My POE experience!

[sachinky 464]

I am happy for both of you! Welcome home!

Thankyou!

Hah, Nik got hung up before exiting Customs too - not for all the immigration stuff, but lost bags! I know how your poor hubby felt, waiting and waiting and waiting....We managed to keep the tears to just watery eyes, but reading your review reminded me of how great it was to be together FINALLY.

All the best!

-H

Thankyou! Yes, the poor boy was just so worried. I felt bad for him that I couldn't contact him earlier to let him know I was delayed. Of course, I'd told him immigration POE takes time but he was there at the airport way before time!

Awwww, I feel like crying too! 3 hours!? That seems like a long time! But I'm sure you forgot about all that once you got to see Mr. Sachinky! Send my regards.

It was AMAZING. Something I will remember for the rest of my life. Just the feeling of the last 9 months slipping away!

Yee-HAAAAAAA, si man! ("Yee-HAAAAA" is Texan for "si man.")

The U.S. is, more than before, a lovelier, more intelligent, more literate, more gracious place now that you are here, Dear, si man.

Hint: Take some scraps of garishly-colored yarn and tie them around your suitcases' handles, to make conveyor-belt retrieval easier, si man.

You flatter me too much, TB!

That's a great tip--I'll be sure to remember that the next time I travel.

[sachinky 464]

Nice Sachi!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy for you!!!!!!!!! Screw that rule! We like to see Bollywood in real life too!

I wish you all the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, dear! Can you believe it's all over now? At least for the next two years! Good luck to you both as well!

Haha - Stupid swedes!

Have a great time being finally home!

I know! I was like, OMG. COME ON! SERIOUSLY?!

Thankyou! It's so great being back in the U.S. with Mr. Sachinky!

Really so wonderful experience and good enough details hh Thanks and Congrats for meeting ur Husband ack home.best wishes

Many thanks!

My wife entered at Chicago-ORD six months and 1 day ago. I hated the 2 plus hour wait after her plane landed.

I had sent her an AT&T SIM Card about a month before and called AT&T to add a line & activate it that morning.

She was able to let me know when she landed and a couple of updated before coming out, it helped me with the waiting...

I had my old phone with me. I'd have used it to call him except this other woman was talking on the phone and the lady from customs literally came charging at her. She dropped her phone and put her arms up, she was so shocked. It was funny but I didn't want to get yelled at too, so I didn't dare take my phone out and switch it on.

Great review and welcome to Michigan. All the best to you and your husband!

Thanks, dear! Wishing you all the best on your visa journey!

Congrats sachinky

Your dedication and love is obvious and we wish you and your husband (and I am sure will have) an everlasting and wonderful life together.

Also, your dedication to VJ and the help you provide is wonderful resource for other members and is greatly appreciated.

We wish you the best always and forever.

Many thanks for your kind words and good wishes!

Congratulations and have a fab life ahead!

Thanks, lady!

Congratulations on your arrival! Where do you live in Michigan? I am from Grand Haven...

Thanks! Hi, we're living in Benton Harbor!

Edited May 29, 2010 by sachinky

[sachinky 464]

Nice...

Congratulations Baby

Thanks, dude!

Looks like a happy ending after a long wait...

...Good luck to both of you...

Thankyou and good luck with your visa journey! You've been waiting a long time!

i got emotional reading that silly me!! im so happy for u!

Cant wait till i can go running into my husbands arms

Haha. It's gonna come soon! Good luck!

Liked the bollywood ending . Goodluck to you both.

Thankyou! Wish you both a happy wedded life together!

aww so so happy ,sniff sniff!

And amazing review

Aw, thankyou! Good luck to you and John! Hope you have a smooth journey and POE!

Glad you are done with this process! Good luck on your future ventures!

Thankyou very much! All the best to you as well!

Congratulations and welcome back to the US!

Many thanks!

[sachinky 464]

so SACHI is back big time...congrats...it would hav been such a gr8 feeling to see mr.sachinky after such a long time!!!the wait is over finally...

Thankyou! Good luck to you on your visa journey!

awww i feel like crying

Aw.

Congrats and welcome to the US! It was a long journey buy a worthwhile one

Thankyou!

Congratulations on completing your "visa journey" and thanks for the detailed and informative post on POE.

While this may be your last long review, we certainly hope it is not your last post. Remember, there is still one more step (lifting of conditions) to go in a couple of years!

Beyond that, feel free to check into VJ anytime to offer your expertise or just to reconnect with friends!

Good luck!

Thankyou for your very kind words. Good luck on your Visa Journey!

What? "The I-94 is NOT required. No matter what the airlines crew tells you. The officer simply threw mine away"

Are you sure about this? I thought for your AOS, you have to submit the I-94 as an Evidence of Status and a proof of your non-immigarnt entry record. Don't they ask for this at AOE?

I entered on a CR-1 (immigrant visa) which is essentially a GC on entry so there is no need to AOS unlike the K-1 which is a non-immigrant visa and the I-94 is required for AOS off that.

[Darnell 8,478]

Welcome Home!

Perfect Bollywood ending, the script couldn't have written any better. All the best, Congrats and enjoy decorating your new apt.

Wait a mo - where's the 'boys dancing against the girls dancing' ? Come on SaChinKy - I wanna review some video !!!

Oh wait - they never 'end' that way - always the ending is either 'boy gets girl' or 'boy dies'.

Yay !!! Good for the Boy, this time !!!

[Darnell 8,478]

SaChinKy - I'm so glad there wasn't any 'jeans cupping' by the US CBP folksen. Whew !!!

How long did it take you to revert on the jet lag ?

[sachinky 464]

Wait a mo - where's the 'boys dancing against the girls dancing' ? Come on SaChinKy - I wanna review some video !!!

Oh wait - they never 'end' that way - always the ending is either 'boy gets girl' or 'boy dies'.

Yay !!! Good for the Boy, this time !!!

Yay, indeed.

Edited June 2, 2010 by sachinky

[sachinky 464]

SaChinKy - I'm so glad there wasn't any 'jeans cupping' by the US CBP folksen. Whew !!!

How long did it take you to revert on the jet lag ?

I came fully prepared for some cupping.

The jetlag wasn't bad, actually. I didn't sleep at all on the flight. Too excited. Drank a lot while I was waiting out my layover in Frankfurt though. So I fell asleep at around 8 the first night and was up by 4 in the morning. Then I proceeded to poke and prod the boy till he woke up as well. I was back to my usual time by last weekend, though. Midnight till about 8 or 9AM.

Edited June 2, 2010 by sachinky

[TracyTN 237]

I'm really surprised it took that long. Hubby's POE was O'hare and he was in and out in about 45 minutes (max) - including customs. Maybe it depends on what time of day you land (how busy they are).

[sachinky 464]

I'm really surprised it took that long. Hubby's POE was O'hare and he was in and out in about 45 minutes (max) - including customs. Maybe it depends on what time of day you land (how busy they are).

Possibly. At immigration, there were only 4 officers handling the incoming visitors. At JFK, they've had about 20, everytime I've traveled prior to this. Then at customs, one guy was processing the paperwork while a bunch of them just stood around. Plus, there were a good 25-30 new immigrants on my flight.

[TracyTN 237]

Yeah, sounds like circumstances weren't in place that day for speed! I've never seen fewer than, say 8 officers working the immigration desks and there are usually at least 2 at customs. So that would make a difference, and add to that the number of new immigrants on your flight. It's a ####### shoot in a way.

[inzango 0]

Ok, by now you all know I do detailed reviews but I promise this is my last one.

I flew from Calcutta to Chicago (ORD) with two three-hour layovers in New Delhi and Frankfurt.

At the Calcutta Airport, I was asked, "What is the purpose of your travel to the U.S.?" to which I replied "To be with my husband who lives there." The immigration officer then spent a few good minutes looking through every page of my passport. Told me to stand up straight and scrutinized my picture and face (it's an old picture from when I was thirteen). Made some random comments about the visa. When it expired and such.

At Delhi, right before boarding the flight, an official asked to see my "visa file." I wasn't sure what he was talking about but then figured he must mean the yellow POE envelope. I gave it to him, ready to scream bloody murder if he showed any sign of opening it but he just examined it, made sure it was still sealed and then let me board the flight.

Landed at Chicago around 11:50AM EST. I pushed and shoved my way out of the plane (y'know what Indians are like) and got to the Arrivals hall. There were about a good 500 people in queue but only 4 immigration officers so they opened up several more counters. I stood in line for about 1/2 hour before someone pulled me aside when they spotted my yellow envelope. I was told to go stand at counter 51. Of course, I got stuck behind 2 Swedish boys who spoke no English and had filled out none of the required forms on the flight. Argh. So that was another 15 minutes of waiting while the officer helped them fill it out. I got called then. Handed over my passport, the envelope, and customs form. The I-94 is NOT required. No matter what the airlines crew tells you. The officer simply threw mine away. I asked him if it would be possible to update my US address. He said that they would take care of me at customs once I was done with baggage. He returned everything in a bright pink folder after the usual fingerprinting was done and the digital photograph was taken.

I then went to pick up my baggage. Of course, the goddamned conveyor belt was broken so they had lined up about 800 suitcases in the waiting area. Took me about 20 minutes just to locate my two bags from the sea of similar looking/colored bags.

Then I went to the Customs/Exit area. An officer told me to go to counter # 1 since I was traveling alone but another one told me to go #2, which was processing family cases. So I headed over to the "New Immigrants Only" corner. I was asked to keep my folder at the end of the desk. This is when I noticed that my passport was missing. I immediately began to hyperventilate and would've passed out from a panic attack when a blonde, tall officer came running, shouting "SACHINKY? Sachinky's passport? Missing passport?" So I was, like, "OMG, THANKYOU!" Anyway, then I went and sat back in my place. There were about a good 30 Indians or so immigrating so there was a LOT of waiting around while one lone Chinese-American man stamped all the papers/passports and filed them. 8 other customs officers stood around chit-chatting.

One girl couldn't speak any English so she asked me to ask the officer if it would be possible to do theirs first since they had a connecting to Detroit in 10 minutes. I did as she requested and was sufficiently rebuked by a loud, rude, "NO! SIT!"

A LOT of people missed their connecting flights because it took so long so I would reccomend keeping at least 3-4 hours between your POE and next connection.

The officer asked me to update my address. I filled out the form and then he told me to do it online as well. Asked me to go back and sit. Finally, around 2:30PM, I was called up again. He made me sign and fingerprint one form on both sides. He asked me how long I'd been married. I replied, "9 months." So he told me that I would be receiving a conditional GC and pointed to the date printed on my passport and said that Mr. Sachinky and I should "contact Immigration ninety days before that date."

I then finally cleared customs (another baggage screening -- they were opening/checking the baggages of almost all of the new immigrants but thankfully, they didn't open mine). I headed out and spotted Mr. Sachinky who had been waiting very anxiously for the last four hours. He was certain I'd been detained or something. He ducked under the blue line and came running towards me. Then there was a lot of crying (this breaks my cardinal rule of NOT crying in public places), hugging and kissing till a security guy came and told us to clear the area. Very Bollywood.

I liked the end part of it. lol.

Well, I'm a little late but still wanted to congratulate you on getting approved.

Wishing you both a fun, happy, and safe life together.

Welcome to the "Life Together".

[sachinky 464]

I liked the end part of it. lol.

Well, I'm a little late but still wanted to congratulate you on getting approved.

Wishing you both a fun, happy, and safe life together.

Welcome to the "Life Together".

Thankyou so much!

[niceman123 0]

Ok, by now you all know I do detailed reviews but I promise this is my last one.

I flew from Calcutta to Chicago (ORD) with two three-hour layovers in New Delhi and Frankfurt.

At the Calcutta Airport, I was asked, "What is the purpose of your travel to the U.S.?" to which I replied "To be with my husband who lives there." The immigration officer then spent a few good minutes looking through every page of my passport. Told me to stand up straight and scrutinized my picture and face (it's an old picture from when I was thirteen). Made some random comments about the visa. When it expired and such.

At Delhi, right before boarding the flight, an official asked to see my "visa file." I wasn't sure what he was talking about but then figured he must mean the yellow POE envelope. I gave it to him, ready to scream bloody murder if he showed any sign of opening it but he just examined it, made sure it was still sealed and then let me board the flight.

Landed at Chicago around 11:50AM EST. I pushed and shoved my way out of the plane (y'know what Indians are like) and got to the Arrivals hall. There were about a good 500 people in queue but only 4 immigration officers so they opened up several more counters. I stood in line for about 1/2 hour before someone pulled me aside when they spotted my yellow envelope. I was told to go stand at counter 51. Of course, I got stuck behind 2 Swedish boys who spoke no English and had filled out none of the required forms on the flight. Argh. So that was another 15 minutes of waiting while the officer helped them fill it out. I got called then. Handed over my passport, the envelope, and customs form. The I-94 is NOT required. No matter what the airlines crew tells you. The officer simply threw mine away. I asked him if it would be possible to update my US address. He said that they would take care of me at customs once I was done with baggage. He returned everything in a bright pink folder after the usual fingerprinting was done and the digital photograph was taken.

I then went to pick up my baggage. Of course, the goddamned conveyor belt was broken so they had lined up about 800 suitcases in the waiting area. Took me about 20 minutes just to locate my two bags from the sea of similar looking/colored bags.

Then I went to the Customs/Exit area. An officer told me to go to counter # 1 since I was traveling alone but another one told me to go #2, which was processing family cases. So I headed over to the "New Immigrants Only" corner. I was asked to keep my folder at the end of the desk. This is when I noticed that my passport was missing. I immediately began to hyperventilate and would've passed out from a panic attack when a blonde, tall officer came running, shouting "SACHINKY? Sachinky's passport? Missing passport?" So I was, like, "OMG, THANKYOU!" Anyway, then I went and sat back in my place. There were about a good 30 Indians or so immigrating so there was a LOT of waiting around while one lone Chinese-American man stamped all the papers/passports and filed them. 8 other customs officers stood around chit-chatting.

One girl couldn't speak any English so she asked me to ask the officer if it would be possible to do theirs first since they had a connecting to Detroit in 10 minutes. I did as she requested and was sufficiently rebuked by a loud, rude, "NO! SIT!"

A LOT of people missed their connecting flights because it took so long so I would reccomend keeping at least 3-4 hours between your POE and next connection.

The officer asked me to update my address. I filled out the form and then he told me to do it online as well. Asked me to go back and sit. Finally, around 2:30PM, I was called up again. He made me sign and fingerprint one form on both sides. He asked me how long I'd been married. I replied, "9 months." So he told me that I would be receiving a conditional GC and pointed to the date printed on my passport and said that Mr. Sachinky and I should "contact Immigration ninety days before that date."

I then finally cleared customs (another baggage screening -- they were opening/checking the baggages of almost all of the new immigrants but thankfully, they didn't open mine). I headed out and spotted Mr. Sachinky who had been waiting very anxiously for the last four hours. He was certain I'd been detained or something. He ducked under the blue line and came running towards me. Then there was a lot of crying (this breaks my cardinal rule of NOT crying in public places), hugging and kissing till a security guy came and told us to clear the area. Very Bollywood.

Hey - this is too qute - I was laughing that security guard had to come and tell you guys to clear the route - this is truly a bollywood scene. I was really laughing when I read this. you guys are too qute.

[sachinky 464]

Hey - this is too qute - I was laughing that security guard had to come and tell you guys to clear the route - this is truly a bollywood scene. I was really laughing when I read this. you guys are too qute.

Whattodo? We're cute like that only.