Travelling after returning Packet 3...

[thatbritishlass 2]

Helloooo

I got my P3 today and am obviously dead keen to return it ASAP (hopefully). However, I'm going for one last pre-move trip to see the boy on April 21st.

I was just wondering if anyone had any experiences of travelling after they'd returned P3? I read on another thread a while back (which I tried and failed to find) that it is definitely possible but I'm wondering how much hassle I am likely to get if the IO can see that I have a pending visa application.

Planning to take a letter from my boss stating when I'm due back to work, my lease, return ticket and a credit card bill...any other suggestions?

I am desperate to get the P3 in and get an interview date confirmed ASAP but suffice to say I am pretty nervous about my trip next month!

Thanks

[Ricky+Vanessa 43]

Helloooo

I got my P3 today and am obviously dead keen to return it ASAP (hopefully). However, I'm going for one last pre-move trip to see the boy on April 21st.

I was just wondering if anyone had any experiences of travelling after they'd returned P3? I read on another thread a while back (which I tried and failed to find) that it is definitely possible but I'm wondering how much hassle I am likely to get if the IO can see that I have a pending visa application.

Planning to take a letter from my boss stating when I'm due back to work, my lease, return ticket and a credit card bill...any other suggestions?

I am desperate to get the P3 in and get an interview date confirmed ASAP but suffice to say I am pretty nervous about my trip next month!

Thanks

Hi,

I travelled AFTER receiving my PKT 4 and was fine. I had my interview appointment letter with me just in case (which also indicates my daughter is a K2 but she didn't travel with me) but didn't need.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/246165-travel-to-us-between-receivig-pkt4-and-interview-date/

[david b 2]

I travelled to California to visit my fiance, 2 weeks before the interview date and had no problems. I didn't even take the interview letter with me and they didn't ask anything different that they have ever asked before... made me wonder if they even knew I had applied for a visa!

I don't think you will have a problem.

[Lisa and Ian 7]

I travelled to California to visit my fiance, 2 weeks before the interview date and had no problems. I didn't even take the interview letter with me and they didn't ask anything different that they have ever asked before... made me wonder if they even knew I had applied for a visa!

I don't think you will have a problem.

Lot's of people travel at varying points during this process without issues. Taking the proof that you're due back is a good plan, just in case there are any questions.

I went to the UK after I got engaged, told the officer I was there to see my fiance and no problems. It works the other direction, as well.

Have fun!

[SunDrop 59]

If I remember correctly, Nich-Nick actually asked the border bloke if he could see she had a pending K-1 and he said he couldn't.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Correct. I asked the guy in Houston, where you go through immigration. While he was processing my passport, I said "So what do you have on that computer you're typing my stuff into? Can you tell I have a foreign fiance that I've petitioned to immigrate? If you type in his name, would you know he was applying for a K1 visa?" He said, no. He can see overstays, suspected terrorists, previous denials, bad guys and criminals." So your chances of visiting are no different than any other time. It is always dependent on who checks you and in what city. And it depends on if you were in the US for 90 day visits several times in a year. That doesn't seem like a tourist and smacks of intending immigrant. I think being relaxed and smiling alot helps. As well as a low cut shirt. Just kidding!!

[Nik+Heather 121]

I think the cautions not to travel late in the process are not so much about whether or not they will let you in but that it may slow the visa processing as they may have already looked up all of your entries and exits and then you go and add to the record, and they have to pull up the information all over again.

If the possibility of a short delay before visa issuance is acceptable to you, then there's no objection.

Edited March 22, 2010 by Nik+Heather

[thatbritishlass 2]

I think the cautions not to travel late in the process are not so much about whether or not they will let you in but that it may slow the visa processing as they may have already looked up all of your entries and exits and then you go and add to the record, and they have to pull up the information all over again.

If the possibility of a short delay before visa issuance is acceptable to you, then there's no objection.

Thanks to everyone for your advice our wedding isn't until November so we have plenty of time. Bit frustrating that they will have to pull the info again, but it's our last 11 days together for 6 months until I move...so it's worth it.

[Nik+Heather 121]

Thanks to everyone for your advice our wedding isn't until November so we have plenty of time. Bit frustrating that they will have to pull the info again, but it's our last 11 days together for 6 months until I move...so it's worth it.

Totally agree. We were separated for the 6 months before Nik's K-1 flight over here, and it seemed like AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGES!

Have a nice visit.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I seriously don't think it matters if you travel as far as visa issue delays. Nick came to the US around July 4 for a couple of weeks and interviewed July 29. When he sent back his forms and checklist, he asked for an interview after July 15 because he would be unavailable until that time. So they gave him the end of July. We had no idea how long the NOA2 or P3, etc would take so he had already booked a trip to the US. Then it looked like his interview might actually be scheduled during the trip the way timelines were going. So he just requested a date after his trip and they obligued.

Do you really think they pull up your entries and exits sometime in advance of the interview? I guess maybe I've just never heard of that before. I don't even know if DOS/Embassy is tied into the Homeland Security/USCIS/CBP databases to be able to get that info. Maybe so. Anyway, Nick did travel during the P3/P4 time with no problems that we were aware of.

[Nik+Heather 121]

Do you really think they pull up your entries and exits sometime in advance of the interview? I guess maybe I've just never heard of that before. I don't even know if DOS/Embassy is tied into the Homeland Security/USCIS/CBP databases to be able to get that info. Maybe so. Anyway, Nick did travel during the P3/P4 time with no problems that we were aware of.

How would they know if you have a ban if they don't check with CBP somehow?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

How would they know if you have a ban if they don't check with CBP somehow?

No clue. I've just never seen mention of specifically pulling up an in/out record and at what point in the process. Maybe that final security check they do after the interview would show a ban? I know they do that because at Nick's interview, the Embassy computers had gone down. Interviewer said I can only say you are tentatively approved because I can't do the final security check right now like I normally do. Go pay the courier and hopefully by this afternoon we'll have the computers back to finish up your visa approval.

Edited March 23, 2010 by Nich-Nick