Travel to USA - Once Visa is Approved

[Cetin Tonya 0]

Hey all, well the good news is we have an interview date in January, but now the next part comes and more questions along with it:

1.) Getting airplane tickets for him to get her once he receives his visa- Turkey- Travel agency, airport, internet? How would you all suggest he go about getting a reasonable ticket with few stops to Phoenix?

2.) Port of entries - Once he gets his ticket, he may have to layover in Europe, or more likely JFK New York, or Chicago. When there does he have to go through customs, port of entry etc, with visa customs and medical forms? How much time will this take? What does he need to know with his limited English? Will he have to claim his luggage and go through customs etc, and then connect to his next flight?

The more information everyone can give me the better, I just don't want him to have too much difficulty, and want to help him prepare so that he gets here and we don't have to deal with him getting half way and then have all kinds of trouble...

Thanks everyone! And good luck on your journeys navigating the bumpy road to finalized residency and beyond!!!!

[Jasman0717 9]

When Claudeth came here I gave her to money to buy the ticket in her country because it was cheaper. You might check that out.

When you land in an international airport you will go through the customs there and the POE officer will take the imfamous brown, sealed envelope. It took Claudeth about 45 minutes from deboarding the plane to get out of customs but that varies by airport. Good luck

[Nessa 23]

Congratulations!!!

[Minya's wife 24]

Nessa, are you having flashbacks of Consolemaster?

OP-

You can buy your ticket whichever way works for you. I purchased the ticket and as it was an e-ticke my fiance only had to check in at departure w/ his passport and show his valid visa.

Regardless of how many layovers, your fiance will go through customs at the first US airport he lands in....be in JFK or Chicago, and then continue on to his final destination. A good thing to keep in mind if you're looking for tickets w/ multiple layovers, that you give enough time to process through customs (can be more than 3 hours if it is a busy time) so that the next leg of the flight is not missed.

Good luck and congrats on the interview!

-P

[lucyrich 20]

Generally, the first place where he lands on US soil is where he'll go through US customs. For example, if he flies from Turkey to London, then London to New York, and then from New York to Phoenix, he'll go through US customs in New York.

There are a few exceptions to this general rule, however. Some places outside the US have "preclearance stations" where you go through customs before getting on the US-bound plane. Most airports in Canada have preclearance stations. Ireland also has them, as well as Aruba, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. Preclearance isn't substantially different than the normal port of entry routine, it's just that it happens before you get on board the airplane.

In NO case do you go through US immigration on your second or later stop on US soil. It's always either the first stop or before you get on the plane.

Regardless, he'll have to be inspected at immigration, then he'll have a place to claim his baggage. Then he'll pass through customs inspection where his baggage is subject to search. After customs, there will be airline people there ready to take his baggage and route it on to the next flight.

The procedure may sound complicated, but really, when in doubt, you just "navigate like an ant". That is, you follow the people in front of you. Everyone's going through the same routine. There are armed guards all around who are accustomed to people who don't speak English. If he starts to go the wrong way, they'll politely direct him to the right place.

At immigration processing, he'll probably be directed to secondary inspection. This isn't anything to get excited about. An officer will escort him to another room, where they'll check his paperwork and enter some more info on the computer. The process of getting through immigration might be very fast, but it can also take 45 minutes or so, depending on how busy the secondary inspection people are. His flight schedule should be arranged with a fairly long layover after the first landing in the US, to allow plenty of time to get through immigration. I'd recommend at least two hours between landing and next takeoff, but that'll depend somewhat on which airport he's going through, the time of day, and such.

After immigration and customs, he's effectively on US soil. But he still has to go through standard TSA screening for his next connecting flight, just like any other domestic passenger starting a domestic journey. The TSA doesn't trust whatever screening was done in a foreign country for his previous flight -- everyone who gets on board a plane in the US goes through US screening.

It's ideal if you can arrange it so that he goes through immigration early enough in the day so that, in the event it takes longer than expected, there's a later flight he can get on without too much difficulty. Or just allow a very long layover.

As far as how to get airplane tickets, travelocity usually works pretty well for most European and US-based airlines. Or you can go directly to the airline's website.

[Cetin Tonya 0]

Okay everyone very good information!!!! A couple more questions though...

Can he buy a ticket from an internet website like Kayak or would I have to purchase it for him? Just trying to get a relatively cheap and direct flight...

Anyone have any tips on travel from Turkey and getting good flights?

Any other advice.... I really appreciate everyone's input! Thanks again!

[Sylvia_n_Joseph 3]

It might help him if you provide him with translations for common questions. a piece of paper he can refer to to ask help. Things like could you show me there my gate is ? Where is the bathroom ? I am flying on XX airlines to Phoenix can you show me where to go ? That might help or at least make him feel he can get though problems. Part of getting through things is the belief you can handle problems even if they don't come up

[Jigi 0]

hi,

I used Side Step to compare prices of tickets from various airlines and then went and booked my plane ticket

Jigi