Some advice needed...

[Nilz07 0]

Hi,

I would like some advice please. I am currently waiting for my police certificate to come through so I can send off my DS-230 bits. I can now see this process going past christmas...so I am thinking about going to the US for xmas to see my wife.

Has anyone visited the US while all this has been going on? Also is it advisable to go? Also what kind of documentation/evidence is needed if I go over xmas? Your help would be much appreciated as we are both finding the waiting frustrating and hard.

Nilz

[Kez/JWolf 6]

Hi,

I would like some advice please. I am currently waiting for my police certificate to come through so I can send off my DS-230 bits. I can now see this process going past christmas...so I am thinking about going to the US for xmas to see my wife.

Has anyone visited the US while all this has been going on? Also is it advisable to go? Also what kind of documentation/evidence is needed if I go over xmas? Your help would be much appreciated as we are both finding the waiting frustrating and hard.

Nilz

You will need to take as much evidence as you can to prove that you intend to return after your visit, so things like a letter from an employer saying what date you have to return to work, copy of your rent agreement/mortgage, parking receipt from aiport carpark, a return ticket and anything else that you may have that shows you need to return to the UK....

if you are really worried about being denied then book your flight through Dublin... they have a US POE at dublin airport so you will go through immigration there.... if you were denied it would only be the cost of a short flight back to the UK instead of a transatlantic flight home....

Kez

[william_wallace 8]

How can that be? Havin a US POE in Dublin. What happens when you arrive in the states, dont you go through immigration control? Sounds odd and i havent heard of that one before.

Edited October 30, 2007 by william_wallace

[Kez/JWolf 6]

Yes it is a USA POE and once you have gone through in Dublin you dont go through again when you get to US you just collect your baggage and go through customs....

The United States maintains border preclearance facilities at a number of ports and airports in foreign countries. Operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service, travelers pass through Immigration and Customs, Public Health, and Department of Agriculture inspections before boarding their aircraft, ship or train. This process is intended to streamline border procedures, to reduce congestion at ports of entry, and to facilitate travel between the preclearance location and some U.S. airports that may not equipped to handle international travellers.

Preclearance exists at most major Canadian airports, providing convenience to travellers from those cities to the U.S. Arrangements also exist with some airports in Bermuda, Bahamas, Aruba and 2 airports in Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._border_preclearance

Kez

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

They also have preclearance at Shannon, in the west of Ireland. But they have a reputation of being mean, meaner than those at the POE's in the US, but I suppose it depends on who you get in any of these circumstances.

As long as you show that you still have ties to the UK, and you don't want to immigrate (this time at least) any POE should let you through.

[Silas 0]

Hi,

I would like some advice please. I am currently waiting for my police certificate to come through so I can send off my DS-230 bits. I can now see this process going past christmas...so I am thinking about going to the US for xmas to see my wife.

Has anyone visited the US while all this has been going on? Also is it advisable to go? Also what kind of documentation/evidence is needed if I go over xmas? Your help would be much appreciated as we are both finding the waiting frustrating and hard.

Nilz

Nilz,

here's a thread I started back in the summer asking about Dublin as a POE. Quite a few people gave their experiences of using it.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry1156153

As others have said as long as you give evidence of ties back to the UK you should be fine. I travelled over just as I was starting the process and before I had discovered VJ. Naively I assumed I'd have no trouble entering just as I always have when I've visited the US for a week or two. I brought absolute no proof of ties but after a telling off I was still allowed through. If you bring evidence you should be absolutely fine. To be honest, if you're only going over for a week or two they may ask you hardly any questions - it was that I was going over for nine weeks that set off a red-flag for them.

[Krikit 1,163]

Here is a link to useful information when travelling to the US while awaiting a visa. (It's in the K-1 section but is applicable to all.) At the bottom of the page you will find links to the US Embassy in London and the US Department of State - Travel. Have a great trip!

[ddkm 0]

I would say go over there for christmas...i would but the cost of it is too much for us i think unfortunately. As long as you bring ties to home it will be fine - i went over during the K1 process and they didnt even ask to see a return flight ticket! But i did have that with me, along with pay stubs, a copy of my contract and a bank/credit card statement just incase.

Have fun!

[gwenneh 7]

We're here in the US now, visiting until the holidays. Russ didn't even get so much as a question at the airport, apart from "How long are you staying?" We traveled several times during the K-1 process and it was much the same. We've also done pre-clearance in Shannon once, and that was simple as well - but we nearly missed the connecting flight as there were so many people going through!

[Nilz07 0]

Thanks for your help!!!

[Leney 0]

My hubby came here twice after we were married and the last time he was told not to come back until he had the visa but they did let him in the country, though they marked something in his passport. That was Newark as a poe and Christmas holiday time 2005.

Edited November 1, 2007 by Leney