avatar???? Are you a fisherman too??

133118[/snapback]

It is a grenade. Some people do use it for fishing.

[warpedbored]

heed Franks words for he is wise in such matters.

 

I have a question though. why do you have a picture of bait for your avatar???? Are you a fisherman too??

133118[/snapback]

It is a grenade. Some people do use it for fishing.

135269[/snapback]

The problem with traveling on AP (advanced parole) is not getting in or out of the US. It is the country you are visiting. A green card is accepted in most countries the US is friendly with but often times an AP is not. For instance one friend of mine's wife went to China to visit on AP. For the return trip she booked a flight with a stop in Canada. When she went to board the plane they wouldn't let her on because she didn't have a transit visa for Canada. I would check with the visa section for the Bahamas and see if AP will be accepted in lieu of green card.

 

Oh and I have seen bait before and that is it.

[Jason+Joanna]

AP is not needed for places like Hawaii or Alaska if a direct flight is taken, right ?

[tonado]

AP is not needed for places like Hawaii or Alaska if a direct flight is taken, right ?

135316[/snapback]

Hawaii and Alaska are USA States. So there is no need for AP.

[beijingjj]

better check on visa requirements for Bahamas as well. We were going to go once but the visa application process (from China) would have taken 8 weeks with no gaurantee.

[HanLi]

This is really an interesting question, and one I am keenly interested in, as I too, want to take my wife for a cruise. And also a return visit to china about 6 months or so after she arrives.....

[nousername]

This is really an interesting question, and one I am keenly interested in, as I too, want to take my wife for a cruise.  And also a return visit to china about 6 months or so after she arrives.....

135542[/snapback]

i actually have looked into this quite a bit.

 

as for cruises, if your SO is here on a K1 and you do not yet have your green card, then you will need AP, unless you go on one of NCL's hawaiian cruises. this is b/c NCL is the only cruise line with american flagships, "the pride of aloha" and the pride of america". if it's not an american ship, then us laws require it to stop at a foreign port... at which point you would be leaving the country.

 

to address the initial poster, since your criuse is not one of NCL's hawaiian cruises, it will be require to stop at a foreign port, whether it's the bahamas or not. i also believe that if a cruise stops at a foreign port, you will have to re-enter the us whether or not you actual got off the ship.

 

fyi... in the past, others have express concern about the us vigin islands and puerto rico. the main thought was "eventhough they are us territories, it seems risky; so don't take the chance." i PM'd with someone over at VJ who got married in st. john while on a k1... no immigration problems whatsoever. of course, there still is the question what if the flight needs to divert for safety to another airport? what if it is a foreign airport? i guess it's possible, but i would highly suspect that any us/us terr bound flights would only divert back to us airports... that's my guess.

[nousername]

heed Franks words for he is wise in such matters.

 

I have a question though. why do you have a picture of bait for your avatar???? Are you a fisherman too??

133118[/snapback]

It is a grenade. Some people do use it for fishing.

135269[/snapback]

The problem with traveling on AP (advanced parole) is not getting in or out of the US. It is the country you are visiting. A green card is accepted in most countries the US is friendly with but often times an AP is not. For instance one friend of mine's wife went to China to visit on AP. For the return trip she booked a flight with a stop in Canada. When she went to board the plane they wouldn't let her on because she didn't have a transit visa for Canada. I would check with the visa section for the Bahamas and see if AP will be accepted in lieu of green card.

 

Oh and I have seen bait before and that is it.

135310[/snapback]

i thought AP and green cards were only about getting back into the US...

 

the suspect the reason that person couldn't stop in canada is b/c they didn't have a canadian visa.