Brown Envelope-urgently need advice!

[cyclotheme 0]

Hi!

My husband and I went through the whole process of applying for marriage visa, he went back to Pakistan, filed i-601 for overstay, finally everything was done.

He booked a ticket back to JFK via Dubai as he has some business contacts there and wanted to touch base before coming back.

Although my husband BEGGED him not to, the customs officer insisted on opening the BROWN ENVELOPE.

He glanced inside and then resealed it with that tape that customs uses to show that something has been opened and inspected.

My husband sat outside the office of the customs inspector supervisor for six hours, waiting to see the guy and trying to get a letter stating that they had opened it, but he was refused.

I emailed the US embassies in Islamabad and Abu Dhabi, but it's the weekend by now and no answer.

I called USCIS and they know nothing.

What should we do? Is it essential that he go back to Islambad?

PLEASE ADVISE!

Thanks,

Cyclo

[Inky 1,110]

CBP is supposed to open the envelope that says DO NOT OPEN. They are the only ones aside from USCIS and the USEM that is allowed to open it...

[cyclotheme 0]

If it turns out that the envelope that says, "do not open" was opened, will they let him enter? Or send him back?

[John+Lourdelie 28]

Are you saying that the customs officer in Dubai opened his 'do not open' envelope?

I'm not sure what to do if that happened. As Inky stated, only CBP, USEM and USCIS are allowed to open the envelope. I hope everything work out for you and your husband.

John

[cyclotheme 0]

I only spent a short time talking to him, but it seems that they did open that envelope. How many envelopes do they send? Is it possible that they didn't open that one? But he says they did. I will talk to him more in depth now that it seems to be an issue. Any chance they will let him in if that one is opened?

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I only spent a short time talking to him, but it seems that they did open that envelope. How many envelopes do they send? Is it possible that they didn't open that one? But he says they did. I will talk to him more in depth now that it seems to be an issue. Any chance they will let him in if that one is opened?

It's "chain of custody" issue. The envelope contains your husband's entire paper case file. If the envelope has been opened, regardless who opened it, then the chain of custody has been broken, and DHS can presume the contents have been tainted.

I strongly doubt CBP is going to admit him. They certainly aren't going to trust that customs sticker from the authorities in Dubai.

Usually, when something like this happens the alien needs to return to the US consulate that originally sealed the envelope. They will inspect the contents to determine if they've been altered or manipulated, and then reseal the documents in a new envelope.

You can't really blame the authorities in Dubai. He was applying for admission into their country, and they have the absolute right to inspect anything that anyone brings with them.

[cyclotheme 0]

Thanks, guys! I want him to go back to Pakistan, but he wants to try coming here. I'll let you know how it works out.

[Waiter 2]

Hmmm... I think CBP officer will let him in, if he explains what happened... i think he would need to spend extra time in secondary inspection where that data in computer and info in the envelope will be matched. let us know how it turns out.

good luck.

[pushbrk 12,245]

Hmmm... I think CBP officer will let him in, if he explains what happened... i think he would need to spend extra time in secondary inspection where that data in computer and info in the envelope will be matched. let us know how it turns out.

good luck.

I do too. People open these by mistake quite frequently and if their files appears intact, they are admitted. In our case, CBP forgot to take the envelope. I knew my wife no longer had the envelope that was not be be opened, so of course, I opened anything she brought with her, days later at home. I took it to the nearest CBP station chief where they dealt with not only that but with issuing new I-94 forms with dates found on actual calendars. The same CBP officicer that didn't process the envelope had stamped their entry date as August 39, .... instead of August 30.

CBP expects other countries to trust THEIR customs tape, so I fully expect they'll trust the tape from other countries.

[John+Lourdelie 28]

The same CBP officicer that didn't process the envelope had stamped their entry date as August 39, .... instead of August 30.

Damn, those summer months are getting longer and longer each year.

John