Question About the Sealed Envelope

[LykaMarc 19]

My fiancee received her sealed envelope with a small tear in it. We've decided that it isn't big enough to be concerned about when she arrives at the US port of entry. However, we were wondering if there is anywhere PRIOR to reaching the US port of entry when some official (e.g. Philippine immigration) or airline employee will want to examine the envelope, or are they only concerned with the passport/visa? In other words, will the yellow envelope be subjected to handling by anyone at the Manila airport at any point, or can she safely and securely stow it away in her carryon bag, to be removed only at the US port of entry?

[apple21 953]

Only the US immigration officer at POE can touch the visa packet.

In my experience, no one in NAIA 2 even asked for my packet. Immigration officer and airline staff only looked at my passport and ticket.

I did not remove my visa packet from the plastic bag it came with. Instead I taped the plastic bag to close it because I made a cut to take out my passport. Then I put it inside a plastic envelope together with my other docs for double security and placed it inside my carry on bag.

Edited March 29, 2015 by apple21

[manilaraf 28]

Do not let anyone else aside from the immigration officer at POE open it. No one from the airline is authorized to open it. The passport with valid visa is all the need to see. I read here on VJ a story of a poor man from Ghana who had someone from the airline open the yellow envelope because the airline person thought they were supposed to open it over the protests of the intending immigrant. Long story short, a call to the US to the petitioner and a call to USCIS at Kennedy (?) Airport later to give them a heads up on what happened and the guy was able to get through POE. Can't imagine what the guy was feeling throughout his entire flight.

[manilaraf 28]

Here the link to the post: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/250358-opened-sealed-envelope-at-the-airport-in-accra/

[LykaMarc 19]

Thanks for the responses. I was curious because the envelope actually says that the immigrant may not be allowed to get on the plane if the envelope isn't sealed, which begs the question, how would anyone know this prior to boarding the plane?

[Hank_ 9,171]

My fiancee received her sealed envelope with a small tear in it. We've decided that it isn't big enough to be concerned about when she arrives at the US port of entry. However, we were wondering if there is anywhere PRIOR to reaching the US port of entry when some official (e.g. Philippine immigration) or airline employee will want to examine the envelope, or are they only concerned with the passport/visa? In other words, will the yellow envelope be subjected to handling by anyone at the Manila airport at any point, or can she safely and securely stow it away in her carryon bag, to be removed only at the US port of entry?

No one needs to examine the envelope until POE, keep it close in your carry on bag.

[luckytwo15 13]

We bought a plastic envelope for fiancee's envelope. Put her envelope in that and packed it in a carryon backpack in Olongapo and didn't take it out until Chicago POE. Noone along the way asked for it.

That was after we got her CFO sticker. I have been reading some of your posts and I think your fiancée doesn't have the CFO sticker yet. In my humble opinion, better that she doesn't show the envelope to CFO. CFO could possibly try to make a mountain out of a mole hill. She just needs to show CFO her passport and CFO certificate to get the sticker. Oh, and she also had to fill out the registration info sheet all over again. Good if your fiancée has all of your USA phone numbers and address written down to carry; she'll also need that to fill out custom declarations at POE.

Edited March 29, 2015 by luckytwo15

[LykaMarc 19]

We bought a plastic envelope for fiancee's envelope. Put her envelope in that and packed it in a carryon backpack in Olongapo and didn't take it out until Chicago POE. Noone along the way asked for it.

That was after we got her CFO sticker. I have been reading some of your posts and I think your fiancée doesn't have the CFO sticker yet. In my humble opinion, better that she doesn't show the envelope to CFO. CFO could possibly try to make a mountain out of a mole hill. She just needs to show CFO her passport and CFO certificate to get the sticker. Oh, and she also had to fill out the registration info sheet all over again. Good if your fiancée has all of your USA phone numbers and address written down to carry; she'll also need that to fill out custom declarations at POE.

Yeah, she got the CFO counseling certificate a couple of months ago, but still needs to get the registration sticker. She's planning to fly up to Manila on April 7, get the sticker from CFO, then leave for the U.S. on April 9.

I'll tell her to cut a hole in the plastic just big enough to remove her passport, then pack the envelope wrapped in plastic securely in her carryon bag so it doesn't get bent or disturbed until the POE.

[Murphy'sBoy 5]

I got all nervous reading about tears and open envelopes because my wife's has the corner cut off of it. Not a sealed envelope imo, but I guess that's normal?

Also I only wanted to make a slit large enough in the plastic to get her passport out but there were some other papers along with the envelope so I had to make the slit big enough to get those out.

[LykaMarc 19]

I just spoke to the US embassy Manila on the phone. Normally, they would require her to give the package back to 2GO to send back to Manila, then wait for its return. However, when I explained that she already has her ticket to the US, they said that she should come to the embassy anytime Monday thru Thursday, between 10:00 AM and 12 noon to Window 38, and bring a copy of her flight confirmation, and then they will reseal (or replace?) the envelope as she waits.

Since she will have a couple of days in Manila before her flight to the US, I think we will do this option just to avoid any questions at the POE.

[Greenbaum 12,258]

Yeah, she got the CFO counseling certificate a couple of months ago, but still needs to get the registration sticker. She's planning to fly up to Manila on April 7, get the sticker from CFO, then leave for the U.S. on April 9.

I'll tell her to cut a hole in the plastic just big enough to remove her passport, then pack the envelope wrapped in plastic securely in her carryon bag so it doesn't get bent or disturbed until the POE.

Have to add our experience. My wife retrieved the envelopes from 2go while I was Skype. So here I am sitting all excited and she returns with the envelopes, her's and the kids. She is about to tear into the envelope and I stopped her dead in her tracks. I said, let's talk about this first, and I go on about all that I have heard about this envelope and the proper way to open it. She is looking at it, and she is a bright woman, and she sees what I was talking about and agrees that she has to go slow and easy. So she gets a razor blade and begins to ever so slightly, make the first cut to retrieve just the passport and not disturb anything else. Once she completes the first one, we now know what to do. She proceeds in doing the kids and we are just fine. Everyone is there with their visa's attached to their passports and so excited. I'll never forget that day.

[Hank_ 9,171]

I took a scissors and cut the top of the plastic bag open, took out the passport and the other papers, then wrapped the plastic bag tight around the DO NOT OPEN envelope and taped it.

[LykaMarc 19]

I'm telling my fiancee not to remove her passport yet, so when she visits the embassy, there is absolutely no doubt that she could not access the envelope.

[CowBoE 429]

My fiancee received her sealed envelope with a small tear in it. We've decided that it isn't big enough to be concerned about when she arrives at the US port of entry. However, we were wondering if there is anywhere PRIOR to reaching the US port of entry when some official (e.g. Philippine immigration) or airline employee will want to examine the envelope, or are they only concerned with the passport/visa? In other words, will the yellow envelope be subjected to handling by anyone at the Manila airport at any point, or can she safely and securely stow it away in her carryon bag, to be removed only at the US port of entry?

Like others have said...don't let anyone get near that document.

Also it's already partially torn, so put it in a secured ziploc or something

and make sure it's not getting torn some more.

They might hassle her a bit with questions,

but as long as they believe that the contents couldn't have been tempered

with by those small holes...hopefully all will go OK.

Come back and tell us how it went.

Best of luck!

[manilaraf 28]

I got all nervous reading about tears and open envelopes because my wife's has the corner cut off of it. Not a sealed envelope imo, but I guess that's normal?

Also I only wanted to make a slit large enough in the plastic to get her passport out but there were some other papers along with the envelope so I had to make the slit big enough to get those out.

Yup it's normal if it looks like someone took some scissors and cut the corner off of the yellow envelope.

This allows inspection of the envelope if necessary without the need to open the envelope (from what I've gathered from VJ posts where this has happened before).

I took a razor and made an opening just large enough to get out the wife's passport. And in doing so was able to get a clear view of the Immigrant Data Summary (for IR/CR Visas) so we could make a photocopy and show the original at CFO. Again, K-1s aren't required to do that last bit.