New K-1 Visa Arrival at Airport

[Kowatti 189]

11 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

Plan on at least a 4 hour connection time in ATL to allow for processing by CBP and getting to the domestic flight.  Atlanta is a huge airport with long lines.

Hi.  Are you serious?  That's a long time.  I heard it was very large.  I will make sure his sister books at least 4 hours apart from the time he gets there.  I appreciate the hint.  All this info is beneficial.  Right now with the stress of him getting ready for his interview, my brain is not functioning very well.  Only thinking about his interview.  I appreciate your response.  

[Ben&Zian 4,397]

44 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

Plan on at least a 4 hour connection time in ATL to allow for processing by CBP and getting to the domestic flight.  Atlanta is a huge airport with long lines.

 

Luckily it isn't O'hare in Chicago or Newark, terrible airports lol.

[Kowatti 189]

1 hour ago, Ben&Zian said:

 

Luckily it isn't O'hare in Chicago or Newark, terrible airports lol.

🤣🤣

[Celie 793]

4 hours ago, PandT said:

No, I will not purchase any tickets now.  I just wanted to know for future reference that he could actually enter through Wilmington.  It's only 1 hour away from me.  Thanks guys.  

Your best bet will probably be Raleigh/Durham airport. It's about 2 hours north of Jacksonville but it's what I used to use for flights when I lived there.

Edited April 2, 2019 by celie&joseph

[jkstark 97]

I don't recall Newark being that horrible as an international arrival - far better than some of the terminals at JFK...  Coming into Newark was a joy compared to most others, to be honest.

 

I recall one arrival at JFK where we were stuck in a narrow, dark, dank hallway for about 30-40 minutes till somebody came along and clarified that citizens/LPR should not wait in line but rather go on through to the open lanes.  Big signs warning against photography too, and I can understand why just based on the conditions.  Quite a shock after going through customs/immigration in any European airport...

 

That said, though Wilmington is advertised as an international airport, there are currently no international commercial flights through there - so it is a moot point unless they are flying in on general aviation aircraft.  Remember that in the US you clear customs and immigration at the first landfall...

[millefleur 5,038]

1 minute ago, jkstark said:

I don't recall Newark being that horrible as an international arrival - far better than some of the terminals at JFK...  Coming into Newark was a joy compared to most others, to be honest.

 

I recall one arrival at JFK where we were stuck in a narrow, dark, dank hallway for about 30-40 minutes till somebody came along and clarified that citizens/LPR should not wait in line but rather go on through to the open lanes.  Big signs warning against photography too, and I can understand why just based on the conditions.  Quite a shock after going through customs/immigration in any European airport...

 

That said, though Wilmington is advertised as an international airport, there are currently no international commercial flights through there - so it is a moot point unless they are flying in on general aviation aircraft.  Remember that in the US you clear customs and immigration at the first landfall...

Have never done POE at Newark but JFK can be total chaos...especially during busy seasons like Christmas and summer.

 

As a tip to all, make sure they put the right stamp in your passport. My husband has had erroneous stamps put in his passport twice now by CBP (one where CBP wrote in the wrong date, and one where the stamp had the wrong year). We didn't even think to check and only noticed when we got home...so it's always good to double check it at POE so they at at least fix it right there on the spot.

[Kowatti 189]

23 minutes ago, celie&joseph said:

Your best bet will probably be Raleigh/Durham airport. It's about 2 hours north of Jacksonville but it's what I used to use for flights when I lived there.

Okay.  To tell you the truth, I prefer that he goes through Raleigh/Durham.  That would be convenient for me.  The airport is not as large as in Atlanta.  

[Celie 793]

1 minute ago, PandT said:

Okay.  To tell you the truth, I prefer that he goes through Raleigh/Durham.  That would be convenient for me.  The airport is not as large as in Atlanta.  

Agreed. We never used it to travel internationally but domestically it was a good airport so I assume the staff etc would be the same. I never had to travel out of state for anything. If you do end up using it though, make sure to write a review for it on VJ. that way if anyone else needs input on that POE, they have your review as a guide.

 

Good luck!!

[Kowatti 189]

15 minutes ago, millefleur said:

Have never done POE at Newark but JFK can be total chaos...especially during busy seasons like Christmas and summer.

 

As a tip to all, make sure they put the right stamp in your passport. My husband has had erroneous stamps put in his passport twice now by CBP (one where CBP wrote in the wrong date, and one where the stamp had the wrong year). We didn't even think to check and only noticed when we got home...so it's always good to double check it at POE so they at at least fix it right there on the spot.

Heck, I am going to make sure he checks everything several times, lol.  This journey has been too stressful to get to the end then realize the stamp is incorrect or there is a problem with the date, or something else.  Thanks for the reminder.  I am noting all the beneficial hints I am getting from you guys.  That way I will not forget anything 😁. 

[Kowatti 189]

6 minutes ago, celie&joseph said:

Agreed. We never used it to travel internationally but domestically it was a good airport so I assume the staff etc would be the same. I never had to travel out of state for anything. If you do end up using it though, make sure to write a review for it on VJ. that way if anyone else needs input on that POE, they have your review as a guide.

 

Good luck!!

Thank you so much.  I plan on writing a detailed report on his interview with Dakar because there isn't much about this particular embassy.  People don't have much to say about it for some reason.  I am also going to take it further & share his trip from Lagos Airport all the way until he gets to our home.  I appreciate others having helped me & that is the least I can do.  Without my VJ family, I would have been a real nut case.  Thank you for helping.  Blessings to you.

[Celie 793]

2 minutes ago, PandT said:

Thank you so much.  I plan on writing a detailed report on his interview with Dakar because there isn't much about this particular embassy.  People don't have much to say about it for some reason.  I am also going to take it further & share his trip from Lagos Airport all the way until he gets to our home.  I appreciate others having helped me & that is the least I can do.  Without my VJ family, I would have been a real nut case.  Thank you for helping.  Blessings to you.

To you, too! I wish you a smooth journey! ❤️

[millefleur 5,038]

9 minutes ago, PandT said:

Heck, I am going to make sure he checks everything several times, lol.  This journey has been too stressful to get to the end then realize the stamp is incorrect or there is a problem with the date, or something else.  Thanks for the reminder.  I am noting all the beneficial hints I am getting from you guys.  That way I will not forget anything 😁

Absolutely...I ended up calling CBP about it and they told me that erroneous POE stamps don't matter as it's all in the system electronically...but still. It's very confusing to see that wrong date in the passport! Double checking is always a good policy.

[Kowatti 189]

9 minutes ago, millefleur said:

Absolutely...I ended up calling CBP about it and they told me that erroneous POE stamps don't matter as it's all in the system electronically...but still. It's very confusing to see that wrong date in the passport! Double checking is always a good policy.

I agree with you.  To us it matters that information is correct.  Everyone is supposed to assume that the electronically input info is correct.  I don't believe them.  I like to see the correct info on documents.  Just less stress for the visa holders.  

[millefleur 5,038]

Just now, PandT said:

I agree with you.  To us it matters that information is correct.  Everyone is supposed to assume that the electronically input info is correct.  I don't believe them.  I like to see the correct info on documents.  Just less stress for the visa holders.  

Ha, too true. Just because they say it's in their electronically doesn't mean mistakes don't happen! Best to try to avoid any errors in this process, fewer headaches for us in the long run.

[Kowatti 189]

1 minute ago, millefleur said:

Ha, too true. Just because they say it's in their electronically doesn't mean mistakes don't happen! Best to try to avoid any errors in this process, fewer headaches for us in the long run.

Anytime a human being is inputting info onto a computer data system, yes there can be mistakes made.  We are humans who are subject to making errors.  Most government workers are already overworked & I can see how mistakes happen.  They explain some things to us just to keep us from bugging them, lol.  Some of it makes no sense at all 🤣.