Flight Arrangements Before Interview

[Fetta 1]

The Consulate and The NVC advise to not make travel arrangements until the visa has been issued. Are there people that have purchased their plane ticket before the interview process? Purchasing a ticket earlier, would that create any conflicts with the interview decision?

Thanks!

[VanessaTony 3,567]

The Consulate and The NVC advise to not make travel arrangements until the visa has been issued. Are there people that have purchased their plane ticket before the interview process? Purchasing a ticket earlier, would that create any conflicts with the interview decision?

No it doesn't affect the decision of approved or not, but there are many reasons for why they say not to: What if...

- you're denied?

- you're approved but you don't get the visa until AFTER the flight?

- they need to re-schedule your interview?

- they need more info from you that takes weeks or months to get?

I personally bought my ticket WAY ahead of time and by the time I got my visa i think I had only 2 weeks till my flight, I got lucky BUT my (now) husband and I had already planned for "what if i don't get my interview in time" etc etc

[arashh 5]

The Consulate and The NVC advise to not make travel arrangements until the visa has been issued. Are there people that have purchased their plane ticket before the interview process? Purchasing a ticket earlier, would that create any conflicts with the interview decision?

Thanks!

why u want to make ur flight arrangment as u dont know u will be granted visa same day or not.. do not make any.. it's better not to lose money on that flight ticket without getting visa!!! most of people did that mistake made flight arrangement and did not get visa then frustrated then money goneeeeeeeeeeeee

[brian-and-aurore 1]

Hi !

I don't see why you wouldn't book your trip ahead of time. You know, now most of the air companies have a policy allowing you to change your departure (or return) date up to 48 hours prior to departure, and for the ones I've checked so far it's just a matter of a $150 fee. I have done this before, not through my visa process though, but I plan on doing so.

The worst that can happen ? You're charged $150.

I personally think it's worth all the money you would save by booking your plane ticket in advance -- much more than $150.

You also have the option of purchasing a flexible plane ticket but according to me it's over expensive !

Good luck,

Aurore.

[SimranS 9]

Hi !

I don't see why you wouldn't book your trip ahead of time. You know, now most of the air companies have a policy allowing you to change your departure (or return) date up to 48 hours prior to departure, and for the ones I've checked so far it's just a matter of a $150 fee. I have done this before, not through my visa process though, but I plan on doing so.

The worst that can happen ? You're charged $150.

I personally think it's worth all the money you would save by booking your plane ticket in advance -- much more than $150.

You also have the option of purchasing a flexible plane ticket but according to me it's over expensive !

Good luck,

Aurore.

That would be fine to simply change the travel dates if your visa was delayed for a short period, but what if it's rejected outright and the petition sent back to the USA? Or if something unexpected comes up that delays issuance by several months? Most tickets have a "not valid after" date, before which you can change your dates as many times as you want but after which the ticket expires and you lose all your money, if the ticket is non-refundable. Remember if the fare is higher for the date you want to change to, you also have to pay the difference in fare.

Some visa cases are clearly riskier than others, so you have to weigh the odds and be very familiar with the airline's change/cancellation policies if you do book ahead.

[canadian_wife 1,829]

Don't book any flights until the visa is in your hand. Too much can go wrong. There was a case of a Canadian who booked her flight but had to go back to Montreal to redo her fingerprints, costing her heaps more to change the ticket. Another, an Australian had to send in more proof of her marriage and missed her flights.

Don't risk it, wait until the visa is in your hand

Good luck

[Nica_In_Love 98]

Well I believe it's a matter of money mostly. If you don't mind having to lose the money you spend on the plane ticket, then go for it and book it. If you're approved and get the visa on time, then you're all set and probably saved some money for booking early. If not, then you lose whatever you spent on it. In our case, I told my husband we should book it until after the interview because we never know what might happen. He said he didn't care losing the money and booked it. So it's your personal decision, good luck!!

[AdamW 2]

The Consulate and The NVC advise to not make travel arrangements until the visa has been issued. Are there people that have purchased their plane ticket before the interview process? Purchasing a ticket earlier, would that create any conflicts with the interview decision?

Thanks!

Look at all options, buy a refundable ticket, weigh your options in the money cost to change or cancel tickets. Most tickets are good for one year after the purchase date. Also I recommend buying tickets directly from airline as it is easier to change and deal with rather than going through Orbitz, etc.... Embassy will not know that you bought tickets if you are worried about that. Just be sure to look at what type of ticket you buy. Don't let people freak you out.

[elkfarmer 4]

would advise as other onw has, buy refundable ticket. I bought tickets for my wife and children. Were first turned down for a medical reason. Lost tickets. Next interview. Wife passed interview. Presumed children would go to thier interview and pass. They were turned down first interview. Lost tickets. When children passed second interview, I bought new tickets. Never presume your loved ones will pass interview.

[john_and_marlene 162]

We booked our flight in advance...and ended up having to change the tickets. There was a rebooking fee plus we had to pay a difference in ticket price.

[IndigoSkies 168]

In this day and age of internet buying a plane ticket takes no more than 30 seconds. So you shouldn't buy your ticket until after you have your VISA on your hand. Use the 30 seconds after you get your VISA to buy your ticket. Then celebrate. Problem solved. I highly recommand not buying your ticket until after the VISA is on your hand. It's seems like the sensible and logical thing to do.

[goonergirl 2]

I personally think that you should do whatever gives YOU the most peace of mind. For some people that peace of mind comes from having something booked and thinking you got a good price and for others peace of mind will come from knowing that you have the visa before you pay money for a flight. Just decide which is most important for you.

What I would do is go on the website of whatever airline you might travel with and then look for flights that would leave immediately (within the next few days) and then look for flights that leave in 2-3 months and compare the prices. When I did this I found that you could actually get flights that were the exact same price!

[Joan >3 Bob 20]

If you are MR. Money Bags, as many of the responders here give that impression, book ahead of time then you have no problem paying the additional cost of changing the flight.

The instructions tell you to NOT book the flight until Visa is in hand. If you plan on being with this woman for the rest of your life...what is the problem with waiting 2 more weeks?

The biggest wait for NOA2 of the petition is over...2 more weeks and you will have Honey Pie every night.

[schopap 0]

We booked my wife's ticket 3 weeks after the interview, but the embassy takes 2 full weeks to send out the passports. We were approved but we had to change the ticket ($75).

[inloveVEN 46]

The Consulate and The NVC advise to not make travel arrangements until the visa has been issued. Are there people that have purchased their plane ticket before the interview process? Purchasing a ticket earlier, would that create any conflicts with the interview decision?

Thanks!

Hi

it really doesn't affect nothing but your pocket.

1 - if the visa is delayed, probably you will need to pay any fee to change your flight date ( American Airlane, Delta charge you with 250$) additionally you might need to pay any increase of the price of the ticket

2 - in case of any visa denial ( for sure it won't happen, but just in case) you will lose your money because airline tickets are not refundable.

but for sure it´ll depend on the kind of ticket you'd buy. there are tickets that you can re-schedule but commonly they are more expensive. So you better wait for your interview and then buy your ticket. Don´t include additional to-be-worried things to the process

good luck!!!