Just thought I would let you all know about my experiences at POE at Chicago O’Hare airport.
I joined the immigration line holding my passport with the K1 visa and my MBE, thinking that it will be easy, after all I have been approved for the visa. I was expecting a few questions and then I could be on my way to meet Randy who was waiting to take me home, how wrong I was.
I approached the IO and handed him my passport and MBE. He took fingerprints and my photo, all ok so far. Then the questions began.
Why are you here? -- To marry my fiancé and live in the USA
When are you getting married?---- April 22nd
Have you met your fiancé before? ----- (hellooo, I wouldn’t have a K1 if I hadn’t) Yes
At that point he opened the MBE and then the interrogation began. He asked me Randys DOB, how many children he had, had he been married before, what’s his ex wife’s name, have I met her, do I want to meet her (WTF?), what car does he drive (huh? What’s that to do with a K1), how many bags had I brought with me, on and on he went, many of the questions totally irrelevant. He had me stood there about 30 minutes while he fired question after question at me, he went through the MBE contents one page at a time, reading every line. He never tripped me up once, I knew the answers to everything he asked and answered politely even though inside I wanted to give him a mouthful, I was so tired.
Then it came to my medical, he noted that I had had breast cancer, I told him I was in remission. He then told me that one of his supervisors had breast cancer and he had studied cancer for part of his BA in university, he asked what treatment I had, what grade the cancer was, etc, etc.
In all he had me stood there about 40 minutes before he stamped my passport and let me go. I felt sorry for the people behind me, they were kept waiting so long while I stood there.
I was exhausted by the time I picked my bags up and just fell into Randys arms sobbing when I got to the doors.
Not an experience I want to go through again.

Well, welcome to USA and glad you got here safely. Sorry to hear that you had to go through all those questions.
At least your finally here and all of that is behind you.

Have a Wonderful Day and Life together!!!!

Aisha

I'm sorry you had to go through all that, completely unnecessary...you held up well, better than I would have!!!

Best wishes to you and Randy!!!

Wow... what a poor excuse for a human being to interrogate you in that fashion!

Big hugs and well done for keeping your cool in such a situation!!!

Oh Maggie - you did so well *hugs* At least it is over now and you can be together in peace Sounds like the IO was a clueless SOB who wanted to appear more informed than he really was.

Think of it this way - you got through, you made it and now you don't have to worry about it again

lastly - don't forget we all want to see wedding piccies

I'm sorry you had to endure that. It really would be awful after a long journey.

Just for the edification of those reading, though, the officer was completely within his realm of responsibility. I know it doesn't seem fair, but that's why we ask for Port of Entry accounts on VJ.

The visa in your passport doesn't guarantee you admission to the US. It's up to the CBP officials to let you in. They are supposed to inspect the contents of the packet. Since I have been a member here, there was one instance where the visa holder was not admitted due to past convictions showing on his police report (the report is part of the record in the envelope) that the consulate had felt did not require a waiver. The officer felt the consulate was in error and turned the gentleman home. At the end of the day, the gentleman did enter the US on his K1, but it had a 601 waiver attached to it.

There was another turnback wherein the gentleman entering the country referred to his fiance as his 'wife'. As far as I know, he still remains in his home country.

Im very sorry they were so hard on u when u entered into immigration.......but if it makes u feel any better......our family went thru that for three hours after 9-11......we had been living outside of the usa and when we returned they had all of us even my baby sister that was two.......one of my other younger sisters was sick she had the flue or something anyway when she threw up they even checked to make sure that my mom was not using her to transport drugs .........that was a very difficult day we still sometimes get hassled coming into the usa and we are citizens.............

but at least ur here now and starting ur new life big big congratulations ..........

If it's any consolation Maggie I had a similar experience yesterday going through O'Hare- although not anywhere near as bad as yours admittedly. I wonder if they've had a brief recently to check through K1 visa packets super carefully.
I had rushed down to immigration because I had a connecting flight to make. Fortunately there were few in the queue by the time I got there and all in all immigration took about 20 minutes.
I handed over my passport and MBE. The IO opened the packet and stamped the first few documents. Then she began to flick through the I-129F sections and read just about every document, including personal letters between J and I. She asked me questions about how we had met, when we were getting married etc. and made some comments about how 'nice' the plans seemed. She was pleasant throughout although her facial expression was very serious at times.
As she was scrutinising the info, reading some sections in fine detail, it dawned on me that there was a possibility I could be refused entry and I started to worry. She read and re read the medical report and accompanying evidence (letters from my GP about prior illness) and lingered on those notes for what seemed like forever. It made me feel very uncomfortable to have someone else see all this personal info about me and I started to feel upset because I had already gone through some uncertainty over my medical (due to a period of depression a few years back) and I really started to feel concerned about it again.
Eventually she said 'good', I breathed a sigh of relief and asked me to do fingerprints etc. then said 'Congratulations, good luck with your wedding plans and welcome to America'.

I really wasn't expecting the scrutiny of the packet given that USCIS, medical officials and the embassy had already approved the petition. Fortunately, I didn't get interrogated in the way you described but there was definitely a sense that I had to satisfy her before I would be granted permission to enter.

Sorry if this worries anyone. In hindsight there probably was no issue with me getting through, but for a moment there I felt more nervous than I did at the embassy interview. They have to ensure the packet belongs to the person carrying it I suppose.

Sorry to hear that the guy kept you for 40 minutes. I think it was roughly 15 minutes for me. I think it's just the feeling you get that this is yet another hoop to jump through. I hadn't really expected this after the embassy interview and medical were approved.

We both made it though!! Congratulations and best of luck for the future *hugs*

Babblesgirl -

I didn't realize you were traveling yesterday! Welcome!

Well that explains it then. I was lucky because she was really pleasant about it and didn't keep me too long but the medical thing really did make me feel uncomfortable. I read a few Chicago POE posts before leaving but hadn't seen anything that described things the way I experienced them.

Yep, I move fast when the system lets me Thanks very much, I'm very happy to be here
Anyway, I only popped in to tell everyone I arrived safely but seeing Maggie's experience I thought I'd add a post about my own experience. But I'm rather busy (as I'm sure you'll all understand) and I'll add my POE experience in the right place later on

Well, I'd say you are right that they (ORD) have had a shake-up on K1 procedures.

When hubby entered, he didn't get an I94. Long story - another time. Long story short, though, we ended up 3 days later in Pittsburgh to get a replacement. The commanding CBP officer handled it, and in doing so he did a sort of 'training' session with the other two officers on duty. He was explaining a K1 entry to them.

One would think they would be versed in this? But it's also fair to say that officers admit aliens everyday with all types of visas, and they admit many who are traveling on the VWP. So, much training is probably 'hands on' or - at least - pointed out to officers when the situation arises.

Welcome to the USA Mustang-Sally and Babblesgirl........ Sorry to hear of your POE experiences, but at least we know the IO's are trying to do their jobs, even though they could be a little more humane in their process............

If it's any consolation I got pretty grilled when I entered Philly on a K1 4 years ago. But then again I have never had an easy time going through Philly until I got a GC, and now they are nice as pie.

To be fair to the IO, he was just doing his job. I don't think we should judge him because of that.

I got interrogated for 20 mins at Chicago a few years back, going thro on VWP, long before applying for K1. Its tough, If you've nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about.

Anyhow, Thanks for the POE reports. Wish you both the best of start in the USA.

Wow. Sorry to read of the negative experiences. I'm glad that you made it through and that you are home now. Welcome to America!

I'm sorry it was so bad, but hey it'll get...funnier every day from now on, right? Sure Just don't accidentally do anything really illegal and get deported (This is the one I worry about).

But omg big welcome to you and babblesgirl both So surreal to know people have physically moved, awesome

Oh God! Good thing you are HERE, put this behing you. You have your randy and you are good to go, girl.

Congratulations and have a wonderful reunion and lots of great times.

Tammy

Ouch - I never realised this. That's pretty scary...



Welcome babbles!! I thought about you all yesterday - especially when I was reading your posts you made in the wee hours!!!! I suffered from depression about six years ago as well - I've declared it on my medical form because it really isn't an issue for me anymore but it is a little concerning and I am prepared to be grilled over it to make sure I am not some kind of suicidal wreck

*hugs* Glad to see you made it... I really hope LAX isn't so scary!!! It'll prolly be worse knowing my luck but at least I will have Jeremy with me We'll have to get together sometime when I am out there - do you have a wedding date yet?

I'm really glad that people post their experiences... I had no idea that this level of interrogation could be considered normal and just assumed that the guy had had a bad day and was being mean - questioning someone about their cancer treatment just seemed a bit sick to me, so apologies if anyone thought I was rough on the guy for doing his job.

When I hopefully get to that stage I'm going to have to make sure I have all the required information in my head (I have a terrible memory - particularly for names and dates). After everything we go through it's terrifying to think you could be turned away because you don't satisfy an officer due to tiredness or a slip of the tongue... or because of a paperwork issue that's not even your fault.

Well, I'm not sure what happened to mustang-sally or babblesgirl could be considered 'normal'. But the officers are permitted to quiz the entrant; they are the keepers of the gate and are permitted to turn anyone back. That was the only point of my post.

IMO, for there to have been two such incidents in the same airport on the same day says to me there was a shake-up in ORD's CBP offices. Maybe they have a new CO or something. Or maybe a 'bad' entry had just come back to haunt them.

I didn't mean to scare anybody. My only intent was to make you aware that your visa isn't your final hurdle, so to speak. You still have one more, and that is your entry. The same rules apply with it as did the interview - just be honest and be yourself.

My husband didn't get grilled when he entered. Instead he got a dipstick. The guy didn't give my husband an I94 (and I was too dense at the time to realize we would need that document later on).

So just relax, be yourself, be honest, and be vigilant!

Great advice!!!!!

wow that sucks! but glad you made it...
oh well,my forth of entry too was chicago...i met one filipina at Japan airport while waiting for my flight to USA..she is on K1,on the plane i let her sit beside me coz i dont have seat mate...on the immigration,she was falling on line next to me,i heard the IO said to his co Io,"another mail order bride",she refered to my new friend coz she is handling the xray envelop (mine i put it on my luggage)...thats weird,that IO is TSISMOSO! she made pass the IO fast,not much questions asked to her....infact i waited for her for only 2 minutes and we proceed to get our luggage for our next flight.
but i was left behind her coz i need to go to other IO for immigrant visas.
oh by the way,WELCOME to USA!

That's so wild. It was Chas' POE too and they barely asked him anything. I think it was how did we meet and did he know we had 90 days to get married (to which he said yeah, but we're not even waiting 3 days, LOL).

Guess it depends on which officer you get!

Hey there! We'll definitely meet up when you get out here.

Re: The medical. Just ensure you get a letter from your GP stating when the depression occured, what medication/counselling you received (if any) and confirmation that you are no longer receiving treatment. I didn't think that a period of depression four years ago would be an issue either, particularly as there was no issues regarding self-harm etc. but my problem was that my medical records were not available to my current GP (since they had been in transit from my previous doctors for WEEKS). So, whilst she said she had met me and declared that in her opinion I was not showing any sign of depression she had no hard evidence to back it up. Fortunately, my records miraculously appeared the morning I left for London and she was able to state by telephone to Knightsbridge Doctors that this really was not an issue for me anymore.

Certainly, there is no need to worry about this. The doctor told me it would not be a reason for denial. They just need to know it's in the past.



I think this is good advice Rebecca. I wasn't expecting what I experienced at all and would have been less nervous at the time had I known it might happen. To be honest, after it was over I really didn't care anymore. I think Maggie experienced a much worse deal than me and I can understand her being upset. Best to be prepared for it really - even though it may not happen.

Mmm I agree, it's much better to know that it might happen in advance so you can feel mentally and emotionally prepared. That's why us newbies are so grateful that people who've been through all this already hang around here to give us the benefit of your experiences and share anything you've picked up in your time on the boards too.

I can't believe they would say that - it is disgusting. I mean people can have their opinions sure, but they shouldn't blurt them out in such an offensive way... I would have had something to say about that if I had heard it...



Maybe a stupid question but would you recommend that I get this information from my doctor before the medical so I can take it on the day? Or is it another one of those AOS things...? Or no... that was just the vacs wasn't it..? Grrr

Rebecca - I wish it did all stop at POE... but then we get AOS as well!! Yippee!!! Tbh I can't wait for AOS - it seems so much simpler and we'll be together as well...

Of course now I have prolly tempted fate and will have a nightmare of AOS!!!

Oh I hope your AOS isn't like ours - 17 months! Ugh...

And you're right. There's AOS, LOC, and Natz if you like. The VisaJourney is only part of the ImmigrationJourney.

Being together. For Good. It's fabulous. But it's not like 'regular' couples. There's a lot of acclimating and adjusting; cultural differences and barriors; the curiosities and prejudices of the locals - all this in addition to the normal adjustments of marriage. And paperwork.

Life as an international couple is a very sweet yet painful journey - I wouldn't have my life any other way.

Definitely - I still maintain that our relationship wouldn't be half as good as it is without all the hardship and heartache It's really been the making of us and bizarre as it sounds I am glad I have had to wait longer than normal and I am glad that we have had to work so hard to be together - it has really taught us the value of our relationship

I wouldn't be able to say what kind of car Dave drives

perhaps it's a trick question, and they WANT you to give the 'proper' girly answer (in my case: 'a silver one' )

Jeremy currently drives his dad's old ford econoline *and* it's brown

oooooh sounds lovely

I had a Honda Accord years ago. It wasn't brown. It was "cappuccino".

not 'mocha'?

Dave's first car was 'rust'
literally, and in colour

I'm a bit behind the times, but I'm so sorry you two got such a grilling. Gah, IO's on power trips

I was also thinking as I read your post Maggie 'I have no idea if i'd be able to answer all those questions under all that pressure' I made mistakes on our I-130 packet cos I remembered stuff in the wrong order I think I would crumble under the pressure of an on the spot interrogation

Well done for keeping a cool head

It sucks you cannot say allot of suckers in this life everything you think about them just because you depend so damn much on them.
But congratulations with the wedding you're going to be having.
Relax, you did it!

POE into Chicago isnt always the nicest port to come through I dont think.

My husband (then finance') never had any problems coming into American on his K-1. Where he encountered his problems
was when after we got married within a year later we took a trip to England. He had all his necessary paperwork to travel
in and out of the US.

Anyway, where he had problems was re-entering back into the USA. Here I am the USC with our infant daughter travelling back
from England and he gets interrogated at the POE back into the US. They pulled him aside, patted him down and made him
go off to the side to an eclosed room to sit and wait.

After about 30 mins they called him up to the desk ram sacked all his paperwork asked him a series of questions that lasted about
20-30mins.........and I mean that lady was nasty nasty nasty (hateful) to him as she was questioning him. I was sitting a good distance
away from him and I could hear all her nasty hateful questions and comments she was saying to him. I was having a hard time
keeping my cool listening to the whole thing.

Then finally after him being questioned so much...........she smiled a "fake" smile and said "Welcome back home"

I was so livid about what had happened it took me ages to calm down. My British spouse on the other hand was able to maintain
his cool attitude and behavior and here I was ready to rip that womans head off her shoulders LOL..........perhaps I was tired from
the long flight, eh?


Sharri

ohhhhh and forgot to mention...........if you think POE into Chicago is bad for the non-US citizen you should try being the USC LOL.

When I visited England (before we got married) my passport was misprinted. The USA logo stamp was right on my forehead of my passport
picture. When I got my passport in the mail and saw it I really couldnt do anything because my trip to England was only a few days away
so I went ahead and took it along so I could get into England.

Once I arrived at London, I had no problems gaining entry to England. I stayed 10 glorious days with my then b/f. We had a blast.........then came
time for me to travel back to the USA. Once I got to London airport (Heathrow) they flagged my passport.....and wouldnt allow me to board the plane back the to USA. They said my passport looked doctored. I stated it was sent to me that way and I did not have time to send it back to get corrected.
I was questioned by several management staff members before they finally allowed me to board the plane. I had to ask to speak to someone from the US Embassy to get this straigtened out and I told them if I miss that flight to the USA Id get in trouble at work as I had to be back to work in 2 days. They finally allowed me to go through........but only after I was asked to strip my shoes and socks off and have a metal rod run between my toes........to check for weapons???? WTF?? lol then they emptied the contents of my carry-on on the table while they went through it piece by piece. They picked up a pair of tweezers and said.......why do you have these on your possession?? I said to tweeze my eyebrows while I was staying in England.....hello??? She said we cannot allow you to board the plane with these you'll have to come with us......I threw a fit and management came over and I said just keep the tweezers Ill buy new ones when I get to the US.......it was the last call for the flight.......I said Ill miss that flight if you dont allow me to go......finally.........I was allowed to board........and can you believe they put all the contents back into my bag......including the tweezers??

I was never so glad to get on a plane in my life lol.........only to come home to the USA at the POE in Chicago........oh brother did I have more problems there. I was almost in tears over the whole thing...........here I had a country that wouldnt let me leave it (England) when I was trying to and then I had my own country (USA) who wasnt going to allow me entry because of my passport picture being misprinted.

What a mess!! I stood in line for over 30 mins explaining and pleading my case before several management staff (yet again). I told them Englands airport officials werent going to allow me to leave their country and now I cant even get back into my own home country. The lady politely informed me that she could reject my entry into the US because of my passport. I guess the stress of my facial expression and near tears made her feel sorry for me........I said to her............all I want to do is come home.......thats all.........not cause any problems......just to go home. She finally stamped my entry back into the USA and said to get my passport fixed immediately because the next time I travel abroad and try to re-enter the US I wont be allowed back in.

Phew.....I was so glad that was over........it almost made me not want to ever fly again........anywhere.........ohhh and did I mention........this was my very first flight abroad...........LOL what a trip!!!

Sharri

Ouch, mustang-sally and Crisscat, what a nasty experience.

I've entered through Chicago twice and I've never had any real problems although they are quite brusque and not at all friendly. I'm considering not having Chicago as my POE once I have my visa in hand.

I certainly wouldn't be able to say what car Alex drove, either.

As was said earlier, it must depend on the day and who you get. We've both gone through O'hare multiple times without an ounce of hassle.

Uuuughhh - sorry to hear you had such a lousy time at immigration

I've flown into Chicago a few times and I absolutely hate it - I much prefer Cincinatti - pleasant, friendly and helpful every single time.

Maybe it's just the sheer size and volume of passengers at O'Hare that makes everyone there so bad tempered - whatever, I just avoid it if at all possible!

I hope the rest of your Visa Journey is going well