KJC

In the UK, I would always drink nothing but concentrated orange juice. I drank lots of different brands but the only one I remember is "Robinsons".

It just came in a regular bottle, and you would add tap water to your glass.

In America I can't find anything like that. We got some canned orange as apparently that is the only kind of concentrated orange my fiance knows of. Even that isn't to my liking as it is very thick and kind of like the stuff you'd normally have at breakfast. The kind I drank in the UK was more watery in appearance.

Does anybody know what I'm talking about and anywhere I could get what I'm looking for?

Just been doing some reading up on this, and the point that you dont need a SSN to get married. I read the following link and it says "Each applicant must provide a social security number".

http://probate.cuyahogacounty.us/faq/faq_marriage.htm

You are alien authorized to work

I thought I was not athorized to work until I received my EAD.

So it will be OK if I tick "legal alien allowed to work" on the SSN forms?

I just arrived in the US on the 14th April and will soon arrange for a SSN and marriage.

1. The I-94: All that remains of this in my possession is the part that is clipped on to my passport. It's just the departure record. The rest of the I-94 was taken by the officer at customs. Do I need the complete form, or is what I have fine? I'm assuming the rest is held by someone or other.

I'm a bit worried he should not have taken the top half of the I-94 away from me.

2. The RM 00203.500: The link in the guide is broken, but what I have is this:

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203500

I haven't read it yet, but from the guide on SSN on visajourney, it seems as though this is just to remind the person at the SSA office that I can indeed apply for a SSN as a K1 holder. Am I right? I don't have to read it or do anything besides bring it with me to the SSA offices?

3. I have until mid July to get married. Does it matter when in the 90 day period we get married? Let's say I get married on the 89th day, is that just as good? Also, can we get married before getting the SSN?

4. On the application for social security card, it says:

"If you are not a US citizen or do not have current lawful, work-authorized immigartion status, you must prove that you have a valid nonwork reason for requesting a card".

So what is my valid nonwork reason for requesting a card?

5. When is a good time to apply for EAD & AOS? Immediately after marriage assuming I have a SSN?

After all that stress, I was in and out of the immigration/customs area within 30 minutes... It was only a few minutes longer than it would have been if I was just going in as a visitor without a visa.

The guy took the opened envelope off me, and I was about to explain what happened when he just made a gesture as if to say "I don't care". I wasn't even really asked any questions and he just stamped everything and said "good luck".

Maybe I just got lucky in that I got a laid back official.

Everybody is given back their x-ray.

= two POE envelopes.

But everybody just says a (singular) POE envelope from what I have read on visajourney.

Right, I'm done. Until tomorrow...

I bet they just gave you back your xray.

It's typically in a huge envelope.

But I was clearly told by the officials at both windows that I had to take it (they even pointed to THAT envelope) on my carry-on luggage and hand it to POE.

If I'd have known to expect two POE envelopes instead of just the one (as with the case of everyone on visajourney but me), I would maybe not have been so quick to stupidly open the other envelope that was sent to me with the visa.

The envelope given to me at the interview is unopened. I might be wrong but I think it contains xrays from the medical.. maybe other stuff too.

When I received the packet containing the visa, I don't remember how many envelopes were inside it... but I do know I opened the one I should not have opened (because it says so on the front that it is for immigration officials).

Just the one I was given on the day of the interview (which I was told not to open).

KJC -

The envelope delivered to you (that you opened) - does it appear to contain your medical file, your police report, birth cert - everything from the interview? Because THAT is the envelope I am familiar with that must be turned over to the CBP officers when you enter the US.

Yes, it had all that stuff in it.

Just the one I was given on the day of the interview (which I was told not to open).

There are typically two envelopes delivered to you.

One is a smaller one which you do open. It contains the passport.

The other larger one is the 'do not open' envelope.

But my question is whether or not everyone else is required to hand over 2 envelopes at POE. I have 2 to hand over but nobodies POE reviews describe 2 envelopes.

I'm not sure I understand your question.

I saw my husband's visa delivered. I was with him in the UK, albeit 2.5 years ago.

At that time, the smaller envelope was affixed to the outside of the larger one. It was a bit confusing if you didn't know what you were looking for.

Are any of your envelopes still unopened?

I was given an envelope on the day of the interview and told that I would have to give this to the POE. The second envelope was delivered with the visa.

There are typically two envelopes delivered to you.

One is a smaller one which you do open. It contains the passport.

The other larger one is the 'do not open' envelope.

But my question is whether or not everyone else is required to hand over 2 envelopes at POE. I have 2 to hand over but nobodies POE reviews describe 2 envelopes.

Reading through POE reviews... Everybody seems to always mention handing over ONE envelope... I have two envelopes: one that was given to me the day of the interview rolled up with an elastic band, and the other one that came alongside the K1 visa (which I mistakenly opened), which says on the front:

"To be opened only by the United States Immigration or Public Health Service Officer.

This is your visa. It must be surrendered to the United States Immigration Officer at Port of Entry into the United States

Do not pack it - it must be hand carried".

How come nobody else has to hand over 2 envelopes?

or re-scheduled your flight and go back to the Consulate first time in the morning.

Not an option.

In my experience this is not the end of the world kind of mistake. In our case, the POE officer didn't keep the envelope. I knew there was a sealed envelope not to be opened but surely anything that got home with my wife, more than a thousand miles from the POE was important. I opened it and was shortly after informed by me wife that it was not to be opened.

I just took it to the nearest USCIS office where the took the envelope as it was, sent it over to the local CBP supervisor for proper handling and referred me to him to correct the I-94 and stamps the original CBP officer had screwed up to.

I'm sure they deal with this mistake often. If I were you, I'd be prepared for a scowl or two at the POE but nothing more.

Mike, I don't know. I've never read of anyone trying it.

At this late stage, the OP has almost no other choice. But anecdotally people who commit this 'offense' take the packet back to the consulate to be sealed prior to departing their home country.

That's incredible that CBP didn't take your wifes envelope upon her entry. That's a big no-no on their part.

I read a POE review a while back that said she only just realized as she was standing in line at customs that her mother had opened the envelope, but apparently it was not a big deal with the officials.

or re-scheduled your flight and go back to the Consulate first time in the morning.

Not an option.

When my visa arrived, it came in a plastic cover, which I opened, and without even so much as looking at the front of the envelope, I just assumed that I had to open it.

In it was all my paperwork and medical files that the embassy had.

I only just noticed my mistake when packing tonight as I am flying out tomorrow morning, and then I saw on the front of the envelope that it said "to be opened by immigration blah blah blah".

The envelope itself is semi held shut by the selotape that was already on there.. but it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out it has been opened before.

As far as I was aware, the only thing I had to give to POE people was the envelope given to me at the interview and was specifically told that I had to hand it over to POE.

I even came on here and made a post about getting the visa and pretty much told everyone that I had opened the envelope and what was in it... nobody picked up on my mistake and I remember being told that I wouldn't even have to hand this over to POE.

I would just as soon jump off something very tall than get kicked out of the country because of this.

It's actually 3 and a half hours. Also, I should have booked an aisle seat so I can get up and out quicker. I remember one flight we were severely delayed, and just a few people had to rush for a connecting flight, and the stewards asked that those not in a rush stay seated to let off the few connecting flight, and what happens... EVERYONE gets up and clogs the aisle.

Anyway... just a quick question, when I get to the customs area, what queue is it I join? Is it clearly marked? I don't want to wait in line for ages only to get told I'm in the wrong place and have to go join another really long queue.

Thanks, that's a help...

Worst thing that will happen is that I miss my connecting flight and am stuck in Detroit for a while... After all the waiting to get to this point I don't think that's a lot to deal with

I'm wondering if all airports have a POE thing... I don't want to book a flight then figure out I get sent back because they are unable to process immigrants or whatever..

I'm trying to book cheap flights (means I have to buy a return ticket that I won't use), and I saw one from Glasgow to Cleveland via Detroit Wayne County (DTW). I have a 4 hour wait in Detroit which I hope to be long enough to process me?

Got the visa delivered to me this morning. Even though I was told I would personally have to sign for it as well as provide some form of identification, my mother signed for it and that was that.

Included are all the forms and paperwork that the Embassy kept hold of. Also the medical paperwork as well as the psychiatric report.

I'm hazy on the procedure of entering the states. What line do I join in customs? Foreign or citizen? Am I a 'non immigrant' or 'immigrant'? That still confuses me as some of the forms I had to complete say 'non immigrant' on them

I'm aware that I have to take the envelope given to me at the interview on to the plane with me, but I'm not sure if the same applies to the paperwork they just returned to me today (including psychiatric report). I'd rather avoid a lot of questioning on this psychiatric report if possible, but I guess I will take that stuff on the carry on luggage should they ask for it.

When I arrive in the states with a K1 visa... I wait 2 weeks then apply for the social security number. Then I apply for the EAS and AOS at the same time? The EAS will run out while the AOS is pending so I will have to reapply... until the AOS is complete?

But as soon as I have a SSN and EAS I can apply for work?

We're really hazy about this whole thing.

Hmm.. I think my envelope containing my appointment letter and 156 form is on the streets of London somewhere. I'm sure I had it when I left the Embassy and now I don't have it at all. I must have dropped it when I was rushing to the subway in the rain.

Don't like the idea of that stuff laying around the streets. I don't have my passport either, but I'm sure the interviewer said they were going to keep it and send it back to me with the visa attached.

APPROVED!

All in all from when I joined the queue outside at 9:30am, it was about 5 hours before my interview was complete. The interviewer apologized for the wait as they were short-staffed. It also didn't help that they gave me a ticket for 'non-immigrant' rather than 'immigrant', and I got called up to one of the counters and told to go back down to get a ticket for 'immigrant' and was put to the back of the queue as I was the very last person to be processed for an immigrant visa.

Now I just have to wait for the visa & passport getting delivered sometime next week.

Dunno what a 'titre test' is, but I didn't bring any vaccination records to the medical because my doctor didn't have any. So basically the nurse at the medical just gave me a list of jabs I needed for my age, and I only needed to get the MMR and Tetanus ones. She gave me the choice of getting them there or at my GP's. I just got them done at my GP's office a few days before the interview.

You will need a photocopy of your police certificate too but not the passport.

Damn..

Any ideas where I can get that done in London at such short notice?

I just got back from a photo place that takes passport pictures (British ones), they looked clueless when I asked for American passport pictures, but when I said it was basically just a 2 inch squared picture they tried. But after getting home I measured the size of the head... the specifications say that from the top of the hair to the chin must be no more than 35mm, but it is 40mm. Will this present a problem? I don't really have time to get new ones done today as I need to sleep before the long bus journey down to London.

I don't have photocopies of my passport or police certificates... I just remembered that I might have read somewhere that I need photocopies of these. I already have a copy of my birth certificate, so that is fine. Will this be a problem?

I have all my paperwork (probably far more than I need) in a big padded A4 envelope which has 4 envelopes within dividing up the paperwork, ie. evidence, copies, afft stuff, forms + appointment letter. This wouldn't be a security problem would it? Don't know if padded envelopes are off limits. I will leave my backpack at left luggage at the bus station.

I think other than this, I am ready