port of entry questions on Cr1 visa

[Harsh_77 718]

Hey Harsh...

Sorry, but this time you are incorrect--which is really rare since most of the time you are right on.

She can go to whatever line she likes. Some airports have a special line for new immigrants--not sure about JFK--but there is ABSOLUTELY no requirement to go to the visitor's line--REALLY !!!

I-94 is also ABSOLUTELY not required...if she fills it out, the CBP folks will smaile, and throw it in the trash.

And they will not make her wait at the CBP checkpoint if that is what you are thinking--she will be taken right away to an area where they process new immigrants, and it is there that she might have to wait a bit if they are particularly busy.

I was told CR1 is a visa not a GC or USC and hence have to use the other line, after the first entry and getting the 551 stamp I could use the Perm Resident and USC line.

I guess it can vary from airport to airpot, maye JFK is letting CR1 ppl use the USC and LPR in that case I am not aware of it.

I was also asked to fill I-94, officer never gave it back to me or said anything about it, he took it so I guess they were marking those I-94 with CR1 and putting them with file or something... again I could be wrong.

For my CR1 poe was DFW and I have entered thru various different POE thru out my in and out of US and I can tell DFW might have some different way of doing things as they don't see that high volume of international travellers.

Even I was asked to wait until the officer was available and he finished off processing most of the visitors and then came back to me.

[Navyk 78]

I was told CR1 is a visa not a GC or USC and hence have to use the other line, after the first entry and getting the 551 stamp I could use the Perm Resident and USC line.

I guess it can vary from airport to airpot, maye JFK is letting CR1 ppl use the USC and LPR in that case I am not aware of it.

I was also asked to fill I-94, officer never gave it back to me or said anything about it, he took it so I guess they were marking those I-94 with CR1 and putting them with file or something... again I could be wrong.

For my CR1 poe was DFW and I have entered thru various different POE thru out my in and out of US and I can tell DFW might have some different way of doing things as they don't see that high volume of international travellers.

Even I was asked to wait until the officer was available and he finished off processing most of the visitors and then came back to me.

Any one with Houston experience please!

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

In Germany we have a saying: "no soup is eaten as hot as it is being cooked."

What that means is that how things are handled in real life often differs from the legal aspects involved.

Airports organize their lines differently. Some airports group permanent residents with U.S. citizens, some don't. So in case there are 2 lines and one reads "U.S. citizens" and the other one reads "visitors" in which line do you go?

Easy. You are not a U.S. citizen, and you are not a visitor. What you are is somebody who will become a resident once admitted. Well, at this point you are not admitted yet. Also know that the worst non-violent crime a foreigner in the U.S. can commit is false claim of citizenship. Even if it's only implied, it carries a lifetime bar from the U.S.

So while perhaps 98 out of 100 CBP officer may not mind if you as a foreigner go into the U.S. citizen line, 2 of them may be like me, and it will go like this:

"Hello! Passport please."

(Handing foreign passport to CBP Officer)

"No, I need to see your U.S. passport. As a U.S. citizen you need to show me your U.S. passport."

"I'm not a U.S. citizen. I'm here on a visa and . . . "

(CBP officer interrupts)

"You are in a line for U.S citizens only. Look up. Can you read this?

"Um . . . yes, but I thought that . . . "

(gets interrupted again)

"You thought wrong. In fact, false claim of U.S citizenship can get you barred from the U.S. for life. You can be lucky that I got laid this morning, so I'm in a good mood. Now go over there to the very end of that lane, and don't you pull this sh*t again, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"It's officer for you."

Geezus . . .

[Harsh_77 718]

In Germany we have a saying: "no soup is eaten as hot as it is being cooked."

What that means is that how things are handled in real life often differs from the legal aspects involved.

Airports organize their lines differently. Some airports group permanent residents with U.S. citizens, some don't. So in case there are 2 lines and one reads "U.S. citizens" and the other one reads "visitors" in which line do you go?

Easy. You are not a U.S. citizen, and you are not a visitor. What you are is somebody who will become a resident once admitted. Well, at this point you are not admitted yet. Also know that the worst non-violent crime a foreigner in the U.S. can commit is false claim of citizenship. Even if it's only implied, it carries a lifetime bar from the U.S.

So while perhaps 98 out of 100 CBP officer may not mind if you as a foreigner go into the U.S. citizen line, 2 of them may be like me, and it will go like this:

"Hello! Passport please."

(Handing foreign passport to CBP Officer)

"No, I need to see your U.S. passport. As a U.S. citizen you need to show me your U.S. passport."

"I'm not a U.S. citizen. I'm here on a visa and . . . "

(CBP officer interrupts)

"You are in a line for U.S citizens only. Look up. Can you read this?

"Um . . . yes, but I thought that . . . "

(gets interrupted again)

"You thought wrong. In fact, false claim of U.S citizenship can get you barred from the U.S. for life. You can be lucky that I got laid this morning, so I'm in a good mood. Now go over there to the very end of that lane, and don't you pull this sh*t again, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"It's officer for you."

Geezus . . .

lol...... funny but never thought standing in line for USC & LPR can assume your claim of USC... but thats what I was saying and I was asked to go in visitor line when I entered.

Any one with Houston experience please!

Houston would not be much different then DFW.... don't have a huge volume of international travellers compared to NY, NJ or Chicago.

[Done--Really 331]

We all have different experiences, and I thought you might want to see what was written in one of the JFK POE reviews:

When we got to the Immigration Officer through the visitor's line, I asked him, if it would've been fine to go to US Citizens line and he said - OF COURSE).

I have asked at JFK, HOuston, and Newark (we weren't sure where her POE would be)and got the same response from the CBP agents--use whatever line is shorter. My wife will be coming into Newark in a couple of weeks, and we'll see what happens when she gets in the USC/LPR line.