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Ryanek

Choosing a point of entry

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Filed: Timeline

Hi there,

 

My fiancee and I have almost completed this long K-1 visa process! She has had her interview and is just waiting to get her passport back with the visa. She is in the Czech Republic and I am in Seattle, WA.

 

So we have started looking at tickets and it looks like it would be about $200 cheaper for some reason for her to fly in to Vancouver BC airport than for her to fly in to Seattle in the time frame we are looking at.Seattle is only a 3 hour drive from Vancouver so it would be no problem for me to go pick her up and bring her back to Seattle. After talking about it, it started to sound like a good idea. We would then be together for her entry in to the US and the final step of getting in to the country might seem less intimidating for her. We used to meet in BC during the processing time so she is able to travel to Canada.

 

So my question is: Would there be any problem with this plan? Just wondering if the Customs officer might be taken off guard? They might think it strange to have a girl from the Czech Republic with a Finacee visa coming through that way. Thoughts?

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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Mexico
Timeline

I read other posts that this is very common, I don't have the links now, so you could read the comments, sorry. One of the posts said the person called the POE directly.

My POE was in Texas, and some don't process K-1 or R-1, that is for Mexico-US. not sure if all of the Canada-US can process K-1s. i'd call and ask, the main on I-5 is very busy and I don't know if they have an office there, we cross by car. I went through Pacific Hwy 1 time, when the Victoria Clipper broke down and we had to take a charter bus to Seattle. We had to get our of the bus and check in with immigration. Here is a link with their phone number:

 

https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/blaine

 

Good luck!

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Russia
Timeline

My mom just went up to Vancouver, B.C. and said they were huge lines to get back into the US at the border and it took forever to move through. So, as long as your fiancee doesn't mind a possible border wait and a 3 hour car ride after after a 10+ hour flight then I'm guessing it should be fine. It is a POE after all so they have to do their job with whomever comes through there, regardless of visa.

Edited by millefleur

🇷🇺 CR-1 via DCF (Dec 2016-Jun 2017) & I-751 ROC (Apr 2019-Oct 2019)🌹

Spoiler

Info about my DCF Moscow* experience here and here

26-Jul-2016: Married abroad in Russia 👩‍❤️‍👨 See guide here
21-Dec-2016: I-130 filed at Moscow USCIS field office*
29-Dec-2016: I-130 approved! Yay! 🎊 

17-Jan-2017: Case number received

21-Mar-2017: Medical Exam completed

24-Mar-2017: Interview at Embassy - approved! 🎉

29-Mar-2017: CR-1 Visa received (via mail)

02-Apr-2017: USCIS Immigrant (GC) Fee paid

28-Jun-2017: Port of Entry @ PDX 🛩️

21-Jul-2017: No SSN after three weeks; applied in person at the SSA

22-Jul-2017: GC arrived in the mail 📬

31-Jul-2017: SSN arrived via mail, hurrah!

 

*NOTE: The USCIS Field Office in Moscow is now CLOSED as of February 28th, 2019.

 

Removal of Conditions - MSC Service Center

 28-Jun-2019: Conditional GC expires

30-Mar-2019: Eligible to apply for ROC

01-Apr-2019: ROC in the mail to Phoenix AZ lockbox! 📫

03-Apr-2019: ROC packet delivered to lockbox

09-Apr-2019: USCIS cashed check

09-Apr-2019: Case number received via text - MSC 📲

12-Apr-2019: Extension letter arrives via mail

19-Apr-2019: Biometrics letter arrives via mail

30-Apr-2019: Biometrics appointment at local office

26-Jun-2019: Case ready to be scheduled for interview 

04-Sep-2019: Interview was scheduled - letter to arrive in mail

09-Sep-2019: Interview letter arrived in the mail! ✉️

17-Oct-2019: Interview scheduled @ local USCIS  

18-Oct-2019: Interview cancelled & notice ordered*

18-Oct-2019: Case was approved! 🎉

22-Oct-2019: Card was mailed to me 📨

23-Oct-2019: Card was picked by USPS 

25-Oct-2019: 10 year GC Card received in mail 📬

 

*I don't understand this status because we DID have an interview!

 

🇺🇸 N-400 Application for Naturalization (Apr 2020-Jun 2021) 🛂

Spoiler

Filed during Covid-19 & moved states 1 month after filing

30-Mar-2020: N-400 early filing window opens!

01-Apr-2020: Filed N-400 online 💻 

02-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received online 📃

07-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received via mail

05-May-2020: Moved to another state, filed AR-11 online

05-May-2020: Application transferred to another USCIS field office for review ➡️

15-May-2020: AR-11 request to change address completed

16-Jul-2020: Filed non-receipt inquiry due to never getting confirmation that case was transferred to new field office

15-Oct-2020: Received generic response to non-receipt inquiry, see full response here

10-Feb-2021: Contacted senator's office for help with USCIS

12-Feb-2021: Received canned response from senator's office that case is within processing time 😡

16-Feb-2021: Contacted other senator's office for help with USCIS - still no biometrics

19-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice - canned response from other senator's office 🌐

23-Feb-2021: Interview scheduled - notice to come in the mail

25-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice arrives via mail

01-Mar-2021: Interview notice letter arrives via mail  ✉️ 

29-Mar-2021: Passed interview at local office! Oath Ceremony to be scheduled

13-Apr-2021: Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

04-May-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 Unable to attend due to illness

04-May-2021: Mailed request to reschedule Oath to local office

05-May-2021: "You did not attend your Oath Ceremony" - notice to come in the mail

06-May-2021: Oath Ceremony will be scheduled, date TBA

12-May-2021: Oath Ceremony re-scheduled for June 3rd, then de-scheduled same day 😡 

25-May-2021: New Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

16-Jun-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 - DONE!!

17-Jun-2021: Certificate of Naturalization issued

 

🎆 Members new and old: don't forget to fill in your VJ timeline! 🎇 https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

Ive already researched flights from PH (Clark), and decided to fly from there to Dubai (1.5 hour transfer) then onto Orlando, FL. Orlando will be our POE, no flights afterwards and then a 1.5 - 2 hour ride home.:)

download.jpgdownload.pngVJ.jpg

 

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She will need to make sure she has the appropriate documentation for entry into Canada. Do Czech passport holders require an ETA for Canada? I know other Europeans do. As she will be entering Canada and not just transitting she will be processed by Canadian immigration at the airport - my experience of Vancouver (we are also in WA and I have used Vancouver a lot as it's cheaper) is that immigration there can take a very long time for non-Canadians and non-US citizens. Then there is the drive to Seattle. My experience of Blaine border crossing point is that it can take hours and hours to get through. 

Edited by JFH

Timeline in brief:

Married: September 27, 2014

I-130 filed: February 5, 2016

NOA1: February 8, 2016 Nebraska

NOA2: July 21, 2016

Interview: December 6, 2016 London

POE: December 19, 2016 Las Vegas

N-400 filed: September 30, 2019

Interview: March 22, 2021 Seattle

Oath: March 22, 2021 COVID-style same-day oath

 

Now a US citizen!

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Argentina
Timeline
9 hours ago, tanderson64 said:

It seems it would just be easier to have fiance fly to Seattle.  With the extra time and money to drive to Vancouver, enter Canada, then drive back down and enter US, $200 is not worth it.  The I-5 border crossing is often very busy.

 

Exactly. OP unless the $200 is very important, I would just fly to Seattle. Imagine a long trip from Czech Republic and then waiting in line at Canada border plus the 3 hr drive? Also keep in mind that she will be probably sent to some secondary room to review her papers so that might take a while. 

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