POE

[ThailandToIndiana 11]

My wife will enter the U.S. for the first time on March 10th at JFK airport in New York. What is the process for that? Will she be taken back into a room to review whatever is in the folder the embassy gave her? Will I be allowed to accompany her? Will they ask her any questions?

[Karee 4,189]

My wife will enter the U.S. for the first time on March 10th at JFK airport in New York. What is the process for that? Will she be taken back into a room to review whatever is in the folder the embassy gave her? Will I be allowed to accompany her? Will they ask her any questions?

They'll take her in back for awhile. I think it was about 30 minutes when I went through with my wife. For her it wwas easy. I think they just did a little paperwork and had her sign something.

They hauled me back there as well and gave me a hard time because I was carrying 2 U.S. passports. Apparently they don't like that. That had nothing to do with her though.

[cathy2904 97]

You can find reviews of entry at JFK here: http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/poereviews.php?poe=JFK&dfilter=0

[ThailandToIndiana 11]

Thanks Karee...I appreciate the heads up. I have two passports as well (one is a burgundy diplomatic passport). I ensure they only see my blue tourist passport so there won't be any confusion.

Cathy...thanks for the link.

Edited February 25, 2013 by ThailandToFlorida

[Karee 4,189]

Thanks Karee...I appreciate the heads up. I have two passports as well (one is a burgundy diplomatic passport). I ensure they only see my blue tourist passport so there won't be any confusion.

Cathy...thanks for the link.

What happened with the passport thing, was I lost mine right before I was going to Thailand to bring her to the U.S. So I got an expedited new passport. Of course the day before I left for Thailand, I found the one I had lost. Since I only had about 1/2 of a page left for stamps on the old one, I figured I'd use it for traveling to Thailand and back etc. Apparently they keep track of that stuff because the guy at POE said right after he scanned it, "I thought you reported this passport lost" I guess it's a good thing they actually keep track of it for security reasons.

I've lost 3 passports in my travels, two of them I recovered. They gave me a hard time about that as well.

[ThailandToIndiana 11]

Yeah...countries keep track of passports. Even other countries will keep track of your passport and information. For example, when I go through Dubai (which I do a few times a year), they ask me what I do for work. I never tell them what I really do, but if I tell them something different they will say "I thought you did such and such...did you change jobs now?" They type in whatever I tell them into their database...the sneaky devils. 555

I've still got a lot of pages left in my tourist passport since I added 10 pages a little over a year ago. As for my other passport, nobody ever stamps that one.

[Andrea&Henry 311]

If you are traveling together, of course you can be with her. When I came here, I came alone. A very nice and polite immigration officer took me to the "white room" some people call it like that. Even when It was a lil bit crowed it, I only waited 1 hour till they finally stamp my passport and I was free to go. The officer took my k1 visa packGe, opened and he started checking it. Finally when they called me, he just asked me when I was planning to get married, told him "as soon as possible, within 90 days" he smiled at me and said welcome to the United States, good luck! I arrived friday 8.30 pm and By 10 pm I was ready. I strongly suggest to travel on week days (tu-th) and try to arrive early in the morning or late at night. Bigs airport like JFK, LAX, Miami and Atlanta usually have a lot of people waiting in the immigration section. A friend of mine needed to wait almost 5 hrs while he was waiting for his wife to be admitted (she came through JFK, saturday, with a cr1).

[ThailandToIndiana 11]

We land at JFK at 11am on a Saturday. I certainly hope it doesn't take 5 hours because we only have a 3-hour layover until our flight to Florida. Maybe they'll take pity on us having traveled such a long way and with a one-year-old and won't make us wait too long. The tickets are already purchase, and I won't change them.

[Miew-Miew 9]

If you are traveling together, of course you can be with her....

Not always correct.

At Houston International, they took her into a large waiting room, and told me I couldn't stay in there with her. I had to wait 2 hours at the baggage claim for her as I didn't want to go through until I knew all would be okay.

they did allow us to stand with eac other through the immigration line and walk upto the Immigration officer together even though there was a section for US Citizens and a seperate for non.. but right after we got stamped (and before the luggage) they escorted her inside and told me to go downstairs.

[Andrea&Henry 311]

Not always correct.

At Houston International, they took her into a large waiting room, and told me I couldn't stay in there with her. I had to wait 2 hours at the baggage claim for her as I didn't want to go through until I knew all would be okay.

they did allow us to stand with eac other through the immigration line and walk upto the Immigration officer together even though there was a section for US Citizens and a seperate for non.. but right after we got stamped (and before the luggage) they escorted her inside and told me to go downstairs.

well, when I came here, I traveled alone but I met 2 couples (k1 visa holder) and they were together..maybe it's because miami allows it

[Andrea&Henry 311]

We land at JFK at 11am on a Saturday. I certainly hope it doesn't take 5 hours because we only have a 3-hour layover until our flight to Florida. Maybe they'll take pity on us having traveled such a long way and with a one-year-old and won't make us wait too long. The tickets are already purchase, and I won't change them.

I hope you will not need to wait that long, but 3 hour layover, for me, I'm not quite sure it is enough time. Well, some lucky people get their stuff done in 30 min-45 min but most of us took us at least 1 1/2 h. But well, if you don't made it you can still catch the next flight.

And basically they attended people according to their arrival (who came first), and having kids doesn't necessarily speed things up cause when I was waiting to get my passport stamped, the whole room was full with babies and kids of all ages and they all need to wait.

So be ready to be patient

Edited February 25, 2013 by Andrea&Henry

[ThailandToIndiana 11]

Should we go through the non-U.S. citizen line or the U.S. citizen line? Our son has a U.S. passport, but my wife obviously does not.

[Karee 4,189]

Should we go through the non-U.S. citizen line or the U.S. citizen line? Our son has a U.S. passport, but my wife obviously does not.

It's a line for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. At least it is at DFW. Since your wife will be coming on an IR-1 visa, she is a permanent resident. There's another line for everyone else.

[Andrea&Henry 311]

US CITIZEN LINE

[Boggy1974 124]

Should we go through the non-U.S. citizen line or the U.S. citizen line? Our son has a U.S. passport, but my wife obviously does not.

You, your wife and the baby stay on the US citizen line. Stay together as a family as much as possible.