Hi everyone.
Stupid question... is any airport in the US a "Port of Entry?" I seem to see the same ones coming up all the time and now I'm beginning to wonder if I have to fly to specific airport for PoE, and -then- to my final destination.

Second not so stupid question... I will be flying out of Winnipeg, to XXX Airport (I'm hoping for Denver unless I find out that I have to go somewhere else) when I finally go. I don't know if anyone has had much experience with Winnipeg... but every time I've flown to the US I've gone through US customs BEFORE leaving Winnipeg International. I go through customs right after I check in, and right before I get on the plane. Regarding WPG > Denver specifically, I remember just waltzing off the plane and picking up my bags and leaving.

How does this work? Do I tell them (in Winnipeg) "Hey, here's my K-1"? and get processed before I even step on the plane?

Any advice would be welcome, I'm pretty confused again

No not all airports in the USA are POE, many are domestic only.

For a list of POE look here: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/ports/

I was in the same situation as you but I came through Vancouver (YVR) to Chicago O'Hare ... You will be activating your K-1 Visa in Winnipeg ... Make sure you when you go up to the US Customs Officer you tell him/her that you are travelling on a K-1 Visa ... I handed them my brown envelope and then he asked for my I-94 (I managed to get one from the United Airlines Agent when I checked in) and if you don't have one I am pretty sure they will give you one to fill out (this can slow things down so it is better if you have it completed prior to getting to the agent) ...

They will take your envelope and I-94 and fingerprint of each index finger and digital picture (Atleast this is what they did in YVR) ... They will then tell you to go through the doors to secondary screening ... When I got in that room there was quite a line of people but I was called up rather quickly which surprised me ... The US Customs Officer asked me a few questions then wrote in my passport and stamp it and then stapled my I-94 into my passport and also stamped it and put an expiring date on it ...

After that I was on my way ... It was really fast like 15 minutes or so ...

Denver is an international airport with POE, and Winnipeg performs Pre-clearance checks.

I would call the Winnipeg office with question PH 204-783-2062. For Denver the number is 303-342-8400 x222

VJers to the rescue again! Thanks a million!

Hello fellow Winnipegger! Thanks for posting that question! It reminded me to double check if Las Vegas was a POE... I was assuming it was because it is an international airport.

I am flying with WestJet and will go through customs at Las Vegas, not Winnipeg. Although, it is making me now think that maybe I should have booked a flight through a different airline so that just in case I run into problems at customs for whatever reason, I'd still be on my home turf...

How does that work? From my experience in other Canadian airports with preclearance centres, the place you leave from is your POE.

yeah, i don't know. i thought it was kind of weird too at first. i guess it has something to do with the airline (maybe the fact that it's canadian, and the airlines i've gone on going through pre-clearance have all been american or in an alliance with an american airline), i don't know... they just recently began servicing non-stop flights to vegas from here, so maybe later on they'll have some sort of agreement with CBP to allow their passengers to go through pre-clearance.

or it may have something to do with how the winnipeg airport operates. both canadian airlines come through the domestic terminal and all the american/alliance airlines come through the international terminal.

who knows...

All Canadian international airports (except Halifax I think) are US pre-clearance, so you activate your visa technically on Canadian soil, but with US customs/immigration. Doesn't matter if you're flying to a US international airport or not, you clear customs on the Canadian side. Same as any other time you fly to the US.

Dunno about Winnipeg airport (I can ask Alie to stop by here tho, she's from there) but at Toronto airport when I got mine, it took about 5 minutes right there at the wicket. Took my fingerprint (indexes only) my photo, stamped my I-94 and stapled it into my passport and sent me on my merry way. Easy peasy.

That sounds about right. I'll just make sure I'm at the airport extra early in case anything goes wrong or it takes awhile. YWG is so very small I have a feeling they probably haven't processed many K-1s before

well, they've done at least 2. The previously mentioned Alie, is from Winnipeg, and I think there was someone else a while ago from there.

hahaha.. good ol' Winnipeg...
Well it's refreshing to know in Denver I wont have to wait for ages. I can just walk off the plane and go see Rob

I would've been # 3 by the end of the month. But no, I had to complicate it for myself and go the WestJet route, didn't I.

Funny, if I'd booked the United Airlines flight to Reno, I'd be going through Denver! (a 3-hour stopover )

...my interview's in 5 days!! I don't know whether to be excited or nervous. I resigned from my nice, well-paying, cushy government job today (a bit presumptuous maybe??), so I BETTER damn get the visa!!

I don't think all airlines are required to pre-clear even though it makes a lot of sense... Without pre-clearance you will simply go through customs/immigration at the destination.

I am originally from Winnipeg, and I activated my k-1 visa at the Winnipeg airport befpre entering the US.

When you go through Immigration at the airport, just show them your K-1 & hand them your brown envelope. They'll tell you to go to a little room off to the side and an officer will then have you fill out the I-94, go through the brown envelope, stamp your passport (unless there are other ppl waiting, it shouldn't take too long) & off you go to your gate and off to your destination.

Alie

Sweet, thanks for responding! No surprises for me now when it comes to leaving home

Halifax has just opened a US pre-clearence area at the beginning of October.