visiting girlfriend on vwp/esta

[grumpymax 2]

Hi i know the question been asked a hundred time but pretty regular situation i wanna visit my gf in usa for 11 days starting next week i got not much ties to france i have a flight back indeed and enough money for my stay i m landing from france in new orleans i never fleW or went in usa so i just have no idea what its like .another thing we met irl she came to visit here last christmas  and she is is my us contact in both esta and api  .So my question is what am i gonna get questionned ?  if i do  shall i be entirely honest? 

[Unlockable 7,309]

Of course you have to be honest. Noone here is ever going to tell you to lie. And if they do it will be a violation of the site's TOA.

 

Noone knows exactly what specific questions you will be asked. But usually they are along the lines of, "What is the reason for your trip?" and "How long you planning on staying?"

[grumpymax 2]

yeah i m just a bit paranoid maybe but read a lot of topi saying not to say anything unlesss specifically asked flying there wednesday. I m a single male with no strong ties to france so i tend to think i be no1 suspect 

[Cryssiekins 976]

Always always always be entirely honest, otherwise you are just askinf for trouble.

 

If you're worried about being denied entry, just bring proof of strong ties to home.  CBP will operate on the assumption that you will stay in the U.S. therefore the burden is on you to show that you will not.    Bring a letter from your employer, a copy of your lease or mortgage, banking information etc.  They may not ask, but you want to be prepared. 

[geowrian 22,336]

Never lie or tell half truths. Nothing good will come of it. You don't need to volunteer information, but don't try to hide anything as they are trained to detect and probe about it.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the questions that they will ask. Just be honest. If you have sufficient ties to return home, then you'll be admitted.

[CantThinkOfOne 22]

Quote

At POE they were like: " Why are you here? I am visiting with my boyfriend!

Did you meet? (here I am not sure whether the question was "did you meet" or "how did you meet") We met in person last month!

For how long will you visit? He booked me a flight for the whole 90 days allowed, but I'm not sure I'm able to stay that long!

90 days is a long time, how does your job handle it? I'm a selfemployed, so I can work from anywhere with a decent internet connection!" 

I had my papers in hand though, with my appartment lease, the car papers, bank account statements, all advice from another website, he didn't ask for none; Got asked to take my glasses off for a pic, then fingerprints, then "Have a nice visit", and that from not the friendliest CBP ever, he actually looked kinda angry, for whatever reason.

^ Quoted myself for my first experience travelling to the US, as well on VWP from the EU. 

 

ALWAYS be honest to the officers there (and in life, in general), if you call each other "girlfriend/ boyfriend" then that's exactly what you should answer when asked whom you will be visiting. 

Edited May 1, 2017 by CantThinkOfOne

[Becci391 339]

36 minutes ago, grumpymax said:

Hi i know the question been asked a hundred time but pretty regular situation i wanna visit my gf in usa for 11 days starting next week i got not much ties to france i have a flight back indeed and enough money for my stay i m landing from france in new orleans i never fleW or went in usa so i just have no idea what its like .another thing we met irl she came to visit here last christmas  and she is is my us contact in both esta and api  .So my question is what am i gonna get questionned ?  if i do  shall i be entirely honest? 

The strong ties are only required if you come to the US on a visitor visa. I never heard that you need to proof strong ties if you enter the US with the ESTA document.

You are totally fine if you have an approved ESTA. That's all you need. I visited my fiance last year here in the US with ESTA. The officer only asked me for how long I was going to stay and how much cash I had on me. I didn't have any documents with me showing strong ties to Germany.

Always be honest. Doesn't matter if you come to the US on a certain visa or ESTA.

[Becci391 339]

20 minutes ago, Cryssiekins said:

Always always always be entirely honest, otherwise you are just askinf for trouble.

 

If you're worried about being denied entry, just bring proof of strong ties to home.  CBP will operate on the assumption that you will stay in the U.S. therefore the burden is on you to show that you will not.    Bring a letter from your employer, a copy of your lease or mortgage, banking information etc.  They may not ask, but you want to be prepared. 

That's not required for ESTA. I've never read that tourists with an approved ESTA needed to show strong ties to the home country. And I've seen many people in front of me who came to the US with this document and they never had to show any kind of proof.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Becci391

[A'n'L 735]

1 minute ago, Becci391 said:

The strong ties are only required if you come to the US on a visitor visa. I never heard that you need to proof strong ties if you enter the US with the ESTA document.

You are totally fine if you have an approved ESTA. That's all you need. I visited my fiance last year here in the US with ESTA. The officer only asked me for how long I was going to stay and how much cash I had on me. I didn't have any documents with me showing strong ties to Germany.

Always be honest. Doesn't matter if you come to the US on a certain visa or ESTA.

If you travel frequently using ESTA, you might be questioned about intent to stay. It's therefore always recommended to carry proof of ties to your home country, like letter of employment or lease.

[grumpymax 2]

how old were you then ? 

2 minutes ago, Becci391 said:

The strong ties are only required if you come to the US on a visitor visa. I never heard that you need to proof strong ties if you enter the US with the ESTA document.

You are totally fine if you have an approved ESTA. That's all you need. I visited my fiance last year here in the US with ESTA. The officer only asked me for how long I was going to stay and how much cash I had on me. I didn't have any documents with me showing strong ties to Germany.

Always be honest. Doesn't matter if you come to the US on a certain visa or ESTA.

 

[Becci391 339]

Just now, grumpymax said:

how old were you then ? 

 

I was 24 and I didn't have any documents with me proofing strong ties to Germany.

[grumpymax 2]

22 minutes ago, Cryssiekins said:

Always always always be entirely honest, otherwise you are just askinf for trouble.

 

If you're worried about being denied entry, just bring proof of strong ties to home.  CBP will operate on the assumption that you will stay in the U.S. therefore the burden is on you to show that you will not.    Bring a letter from your employer, a copy of your lease or mortgage, banking information etc.  They may not ask, but you want to be prepared. 

i do not have some i sold my car i m in some kind of program to change job but i m dont have english paper work and i live at my parents i need to get my wisdom teeth removed dho that could be a decenbt tie ? definetly wont be able to afford that wwithout french healthcare

 

[Becci391 339]

4 minutes ago, A'n'L said:

If you travel frequently using ESTA, you might be questioned about intent to stay. It's therefore always recommended to carry proof of ties to your home country, like letter of employment or lease.

I got asked why I am in the US and I said that I want to visit my Fiance. And I was good to go. The only thing the officer said was that he reminded me that I am not allowed to stay longer than the date on my passport stamp.

I never saw people who had to show any kind of proof when they had the ESTA document.

I'm just sharing my experience.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Becci391

[grumpymax 2]

btw i m really surprised and happy about all thoise various fast complete answe guys thanks 

 

[A'n'L 735]

OP, be completely honest with CBP. They will ask you your length of stay, reason for visit and possibly who you are meeting. They might also ask how much money you are carrying. It is ok to visit a boyfriend/girlfriend, so do not try to call it a friend (that will only lead to more interrogation).