K1POE - carry on luggage vs. checking bags

[JuniorMints 66]

Hi, my fiance is packing his stuff to get ready to travel here on his K1 visa.  I have a question about baggage - he doesn't really have any household items he wants to bring, just all of his clothes and personal items.  

 

In order to avoid having to check luggage and spend time waiting for it at POE,  if he can fit all of his stuff into 1 carry on bag and 1 backpack (to keep his yellow packet and some other personal items) , it that OK, or will it seem strange that he doesn't have checked luggage to claim? 

 

 

 

[Crazy Cat 39,226]

It is not a problem......don't worry about....

[C90 376]

1 minute ago, JuniorMints said:

Hi, my fiance is packing his stuff to get ready to travel here on his K1 visa.  I have a question about baggage - he doesn't really have any household items he wants to bring, just all of his clothes and personal items.  

 

In order to avoid having to check luggage and spend time waiting for it at POE,  if he can fit all of his stuff into 1 carry on bag and 1 backpack (to keep his yellow packet and some other personal items) , it that OK, or will it seem strange that he doesn't have checked luggage to claim? 

 

 

 

CBP doesn't care how much or how little baggage he has. Check the airline(s) he flies with for the carry on rules. Most airlines only allow 1 carry on 10KG and 1 personal item (laptop or handbag). Everything that's heavier and/or bigger will be checked in. But maybe his airline has different rules

[JuniorMints 66]

Thanks, he's a guy, so you know he doesn't have so much like a woman would, like make up, tons of shoes and bags and stuff like that 😄

[nastra30 1,983]

Just keep in mind that carry-on luggage also has size and weight restrictions depending on the airline.

[JuniorMints 66]

2 minutes ago, nastra30 said:

Just keep in mind that carry-on luggage also has size and weight restrictions depending on the airline.

Thanks, we did check  Luftrhansa and his carry on bag and backpack are within size/weight limits

Edited February 10, 2019 by JuniorMints

[carmel34 3,531]

Also keep in mind that at POE, your fiance will have to wait in line to pass through CBP like everyone else, and depending on the POE that can take a very long time, easily 45 minutes to an hour, so most likely any bag he does check will be waiting for him at the luggage area immediately after he clears CBP, so checking a bag will not cause a delay at all--a few minutes is all, to find his bag and exit with it.  If he has to connect to another domestic flight after POE, then it might take time to wait for it at the final destination, but if the POE is his final destination, I would say go ahead and check a bag, as most airlines include one free checked bag for long-distance flights and he will not have to wait for it, it will be waiting for him.

[JuniorMints 66]

Just an update - my fiance arrived at SFO safely 😊😊  He wasn't asked about having just a 1 way ticket at all, even in Frankfurt, or about only having carry-on luggage.  He did have SSSS on his boarding pass into SFO, so he had extra screening off to the side, but nothing unusual and was just told by the officer to get married within 90 days.    

Edited February 15, 2019 by JuniorMints

[TBoneTX 43,058]

That's a relief.  Congratulations!

[Chris Duffy 1,256]

On ‎2‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 9:13 PM, JuniorMints said:

Just an update - my fiance arrived at SFO safely 😊😊  He wasn't asked about having just a 1 way ticket at all, even in Frankfurt, or about only having carry-on luggage.  He did have SSSS on his boarding pass into SFO, so he had extra screening off to the side, but nothing unusual and was just told by the officer to get married within 90 days.    

SFO seems in my opinion a much better airport to deal with in general. Compared to LAX which looks like a 3rd world airport, SFO is nice and clean and not crowded

 

Good choice picking SFO vs LAX also

[Mike E 11,723]

At least at SFO and LAX, since October 2018, CBP isn’t collecting customs forms or kiosk receipts at the exit from the baggage claim hall.  Instead the passport

control CBP officer keeps them. The CBP Officer at the exit from baggage claim is thus much less likely to know that the person exiting baggage claim is someone moving to the USA.  

 

I am a strong believer in packing at most 7 days clothes.  Everything else can be cheaply obtained in the USA.  Chinese made stuff is cheaper in the USA than nearly everywhere in the world.  

 

And why not start with new stuff? It’s a brand new life.  

 

However another “enhancement” at SFO is that green card holders and Canadians must now go through the foreigner line instead of the USA citizen line.  So indeed, at SFO, unless you are first off the plane, zero time is saved doing carry on. 

Edited February 16, 2019 by Mike E

[Saiali 13]

On 2/10/2019 at 2:36 PM, JuniorMints said:

Hi, my fiance is packing his stuff to get ready to travel here on his K1 visa.  I have a question about baggage - he doesn't really have any household items he wants to bring, just all of his clothes and personal items.  

 

In order to avoid having to check luggage and spend time waiting for it at POE,  if he can fit all of his stuff into 1 carry on bag and 1 backpack (to keep his yellow packet and some other personal items) , it that OK, or will it seem strange that he doesn't have checked luggage to claim? 

 

 

 

I know this response is a bit late but I had my husband do the same to avoid checked bag. He had no problem at SFO. It took him about 1hr to 1.5 hr to come out after his flight arrived around 6pm. Algiers via Spain.

[Saiali 13]

On 2/16/2019 at 4:52 AM, Mike E said:

At least at SFO and LAX, since October 2018, CBP isn’t collecting customs forms or kiosk receipts at the exit from the baggage claim hall.  Instead the passport

control CBP officer keeps them. The CBP Officer at the exit from baggage claim is thus much less likely to know that the person exiting baggage claim is someone moving to the USA.  

 

I am a strong believer in packing at most 7 days clothes.  Everything else can be cheaply obtained in the USA.  Chinese made stuff is cheaper in the USA than nearly everywhere in the world.  

 

And why not start with new stuff? It’s a brand new life.  

 

However another “enhancement” at SFO is that green card holders and Canadians must now go through the foreigner line instead of the USA citizen line.  So indeed, at SFO, unless you are first off the plane, zero time is saved doing carry on. 

Agreed the CBP officer kept my husband's envelope didn't ask him anything. Stamped his passport and said welcome to America. He didn't get the 90 days speech some other members say they received. And we buy him new clothes here. I will say though name brand clothes in Algiers cost the same here when I did a price comparison. However the French designer clothing was cheaper there in Algiers. 

[Mike E 11,723]

5 hours ago, Saiali said:

He didn't get the 90 days speech some other members say they received. 

lol. I entered with my K-1 fiancee. CBP officer just told us "You've 90 days to marry." and left it at that.

[JuniorMints 66]

On 2/20/2019 at 7:41 AM, Saiali said:

Agreed the CBP officer kept my husband's envelope didn't ask him anything. Stamped his passport and said welcome to America. He didn't get the 90 days speech some other members say they received. And we buy him new clothes here. I will say though name brand clothes in Algiers cost the same here when I did a price comparison. However the French designer clothing was cheaper there in Algiers. 

 

I just remembered he told me that when they took him to the side for the secondary inspection, he asked them if there was a problem, they told him they just are verifying his visa and info.  He then asked the officer if he could go smoke somewhere, because he just got off of a 12 hour flight, and the officer laughed a little and said "you can smoke when you get married" and let him have his passport and be on his way finally....Rahim was so relieved   😄