Hello VJ's,

My wife is coming to USA on this Sunday. and her POE is JFK. She has K-3 Visa, can someone please share experience they howlong it takes at JFK and what she will go through? Are they mean?

Thanks,
ALI

I (with my SO) transited JFK last Sunday. How long it takes is almost an impossible question to answer because it is totally dependant on how busy the POE is at the moment of arrival. We arrived late afternoon and the POE was VERY BUSY. It took us about 30 minutes to transit primary inspection (but we were directed to use the USC line because I was there with her). If we/she had to use the visitor line it would have been double or maybe triple that time. After primary inspection, we were directed to go to the secondary inspection area. There were about 30 or 40 people in this area. For us it took about another hour to clear this phase. So all in about 2 hrs and that was relatively quick based on the volume at that moment.

Were they mean? NO. Were they friendly? Primary inspector was reasonably so. Secondary inspector was not but the que was very long and they did not have time I suspect because they simply wanted to process all the people.

THANKS FOR SHARING YOU EXPERIENCE

We came through JFK in mid December, how long it takes primarily depends on how many people are ahead of you. The processing itself doesn't take long at all. It took us about 1 1/2 hrs. The first officer at the non us citizen booth was friendly, then we were sent to a separate room where alot of people were waiting. The officers in that room were quite rude, yelling at people. When it was my husbands turn they asked him a couple questions as to his identity, like his mothers maiden name, then they stamped his passport and we were through.
Good luck! And Happy Reunion!

Michaela

Thanks.

VERY MEAN!

specially if youre muslim and from Pakistan. Would you believe Ive been asked by immigration If I was Muslim!

do they stamped your I-194 with work authorization when you were there?thanks.. im really having a problem with this seems like i missed to go the person who will stamped my I-194 or is it different for K1 visa.. by the way i am in a K3 visa.. i need your help with this.. coz i cant get my ssn if i dont have the stamped on it that's what the ss officer ask me when i went to their office...

K-3 is not work authorized so you will NOT get the stamp.

They aren't?

No, a K-3 needs to file an I-765 petition to get authorization.

I came in (on a K-1) through JFK a couple of months ago... the lines were LONG (although they did have a member of staff walking up and down the lines and pulling anyone in danger of missing their connecting flight to the front) - it took me around an hour to reach the front of the inspection line. They weren't 'mean' at all - the immigration officer I had for 'primary' inspection was absolutely lovely (laughing and joking with everyone), and the guy at 'secondary' was pleasant enough, too.

You can see a lot of POE experiences here - use the dropdown menu at the bottom of the page to select JFK (it's listed in about 10 different ways or more, both under 'New York' and 'JFK', so you might have to go back to the menu a few times if you want to see lots of the reviews/experiences)... quite a few people have written little 'reviews' of their POE experience.

Right, I'm following you now. (I thought you meant they couldn't apply for EAD at all. Sorry!)

If I did what would that have to do with getting the stamp at the POE? I think you are slipping in your old age here..

Actually, I think I'm still confused as to what you meant.

As I understand it, K1ers are authorized to work either with approval of the I 765 (filed for at AOS time), or for a period of 90 days (after receipt of the stamp upon entry at JFK). K1s and K3s receive work authorization in the same manner, so I am unclear why you said a K3 visa holder cannot get temp stamp at JFK.

Because K-3 is not EA incident to status for any period of time like a K-1 is. So, while a K-1 enters the country EA automatically for 90 days, a K-3 is not and therefore cannot get any kind of temp EAD stamp. An I-765 needs to be filed in order for a K-3 to be EA.

Comprende my friend?

Ok - that makes sense. I don't think I understood the exact deets of the K3's EA status.