Visiting USA while K1 Being Processed

[Channah&Aaron 51]

I flew into LA on 23 Dec 2010 for two weeks at Xmas.

Normal procedure...he asked why I was there. I said visiting friends. He replied "visiting friends, interesting" at which point a got a little nervous, but almost right away he stamped it all and said "happy holidays".

Welcome to America. My advice...dont mention your fiance. Friends or family. And always travel with proof of ties to the UK. I had a letter from my boss saying I was coming back on XXX date and my mortgage agreement. I didnt need them at all.

YOU ARE SOOO WRONG!!!!! Please, don't take her advice saying your visiting friends instead of your fiance(e). As you posted your comment below mine, you could've read that my ENTRANCE was DENIED because I mentioned friends instead of visiting my fiance!!!!!

They will always find out, maybe not soon, but they will later. TRUST ME!!! They make phone calls to people, you don't even mention or thought they wouldn't call. It could be a far lost friend. And seriously, I KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!

Please, take my advice instead and you will be fine. Bring a copy of your I-129f package (for just in case) and most definately your NOA1, and NOA2 (if you already received it). Letter from your employer and salary specification.. DONT LIE!! Lying is wrong anyways.......

[Channah&Aaron 51]

AND BY THE WAY, You said you got nervous when the Officer asked you; visiting friends, interesting!! It could have been a different officer telling you you have to come for secondary security check and they will dig deep inside of you for answers, screaming at you and what else. You got nervous yourself, if you tell the trust, then there is nothing to be nervous about....

[Chamie 2]

Aaaaahhhh yes...now i remember why I dont post on message boards to often...same sh!t different forum.

Take whatever advice you like...All I can tell you is that I got into the US for over two weeks to spend Xmas with my fiance and her family and it took all of two minutes to get in.

I think the bottom line is, there is no rule to say you cant travel, but it is a grey area for sure. Just make sure you prove your not staying to sponge off the system. :-)

Good luck either way.

[Channah&Aaron 51]

Aaaaahhhh yes...now i remember why I dont post on message boards to often...same sh!t different forum.

Take whatever advice you like...All I can tell you is that I got into the US for over two weeks to spend Xmas with my fiance and her family and it took all of two minutes to get in.

I think the bottom line is, there is no rule to say you cant travel, but it is a grey area for sure. Just make sure you prove your not staying to sponge off the system. :-)

Good luck either way.

; I'm sorry if I offended you with my message. But I hope people don't see my experience as "sh!t". I think you were LUCKY!! Eventhough the Officer was suspicious for a second, he decided to give you the stamp. Lucky you!! And I hope next time, when you lie, you'll still be lucky. Because going through a situation when your entrance get denied, that's some serious "sh!t"!!

Edited January 28, 2011 by Channah&Aaron

[Ilona&Rimas 1]

Hi,

Here is my experience:

I visited my fiancé after we filed I-129F and stayed for 3 months. It was the 4th time I was coming to US to see him and my previous visits were quite long stays – 2 or 3 months each time. Sure I was very nervous before that trip, but it went very smoothly this time, at the border they asked just few questions, like how long I am going to stay, what do I do for living, when I was in US last time and for how long, and to the question what is a purpose of my trip I said I was visiting my fiancé (didn’t have to mention that we were in a K-1 process or show any documents), the officer wished me a nice stay and that was it.

Much harder it was on previous entry, I didn’t feel like I could say that I’m visiting my fiancé as we were not in a visa process yet even if we were engaged already, I was too afraid they would get suspicious, and it didn’t help that I was bringing my cat with me. And yes, the border guy was giving me a hard time, lots of questions about who is the guy, how we met, where I will be living, how much money I am bringing with me, why I am going to stay so long and so on. I was answering as honest as I could. I think it helped me that I said I am a designer and that I am bringing my work with me and to the question why I am going to stay that long I said that just because I have that opportunity. The officer didn’t seem too happy yet he put a stamp in my passport, said that I have to leave before the date in the stamp and I was through.

My cat is there since, with my fiancé. Lucky one… Hopefully that’s not much for us to wait to be united again.

Good luck to you all!

Ilona

[iampatricias 17]

I've always said I'm visiting my fiance, and follow up with, "we've applied for a K1 visa".

As far as I know, there is no rule saying you can't visit your fiance abroad. On occasion, tourist visas are denied because border agents are suspicious of the applicant's intention to immigrate/overstay. If suspicion like that could invite further questioning, the last thing you want is to be caught in a lie. If you've somehow inspired further questioning because you told the truth, at least you don't have to rethink your plan, just stick to the truth.

On one occasion, I already had the green tourist visa in my passport (I'm a Dutch citizen/Canadian permanent resident) from a previous visit and it was valid for another month and a half and I was threatened with, "we can send you right back home" but I was an idiot and hadn't brought any evidence that I had a return ticket, or responsibilities at school and work that I was expected to return to.

Now that I always bring all our paperwork, and continue to say, "I'm visiting my fiance. Yes, he's American, we've applied for a K1 visa", they've never asked for any of the paperwork. What a pain, but it's got to be done their way.

[GDHB 3]

Our experience:

We filed in July 2010 and my SO visited for 4 weeks in August and one week in October.

Nothing beyond the usual questions on those occasions.

Still waiting for NOA2 as of today; we decided to wait together, flight booked for a two month trip duration, arrived last week.

The duration of this visit did raise some questions, such as what work do you do and how is it that you can take this much time off?

In response to the question "what do you HAVE to go back to?" my SO had a mortgage statement and said that there were two kids with the ex-spouse. (Per advice on this forum we got a letter from the ex-spouse saying they would be looking after the kids until after the trip including the exact date. Didn't need this, but had it in case, together with a whole load of other "just in case" stuff)

He asked "What do you do for work?', also what I did for work. The answers reduced his suspicions; we're both middle aged, middle class professionals. My SO is from a western industrialized nation. We're clearly not in any risk category for immigration fraud.

The officer pointed out that there was no proof my SO wasn't already living in the USA without a visa. My SO showed bank statements showing 'over the counter' activity in the UK which he accepted.

Here is the important advice he gave: GET ENTRY STAMPS IN YOUR PASSPORT WHEN LEAVING THE USA. This will prove that you are not living in the USA, even if you make frequent visits.