Got in through Detroit! Had a small bump to overcome...

[Hypnos 6,576]

A K-1 is for valid for six months from the date of the medical, not the date of issuance.

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

A K-1 is for valid for six months from the date of the medical, not the date of issuance.

Bingo.

[Jowsa 1]

oh i see now i know thanks for that info

[mjkj 14]

I arrived on Friday the 13th at the Detroit International Airport. Let me tell you the little bump I had to overcome.

So, I was at the immigration counter and the officer looks at my paper. Asks me a few questions. Looks at the paper and then calls on his walkie talkie: Supervisor needed for K1 at counter 38.

Supervisor: Do you know that he can send you back to the Philippines right now? You were supposed to be here in August.

Me: calm blank look while praying...

Supervisor: Where were you?

Me: I was in Singapore, working.

Supervisor: You were supposed to be here in August.

Me: Well, look. (Pointing to my passport) My visa was issued in July and I have until next week to be here.

Supervisor: No, look (pointing to the I-129F). This (Feb approval stamp) means you can get married. This one (passport) says you gotta get here. Now, you have to get married within 3 months or else you have to go home.

Me: Yes, I'm getting married on the 4th of Oct. Thank you.

Lesson learned: Be calm. Explain your side. And I really don't think that the approved I-129F means your K1 visa is approved.

Congrats! And Welcome to America!

[Girl from Celebes 588]

Did you get any names of these CBP goons?

They were 'operating' with bad info, as a result of 'bad training'.

I suggest writing a letter of complaint.

Good idea. I would do that in future if same thing happened to me.

And congrats to the OP. I wish best both of you and your loved one!

Edited September 16, 2013 by Girl from Celebes

[daniel jay 0]

When I came to visit Dan back in June, i was kept back for 3 hours and interrogated like I was a criminal. I had all my paperwork for the K1, proof that i was going back home in 87 days, even my police records. #

They took me to the back of the airport, and made me wait in the waiting room where the staff were generally rude to the people in there, or talking about them with their buddies. I was then taken into a private room with a guy who then proceeded to google me, my fiance, where we lived, my fiancees band, and tried to trip me up about where we met.

Your advice is spot on, just stay calm. If you arent doing anything wrong, you will be fine!

[Nina and Erwin 16]

I am so sorry to hear that.....but Congrats you made it to America!

Let me share my experience with you..... This past May I came home from spending a month in Tunisia with my fiance. I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, so my POE was Detroit, then final destination Grand Rapids. When I arrived at Detroit airport and had gone through customs, I was asked to follow the blue line. Two immigration officers stopped me and grilled me for about 15-20 minutes. I was asked over and over the reason of my visit to Tunisia, I repeatedly told them I had gone there to vacation with my fiance. I was asked for my fiance's full name, date of birth and nationality. They emptied both my of my luggage's, searched in my purse, wallet, opened my laptop, etc. One of the officers took my passport ( I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN), the officer made a phone call while looking at my passport. The younger officer questioned me about my relationship with my fiance and asked me if he had paid me to marry him so he could enter the US. Then he asked if I had paid him to marry him and how much? I answered very calmly, he proceeded to ask more personal questions like " do you know what color underwear does your fiance wears?" I felt violated and humiliated, so I reacted and asked him the reason for all the personal questions. He simply said " I am an immigration officer and can ask whatever I want", so he continued to ask questions like, where and how did you meet your fiance, why are you engaged to a foreign man from Algeria, again.. why out of all the countries in the world I chose to got to Tunisia? I became very upset and told him I have had enough, I have done nothing and I feel like I am being miss-treated , I am no TERRORIST, I hold an American passport and I want to go home, I am an American citizen. At that point another officer showed up and said don't worry Ma'am, everything is okay, the officers are just doing their job. You are okay to go now...The one officer approached me and handed back my passport and said you can put your stuff back in your luggage... I said " Thanks'!

This is how I was welcome back home by my own people.... Sad but true.

My fiance is coming home the first week of October and I will NOT have him fly to Detroit, instead I will have him come to Chicago O'Hare. What a horrific experience! I can't imagine how our loved ones will feel if treated the way I was treated by officers like these ones.

File a complaint! I regret not doing it. Never got the name of these two officers.

Welcome to America!

OMG..

I had a similar experience when I came back from Netherlands .. Detroit went thru my underwear ..laid them all over the table. Held me there for 2 hours, Brought over the drug dog.. asked me about this little bear I had and if I had drugs.. LOL. I looked at them and said "look at bow wow" does he think have drugs..? I couldn't believe how I was treated .. coming home to my own country. I am sure it will happen again when I come home from this long term visit this time. Sad ...

[Smileyme 0]

Hi sis congrats and good luck to both of you

[dianaguava 0]

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry to hear about these awful POEs at Detroit! I will be going entering through Detroit as well. I can't believe that they would ask such personal questions, or lay out your undergarments like the way they have. I'm so sorry for the way you were mistreated!

Also... I was surprised to read that the K1 is valid six months from the date of the medical, rather than of the visa issuance. I had never heard this until today. Can anyone explain why this is? Thank you!

Edited September 16, 2013 by dianaguava

[Severina 7]

Hm, so Detroit seems to be really bad. I guess I was lucky, I never really got hassled when I came back through DTW. But when my husband (USC) entered last time he was treated really rudely. The immigration officer asked him where he worked. And when my husband told him he said "Oh, I heard you guys sit around all day and don't do nothing". I find stuff like that inacceptable. I know that since 9/11 things are more tensed and and stressful at the airports, however, I find it very frustrating to be treated like this. It's abuse of power in my opinion.

[Severina 7]

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry to hear about these awful POEs at Detroit! I will be going entering through Detroit as well. I can't believe that they would ask such personal questions, or lay out your undergarments like the way they have. I'm so sorry for the way you were mistreated!

Also... I was surprised to read that the K1 is valid six months from the date of the medical, rather than of the visa issuance. I had never heard this until today. Can anyone explain why this is? Thank you!

Don't worry too much. Just stay calm, keep smiling and bite your tongue. Like I said for me it was OK every time apart from some unfriendliness and remarks that showed that these people are not very well educated .

[Karmalicious 60]

Chicago wasn't so nice to me and I am also an American Citizen and am married to an African. I was only in Africa for 10 days and this was before the recent problems in Syria.

[D N Medellin COL 75]

CBP rarely hires people for their intelligence.

I ditto that, the most are fine respectful honest people but there are always some, the OP happened to get them, that have the short man's disease.

[krinamej 1]

I arrived on Friday the 13th at the Detroit International Airport. Let me tell you the little bump I had to overcome.

So, I was at the immigration counter and the officer looks at my paper. Asks me a few questions. Looks at the paper and then calls on his walkie talkie: Supervisor needed for K1 at counter 38.

Supervisor: Do you know that he can send you back to the Philippines right now? You were supposed to be here in August.

Me: calm blank look while praying...

Supervisor: Where were you?

Me: I was in Singapore, working.

Supervisor: You were supposed to be here in August.

Me: Well, look. (Pointing to my passport) My visa was issued in July and I have until next week to be here.

Supervisor: No, look (pointing to the I-129F). This (Feb approval stamp) means you can get married. This one (passport) says you gotta get here. Now, you have to get married within 3 months or else you have to go home.

Me: Yes, I'm getting married on the 4th of Oct. Thank you.

Lesson learned: Be calm. Explain your side. And I really don't think that the approved I-129F means your K1 visa is approved.

Worst POE, ever. I was studying in the Philippines with my green card, when I was about 16 years old, my mom became a citizen so we automatically became a USC since we were minors. I came back to the US since I can't overstay, and I was a month over 6 months, and this is how it went..

CBP Officer told me, "You know you're not supposed to over stay right? You were there over 6 mos. What were you doing over there?"

I was 17 at the time and scared as #######!

Me: "I went to school over there.."

CBP Officer: "Well, if you're planning to go back and forth, do not overstay or we'll revoke this greencard" *Shaking my green card in front of my face*

Me: "Well, I'm a US Citizen now, because my mom just became a citizen.."

CBP Officer: "No, that doesn't mean you're a citizen you have to apply for your own.. your mom is a citizen, but you're not."

Me: "That's not what they told --"

CBP Officer: *interrupts* "Excuse me.. I think I know better.."

Me: "Okay.."

Ugh! And just for that, they searched my luggage like crazy! Throwing my clothes everywhere. SMH. I hate Detroit.

[Protocol417 161]

My fiance, while connecting through Detroit on his way here to Chicago, was pulled to the side, had all his belongings thoroughly searched, and was interrogated for 45 minutes. (He said it wasn't that bad, though; they weren't overly rude or authoritarian in their approach or anything.) With all the flying back and forth that my fiance and I have done, with all the different airports we've been through (due to layovers and varying destinations), Detroit is the only airport on either side of the Atlantic in which either of us has experienced this, so it was a bit of a surprise.

All of the other airports let us straight through after a few basic questions and have been almost disappointing in what they've asked to see... both of us always bring adequate documentation showing we have ties to our home countries and are not at any risk to stay illegally, but we haven't been asked for them. It's like, c'mon, I went through all this work, let me show you my apartment lease and letter from my employer! *lol* All they really have cared about is seeing a booked return flight, and then it's all "enjoy your visit"

Chicago O'Hare has treated us well (wonder which Chicago airport ShamoLisa is referring to, O'Hare or Midway?) They seem to be really focused on getting everyone through very quickly. They do an excellent job of that and have never given us any extra hassle about anything. Customer service does sort of fall through the cracks in the rush, though I did have one experience where a TSA officer saw I was nervous (I don't really like flying, and this happened to be my first international trip) so he talked with me, complimenting my tattoos and such, to put me more at ease. I thought that was really sweet.