Traveling to States when visa is submitted

[Sarah&Oscar 4]

I am going to be submitting the papers for my fiance and we go to MN every june to visit my family. What kind of things should he say when we are in customs in the states? Should he tell them he is in the k-1 visa process??

[PrncWill_PrnsElsa 10]

This is a very delicate walk, and you are going to get a lot of opinions and stories.

But here's the biggest FACT: Whether your fiance is allowed to come-in for a visit, or not, is SOLELY up to the discretion of the CBP officer.

You can call CBP @ 1 877 227 5511

Good luck

[iampatricias 17]

I am going to be submitting the papers for my fiance and we go to MN every june to visit my family. What kind of things should he say when we are in customs in the states? Should he tell them he is in the k-1 visa process??

There's no reason not to tell - basically, the border agents want to keep out travelers who they think might be misusing the tourist visa for immigration purposes. Usually, the advice here is to bring strong ties to home (rental/mortgage agreement, school enrollment, work contract/letter from work etc etc), and if your boyfriend is knowledgable about the K1 process, and produces proof paperwork has been filed, I'd say that looks like he's not likely to misuse the tourist visa since he's already pursuing legitimate means to immigrate. If he tries to hide the fact that he's got a significant other in the States, and is brought in for further questions and this 'avoidance' is uncovered later, it's much worse for him, so why not mention it up front?

Nevertheless, people in the middle of the K1 process with no intent to immigrate have been turned away for good reasons (carrying only a one way ticket, for example) or sometimes, for no obvious reason at all. The best you can do is be prepared and don't cast suspicion on yourself.

[Matt :) 1]

my lawyer advised us not to have foreign fiance visit US during this process b/c you definitely run the risk of being turned down at the boarder/immigration at airport. I didnt want to pay for plane ticket and waste my fiance's time bording a plane and then being sent back so I visited her during this process instead. It all depends on the border agent and the mood he/she is in, dont say we didnt warn you, just know the risks.