POE Selection

[sms78 18]

Yay for Hawaii vacation! Please be extra careful that your wife won't lose her stamped passport in Hawaii!!!!! Yes, this happens!!!

[Oksana & Max 94]

We are no where near being approved but once we get visa to leave a country is it ok to stop off somewhere else before heading to the US. For example, we would be flying out of Morocco. I wanted to travel to Belgium to visit friends and they can meet my husband; then fly into NY after a couple of days. Is that possible? Do we need to tell the consulate we expect to have a stopover in Europe? Will we have problems in London or whereever airport we fly into in Europe?

Thanks,

GG1975

Consulate doesn't care how, when and to where you will fly. They even don't care about your POE, all they care are you elligible for the Visa, this is their job and not your travel plans. You can fly accross the globe and visit every single country before your entrance to the US.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Any person needs a visa to where they are going to unless you can fly there visa-free. A moroccan cannot visit Belgium unless they have a tourist visa for the Schengen area.

[bsd058 296]

ANY international airport is a port of entry. It is impossible to fly internationally to an airport that is not a POE. That makes no sense. An airport that accepts international flights, by law and definition, must be able to serve as a Port of Entry.

I just realized that you were responding to someone other than the OP. Please disregard my comment on this post previously. Your comment was relevant.

Edited August 8, 2012 by bsd058

[HeatDeath 430]

You do not have to fly directly from your home country to the US. You can visit a 3rd country on the way, no problem at all [assuming, of course, that your have an appropriate visa issued by the 3rd country to be allowed entry there].

The CBP officers at the PoE airport in the US don't care whether the flight bringing you to the US originated in your home country or not. They only care that your US visa is valid and that you are not otherwise inadmissible.

Edited August 8, 2012 by HeatDeath

[rin and john 71]

No problem with entering into Hawaii (Honolulu will most likely be your POE).

The only flights I see from BKK to HNL connect thru Seoul or Tokyo. Total travel time (at best) is about 16 hours. A flight from HNL to Orlando (MCO - since I didn't know exactly which city in FL) is about 12 hours with a connection (and will feel like it takes longer due to the time difference). So total travel time would be about 28 hours.

Rin and I have done Hong Kong; about 2 to 3 hours from BKK (no problem to enter HK on a Thai passport). Spent a few nights in Hong Kong, then can fly direct from HKG to Detroit (about 15 hours on Delta). Then it's another 2 - 3 hours to FL. Total travel time 23 to 24 hours counting a two hour layover in Detroit. If 15 hours on one plane is too long, then Hong Kong to San Fran is 12 hours or LA is 13 hours.

The least amount of travel time I could find was via Seattle. BKK to Seattle is 16 hours via Seoul or Tokyo (same as Honolulu). BKK to Tokyo is about 6 hours then Tokyo to Seattle is another 9 hours. Then there are direct flights from Seattle to several major cities in FL (from 5 to 5 1/2 hours). Total travel time would be about 22 hours.

[GGG1975 9]

Any person needs a visa to where they are going to unless you can fly there visa-free. A moroccan cannot visit Belgium unless they have a tourist visa for the Schengen area.

Ok, so do we apply after getting the spousal visa or once they tell him he's approved he can request it at that time?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Ok, so do we apply after getting the spousal visa or once they tell him he's approved he can request it at that time?

He requests it through the Belgian Embassy In Morocco. It is unrelated to the US process. I am confused why you think the US has anything to do with Belgium.

Here is a map

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Moroccan_citizens

[HeatDeath 430]

Just to be clear: he doesn't request the visa for Belgium from the US consulate, he requests it from the nearest Belgian consulate (or whichever EU country's consulate is most convenient). It's a whole separate process, that not too many people here will be as familiar with.

Logically, he should probably wait until he has the US visa in hand before beginning the process to get the Schengen visa, unless the Schengen visa takes a very long time to process and/or he would still want the Schengen visa even if, G-d forbid, he was refused the US visa.

Remember, it is quite common for US visa applicants from MENA to have to wait weeks or months after the interview for the visa to actually be issued. Given that, I would look into the process for the European visa, but I probably wouldn't start it until I had the US visa in my hand. The US visa is usable for 6 months after issuance, which should be enough time to get the European visa.

[GGG1975 9]

He requests it through the Belgian Embassy In Morocco. It is unrelated to the US process. I am confused why you think the US has anything to do with Belgium.

Here is a map

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Moroccan_citizens

LOL...I'm just trying to figure out what we have to do. So thanks for the guidance.

[GGG1975 9]

Just to be clear: he doesn't request the visa for Belgium from the US consulate, he requests it from the nearest Belgian consulate (or whichever EU country's consulate is most convenient). It's a whole separate process, that not too many people here will be as familiar with.

Logically, he should probably wait until he has the US visa in hand before beginning the process to get the Schengen visa, unless the Schengen visa takes a very long time to process and/or he would still want the Schengen visa even if, G-d forbid, he was refused the US visa.

Remember, it is quite common for US visa applicants from MENA to have to wait weeks or months after the interview for the visa to actually be issued. Given that, I would look into the process for the European visa, but I probably wouldn't start it until I had the US visa in my hand. The US visa is usable for 6 months after issuance, which should be enough time to get the European visa.

Ok, thank you so much!!!!

[ThailandToIndiana 11]

I've looked into flights and we'll likely from from BKK to Tokyo to Honolulu. Once there, we'll make the short flight to Maui and stay there for 4 nights. Not sure which hotel we'll stay at just yet, but the Westin and Sheraton are both looking nice. Anywhere with a nice pool, beach, restaurant, spa and salon would be fine. I can watch our son while my wife hits the spa & salon for a day. We'll enjoy the pool and beach, checkout a luau, and also take off on some sightseeing adventures...should be a nice little stop-over before flying the rest of the way to Florida.

Thanks for everyone's help...will be convenient to squeeze a vacation into the relocation experience.