Has anyone had expereince that they can share with their Fiance entering the U.S. through Dallas or Houston, Texas?

nessa went thru houston, it wasn't too bad. took about a half hour i'd guess.

No visa POE experience, but the immigration officers at DFW are usually pretty laid-back. Much more so than Newark or Boston.

My wife (then fiancee) and her daughter arrived at Houston POE in 2004. The ICE / Customs people were polite, but it took almost 2 hours for them to be processed. I had to use the phone posted at the exit of the customs area to call inside to find out where they were when they didn't exit with the other passengers after the flight had arrived over an hour. All they would tell me was that they were there and being processed.

They finally came out about 2 hours after the flight landed. They did get the EAD stamp on their I-94 and passports. My stepdaughter even got an EAD stamp even though as a K-2 she was not eligible for it.

Later, my wife told me they spent a lot of time just sitting while the ICE people were busy questioning some guy from the Middle East.

Yes, I have heard DFW is much better. I have personally gone through both places and prefer DFW. I am thinking about sending my Fiancee through DFW because of their better attitude but the problem is that I will not be there if something goes wrong. Thank you for your information

It is good to hear someone having a good experience. It is good to know that they are at least being polite. My wife does not speak a lot of English and I am sure that can be frustrating at times.

Do you know if they will allow her to use the phone? I have given her a cell phone so she can use once she lands, just in case she needs to call me. But I don't know if they will allow her to use it.

Hard to believe, but not unexpected, the wide range in different amounts of time to get through immigration... any where between 1/2 hour and 3 hours... I'll prepare myself for the worst and hope for the best..

My wife is Russian born even though she is now a citizen of Belarus (former USSR). However, she and her daughter were already fluent in English before they arrived here as my wife was an English teacher.

Anyway, the ICE people at the airport introduced them to a Russian speaker that worked there.

I think there will be no problem with your wife unable to speak English. There are 2 lines (one for US citizens and the other for foreign nationals) after getting off the airplane. As long as she is in the right line I believe there will be no problem. The US Customs people are used to non-English speakers and her passport alone will clue them in on her status. That's the first thing they want to see anyway.

I don't know the answer to the cell phone question, but it wouldn't hurt to get her one.

Hello,

I work in DFW airport, I manage 6 stores in the airport. My fiancess point of entry was San Francisco, but I do know a lot of immigration officers at DFW and they are very easy going. If by chance you are not meeting your fiancee at her POE in Dallas and you think she will need help getting to her connecting flight, just let me know and I'm sure I can make sure she gets to the right place with no problems.

Bryan & Marie

Bryan,

Thank you very much for that offer. I really do appreciate it. I have already decided to bring her through Houston and have made airplane reservation. I just figured that I needed to be there in case anything happens. Plus she speaks very little English. I know from personal experience that the immigration officers are better at DFW. I live in Houston and hate going through that place when I fly internationally. But I will have her go through this for now. Once again I really appreciate your offer. If there is anything I can do for you here in Houston, please let me know.

Basil

B,

I will be curious to read your POE report once your fiancee arrives in Houston. I also live here and my fiance will be coming soon (I hope ). I'm just starting to price tickets....trying to see what is the best option. My fiance also speaks very little english and I would prefer to be there at the airport. For me, the POE for my fiance will definitely depend on the price of the ticket. If flying into Dallas is significantly cheaper than Houston, I'll go with that option. Since Dallas is not so very far away, I will just drive there...meet him and perhaps stay the night there. We can drive back the next day.
Please post your SO's experience arriving in Houston, when you get a chance.

Thanks much!

-P

That is so nice, makes me want to go through there! cept it's alittle out of the way.

My husband cleared Houston POE and customs in just under an hour back in February. He had no problems, but told me they did ask a lot of questions (like the consulate interview) and moved a bit slower than the normal human being (LOL).

My husband cleared Houston POE and customs in just under an hour back in February. He had no problems, but told me they did ask a lot of questions (like the consulate interview) and moved a bit slower than the normal human being (LOL).
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Thanks for the information. I will make sure my fiance is aware that she may have to go through some more questioning when she arrives in country. I don't know how much they will be able to ask her and expect her to respond if she can only speak very little English. They will have to get someone who speaks Russian. If they do that then that will actually be a blessing.

Thanks again,

Basil

P,

I will let you know once she arrives. Hopefully, she will be here 3 July 2007. I will post it then and send you an email.

Basil

Thanks Basil! My fiance's interview is on the 9th of July, so I will be buying tickets not much after your fiancee has arrived here....the info you provide will be much appreciated!

-P