POE QUESTION

[cranehand 0]

final destination Houston but we touchdown at either ATL or JFK first. Flying from Ukraine can we just make our connecting flight to Hou from these places or is POE first place we will land in US. I would like POE to be Hou. Do we have a choice since Hou is a recognized POE. I have flown out of this airport(HOU) for many years and I am quite familliar with getting around there. It sure would be nice:) Also I acompanied a friend back through ATL immigration on my last trip and we were told by immigration that the foreign fiance could have gone through resident line with USC and visa packet. This would be ideal has anyone had experience with this.

Thank you all for this site.

Dallas

[katie & sifa 25]

The POE will be whichever US airport you touch down in first, not the final destination. You will have to leave the international terminal to connect to a domestic flight to Houston, so you have to go through customs and immigration after you get off of the international flight.

[pushbrk 12,978]

The POE will be whichever US airport you touch down in first, not the final destination. You will have to leave the international terminal to connect to a domestic flight to Houston, so you have to go through customs and immigration after you get off of the international flight.

Ayup!

[cranehand 0]

thank you for the info. I think i actually figured out how to make Houston her POE. have either of you heard anything about the other question about having your fiance go into the USC line with you. After all I suppose at that point she is no longer a visitor. K1 is not visitors visa. correct?

I would hate to lose track of her in the masses especially if POE is not our final destination. If we have holdup through customs there is good chance we will not make connecting flight. As my friend did in ATL.

Thanks again.

[katie & sifa 25]

thank you for the info. I think i actually figured out how to make Houston her POE. have either of you heard anything about the other question about having your fiance go into the USC line with you. After all I suppose at that point she is no longer a visitor. K1 is not visitors visa. correct?

I would hate to lose track of her in the masses especially if POE is not our final destination. If we have holdup through customs there is good chance we will not make connecting flight. As my friend did in ATL.

Thanks again.

I didn't travel with my husband when he came through but I have heard that before too - that people could bring their fiance/spouse through the USC line with them as long as they were traveling together. I will have to check with my husband when I get home but I think even without me he was put in a different line from visitors at O'Hare.

[Brad and Vika 129]

I didn't travel with my husband when he came through but I have heard that before too - that people could bring their fiance/spouse through the USC line with them as long as they were traveling together. I will have to check with my husband when I get home but I think even without me he was put in a different line from visitors at O'Hare.

I just waited in the visitor line with Vika at POE. It was a little slower, but no one questioned me about it.

[cranehand 0]

now there is a thought.

TY brad and vika

[Brad and Vika 129]

now there is a thought.

TY brad and vika

You're welcome. Another thought about POE - in your original post you mentioned that you were much more familiar with Houston, and wanted that to be your POE. When you get to POE in JFK, for example, you go through passport control together. Then you have to gather your baggage and clear customs - so only one way to go there. Then you must take her packet to whatever the immigration station is called, and wait to be cleared. There really isn't much wandering around to be done, and zero chance of getting lost until you head for your connection. I would probably use ticket cost to determine POE.

Also, the Homeland Security office where you take her packet may have a long line. You could spend ninety minutes waiting (maybe less), so make sure your connection from POE is a little later than you might usually shoot for. We actually stayed the night in Chicago at POE that first time and flew home the next day, so it wasn't a problem for us.

[Bernie C 24]

We remained together the whole time. Our POE was Detroit and I waited in the visitor line (no problem). The packet was taken by the CBP officer and he reviewed it, marked her K-1 visa with 1 of 1 (one entry), stapled in the I-94 and stamped the date.

A few things to check before you walk away from the CBP station.

Check that the I-94 is stapled in the passport

Check that the name is correctly written on the I-94 and verify the date stamp

It wasn't to busy when out flight landed (luckily) and we were through CBP and Customs inspection in about 45 minutes total! Heck, I've waited that long in the USC line before on a very busy day!

Ok - I might as well finish our little experience - we had an 8 hour layover in Detroit then flew to Erie only to be redirected to Cleveland due to fog (even though I could see the runway clearly ) Flew back to Cleveland and rented a car and drove home in the middle of the night Go figure - getting a flight redirect in January due to fog and not snow

[dswann 1]

The question i have is about the ead card? I know some POE's still give them and from what I have read that one is good for 90 days. Of course you have to apply for the real one. The first one should help in getting Drivers license and SSN and things like that. At least that was the way it happen ten years ago when i did my first K-1. I think this is most confusing part for me in this. I can bring Anna right into Atlanta from Kiev Amsterdam. Good flight for her and airports are easy. Just do not know what happens now in Atlanta POE.

David

[HeatDeath 430]

The question i have is about the ead card? I know some POE's still give them and from what I have read that one is good for 90 days. Of course you have to apply for the real one. The first one should help in getting Drivers license and SSN and things like that. At least that was the way it happen ten years ago when i did my first K-1. I think this is most confusing part for me in this. I can bring Anna right into Atlanta from Kiev Amsterdam. Good flight for her and airports are easy. Just do not know what happens now in Atlanta POE.

David

They changed the rules about a year ago. The EAD stamp, which was and is still only provided at JFK is now only useful if a person is arriving on a nonimmigrant work visa with a specific employer specified on the visa. The stamp is no longer valid work authorization for a K-1 entrant. They have to wait until they have their actual EAD card and/or green card in hand to work. [Actually the stamp was never valid work authorization for a K-1 entrant, but bad wording on the I-9 work authorization form made this unclear. 13 months ago they corrected the wording. It is now unambiguous. K-1 entrants need a proper EAD card.]

It is possible to apply for an EAD card during the first 90 days, using only the visa and I-94. No one does this because the EAD would only be good for those 90 days and would in all likelihood expire before they finished processing it and getting it to you, there would still be a gap of time during which she would be unemployable between the expiry of her first EAD and when the new EAD (from the AOS) showed up, and this useless 90-day EAD would cost roughly 400 dollars.

If you wait approximately 1-2 weeks after she arrives [for her arrival record to get into the SSA computers, otherwise there is a 4-6 week wait for manual confirmation], she is entitled to a SSC using only her passport and I-94. Some undertrained SSA clerks are confused about this but stand your ground and ask for a manager if necessary.

I think, though I am not certain, that unfortunately Georgia's laws require an EAD card to get a driver's license. These things vary radically from state to state. Check the local DMV website for the state for more details.

When she arrives at the Atlanta airport, she should find the non-USC line. If she shows her packet a customs officer will help her if necessary. They will direct her into secondary where they will take her packet, do some processing, which hopefully shouldn't take too long, stamp her passport, and staple an I-94 into her passport. Before she leaves the customs area she must be careful to check that:

A ) they did, in fact, take her packet.

B ) they did, in fact, issue her an I-94.

C ) the I-94 has her name spelled exactly the same as her visa and passport.

D ) the date on the I-94 is 90 days from date of entry,

E ) the I-94 is marked "Single Use".

F ) they did stamp her passport somewhere in the general vicinity of the visa, and that that date is correct.

You need to have her check these things because accidents do happen, customs people in a hurry misspell or mess stuff up, and it's a pain in the butt to correct later.

Hope this helps.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

If anybody wants to know procedures and experiences at a specific airport POE, look in the menu bar at the top of each page and find POE. Click that link and choose the airport from the drop down to find experiences from VJ members.

And a note: The I-94 is normally handed out on the plane by the crew before landing. The immigrant will write her own name on it, so she should print very clearly and exactly the name as written on her visa and passport. It only asks for First Name and Last Name.

[cranehand 0]

Thank you all for your help

I have found a way to make Houston her POE. It will require purchase of roung trip ticket to insure that we are on the same flight back to the states. This is quite a relief. I do not want to worry about us missing a connecting flight from another POE in case there are long lines. Once we land on US soil I want to be as close to home as possible. No matter how long it takes in Houston we will only be about an hour from home. Thanks also for the I-94 and other things to be aware of. Best time frame for her arrival will be July a lot of summer travelers and the airports will be busy. Man I can hardly contain my excitement we are getting closer every day.

Thanks VJrs for your support and knowledge.

Dallas

[dswann 1]

Thanks for all the info. That was very helpful!!!! David