Flight Tickets

[GabVal 1]

Hi everyone, this might be a silly question, but I'm buying my tickets to the States next week, and I'm not really sure if there, at the POE, they ask you for a return ticket, in case you fail to enter the country or something. I don't know, but I'd rather ask you just to be sure. Thanks in advance!!

[Shauneg 762]

What kind of visa are you coming on? Obviously if you are immigrating here they aren't going to ask for a round trip ticket, that would be idiotic.

[GabVal 1]

What kind of visa are you coming on? Obviously if you are immigrating here they aren't going to ask for a round trip ticket, that would be idiotic.

DV Visa.

I just thought they could ask you for a return ticket, in case they decide you're not eligible to enter the country. Remember that they, at the POE, can denie you the entrance if they find a reason why, even if you have your immigrant Visa. So that's why I'm asking.

[Shauneg 762]

DV Visa.

I just thought they could ask you for a return ticket, in case they decide you're not eligible to enter the country. Remember that they, at the POE, can denie you the entrance if they find a reason why, even if you have your immigrant Visa. So that's why I'm asking.

It wouldn't make sense to expect everyone coming in to have a return ticket. Especially if it isn't used and you didn't cancel it, the airlines report you as leaving the country and that would cause tons of immigration issues when trying apply for green card/adjusting status or any number of others things. For clarity they would be the idiots, not you. Many people do buy round trip because it can be cheaper, just make sure you cancel once you are here so what I described above doesn't happen.

[divemaster19 17]

If you are immigrating legally I would not get a return ticket. If you are inadmissible the US will deport you for free lol

[Hypnos 6,576]

Only the VWP requires a return ticket as part of the conditions of entry.

[GabVal 1]

It wouldn't make sense to expect everyone coming in to have a return ticket. Especially if it isn't used and you didn't cancel it, the airlines report you as leaving the country and that would cause tons of immigration issues when trying apply for green card/adjusting status or any number of others things. For clarity they would be the idiots, not you. Many people do buy round trip because it can be cheaper, just make sure you cancel once you are here so what I described above doesn't happen.

I understand. Thank you for your reply!

[GabVal 1]

If you are immigrating legally I would not get a return ticket. If you are inadmissible the US will deport you for free lol

I didn't know that, are you sure they don't ask you to buy your ticket if they find you inadmissible? How do you know? Thanks for your reply!

Edited June 7, 2015 by GabVal

[GabVal 1]

Only the VWP requires a return ticket as part of the conditions of entry.

Yes I understand that too. I was just wondering what would happen if they find a reason to denie your entrance.

Thanks for your reply!

[tomyka81 95]

But round trip is cheaper though most times. I have heard this question before so it isn't that far fetched. My fiance asked me the same thing because of something that he had heard. We will get a round trip ticket for cost though. Way cheaper getting a $1500 round trip versus a $2400 one way......

[Shauneg 762]

But round trip is cheaper though most times. I have heard this question before so it isn't that far fetched. My fiance asked me the same thing because of something that he had heard. We will get a round trip ticket for cost though. Way cheaper getting a $1500 round trip versus a $2400 one way......

For them to require you to have one? Seems far fetched to me. What are they going to do deport you if you didn't show up with one? They're going to do that anyway, there's no kind of realistic penalty that could be imposed even if they did require it and people didn't have one.

The side I didn't mention is of the airlines, how can airlines properly forcast arrival/departature passenger rates if they have no idea how many of those are hollow tickets that won't be filled and are being held for the op's question. Logistically and financially it would make zero sense at all. An airline thinks their plane is fully booked headed overseas because all their tickets are sold....but wait all those people were immigrants who were required to buy return seats "just in case". So now here's a plane about to take off that was fully booked but has no passengers.

I don't dispute that round trip can cheaper sometimes, but answering the op's question as presented, it makes absolutely no sense that the government would require to have a round trup ticket.

Absolutely none.

Yes I understand that too. I was just wondering what would happen if they find a reason to denie your entrance.

Thanks for your reply!

As with any other country, they will get you on a plane out. No need to worry about getting your own ticket, they'll make sure you're on a flight.

[tomyka81 95]

Being that sometimes the government workers don't always do what makes sense........ I simply stated that I have heard this concern before so somewhere someone experienced this being imposed by a POE worker and lived to tell about it. Secondly airlines are pretty smart to double book and triple book seats anyway based on statistics that is why they give freebies for people to get off the plane.... But again, the person's question isn't far fetched as I have heard the same concern myself so it wasn't silly at all.

[Unidentified 2,930]

But round trip is cheaper though most times. I have heard this question before so it isn't that far fetched. My fiance asked me the same thing because of something that he had heard. We will get a round trip ticket for cost though. Way cheaper getting a $1500 round trip versus a $2400 one way......

Don't do it if you're immigrating. If you buy a round trip ticket and then cancel it once you get to the states you will have to pay a kind of penalty fee. Airlines have implemented this because they are tired of losing money as they have to predict how many will actually be on a flight.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

OP was not asking if round trip ticket was cheaper. He was asking if he had to have one. Answer is no. End of story.

[Dave&Roza 748]

Don't do it if you're immigrating. If you buy a round trip ticket and then cancel it once you get to the states you will have to pay a kind of penalty fee. Airlines have implemented this because they are tired of losing money as they have to predict how many will actually be on a flight.

How is the airline loosing money? You purchased a ticket for a seat coming to the US and then leaving the US. The cost of that ticket is not going to be refunded to you, so the airline got their money from you whether you park your butt in that set or not. If you cancel the ticket, the airline is now free to resell that seat and make even more money. I had no issues when I cancelled by wife's return ticket. I still have the confirmation number of the cancellation as I did not want the airline selling the seat and not removing her from the manifest and then when we went to file for her AOS, the USCIS would state she left the country and then we would have to prove that.

OP: This is purely an economics evulation. Does purchasing a RT cost less than a one-way even if you included any cancelation fees? IF you do happen to purchase a RT, please call the AIRLINE (not the travel agency) and cancel the return and get a confirmation number to prevent any issues should the airlines say you left on that flight. This is more important for K-1 visa holders that have to file for AOS and cannot leave until they receive AP or GC. In you case, the government will not require you to have a RT ticket--the airlines on the other hand my want to see one so be prepared to explain what the visa you have is and maybe have to go up the company ladder until you find someone who understands that yours is an immigrant visa. Do not worry about the CBP denying you entry as that is rare. You have to do something for them to think your visa was issued in error or your situation does not fit the type of visa you are tryig to enter on. Granted they can be a royal PITA, but that is how they determine if your visa is still valid.

Dave