Escort yes or no

[RobP 0]

First off I'd like to thank everyone one here for the information on this board. With the help of this board I was able to complete all the paperwork needed to get a k1 visa for my girlfriend and one for her son. My future wife and her son will be here in 6 weeks.My question is, do I need to escort her into the US or should be OK by herself. I only ask this because of the extreem rise in airline tickets from Atlanta to Costa Rica. Do k1 visa holders have many problems at port of entry? Thanks for all your help.

RobP

[pushbrk 13,097]

First off I'd like to thank everyone one here for the information on this board. With the help of this board I was able to complete all the paperwork needed to get a k1 visa for my girlfriend and one for her son. My future wife and her son will be here in 6 weeks.My question is, do I need to escort her into the US or should be OK by herself. I only ask this because of the extreem rise in airline tickets from Atlanta to Costa Rica. Do k1 visa holders have many problems at port of entry? Thanks for all your help.

RobP

No immigration regulation requires an escort for a K1 or K2 visa holder. It's entirely up to you.

[Tero 105]

You should be ok just waiting for them at the airport. No escort is needed.

[James And Oksana 19]

I agree with the others that coming back at the same time to be with her is not required. I will point out though in some cultures, woman look very favorably upon a man that is willing to see her through such a processes. Coming to another country for good is a very stressful thing, and having the man there sends a strong message that you will be there beside her to take care of her in the marriage.

[MochiKamo 93]

Is it required? No. Will I fly to Tokyo and come back together with my sweetie after spending a lot of quality time with her friends and family? Hells yeah !!!!!

[patient2010 93]

It is not required she and son will be ok and the POE will be smooth!

[Tero 105]

I agree with the others that coming back at the same time to be with her is not required. I will point out though in some cultures, woman look very favorably upon a man that is willing to see her through such a processes. Coming to another country for good is a very stressful thing, and having the man there sends a strong message that you will be there beside her to take care of her in the marriage.

That's true. If the finances are readily available, by all means! The finances can be used for something more productive down the road to benefit the relationship than mere emotional impression. Traveling with the spouse is not the only chance you get to make a good impression you know .

[TBoneTX 46,058]

and the POE will be smooth!

It MAY be smooth, but no one can guarantee this.

[RobP 0]

I'm not too worried about making a good impression, I've known her for over 5 years, I have flown to Costa Rica every 3 months and was there for a week or more for the last 6 years. We are like an old married couple aready. I'd like to save the $1k on a round trip ticket (they were $350 last year, thanks Delta), for her and her son's change of status or any emergency that may pop up. What I am worried about is any problems at POE. Please chime in if your loved one had problems at POE and was not allowed entrance.

[amykathleen2005 441]

Having a K-1 visa means that she will almost certainly be admitted (I have only heard of one instance where someone who had a K-1 was not admitted, and I don't know the whole story there). You will not be able to go through the same POE with her anyways as she will be most likely be separated for her part.

[MochiKamo 93]

That's true. If the finances are readily available, by all means! The finances can be used for something more productive down the road to benefit the relationship than mere emotional impression. Traveling with the spouse is not the only chance you get to make a good impression you know .

While I appreciate your point, this is not something just to "win some brownie points" or give a good impression. It's a memory that can last a lifetime.

For example, a weekend trip to Tokyo for Valentine's weekend may have sounded crazy but it was one of the best things I've ever done!

[TBoneTX 46,058]

Having a K-1 visa means that she will almost certainly be admitted

This is true. Two separate immigration attorneys whom I had consulted (when I myself was worried about this) said that K-1 beneficiaries are almost never given problems, because CBP figures that they've been vetted (or barbecued) very thoroughly and recently by the consulate.

With that said, CBP can ask any questions that the consulate asked and can refuse entry for any reason. At a stage later than yours now, we were faced with this when I took the wife on a day trip to Mexico and we re-entered at the same land-port with the Advance Parole form -- her first attempted use of it. The CBP agent knew what that form was but had obviously never processed one personally. He did ask many of the questions that the consulate did, but the overall process was rather comical, and it was all that I could do to keep from bursting out laughing a couple of times. Interestingly, and unknown to us, the wife's green card was on its way in the mail at that very time. Finally, it was very good and helpful that we had our marriage certificate with us.

As a note for future reference, subsequent trips to Mexico and Ecuador with use of the green card were a snap in comparison to our use of the Advance Parole form.

The short answer is that, although nothing in the immigration process is ever 100% assured, you're probably worrying about straw dogs right now, si man.

Edited to add: There's no need for you to expend the funds to escort her back from Costa Rica (save those bucks for AOS!). However, you can give her complete, exhaustive instructions on what to do when she lands at her POE U.S. airport. Go to http://www.cbp.gov and find the airport under "ports," call the CBP office there, talk with the agent who answers, and get precise information. The agent may even be able to estimate the length of the entry lines around the time when your lady deplanes -- helpful to know as much for you as for her, so that you don't go loco wondering what a seemingly undue delay is all about when it's merely heavy incoming passenger traffic, si man.

Edited March 6, 2011 by TBoneTX

[pushbrk 13,097]

Is it required? No. Will I fly to Tokyo and come back together with my sweetie after spending a lot of quality time with her friends and family? Hells yeah !!!!!

Each couple's circumstances and priorities are different. It was always my plan to spend a couple weeks in China and bring my wife and daughter home. As the time got closer, it simply wasn't practical to do so. We mutually decided to save the significant direct expense AND loss of income for more important things. Instead, I drove a rented minivan from Washington State to LAX to pick them up there and spend a couple days seeing the countryside on the way home. I didn't want them to have to deal with baggage transfers and terminal changes at an messed up airport like LAX without the needed language skills. To each, their own.

[Neonred 3,637]

Having a K-1 visa means that she will almost certainly be admitted (I have only heard of one instance where someone who had a K-1 was not admitted, and I don't know the whole story there). You will not be able to go through the same POE with her anyways as she will be most likely be separated for her part.

I came with my fiancee and stayed with her the entire time during her processing. I have not heard of couples being separated at POE.

[Que Saudade 284]

Having a K-1 visa means that she will almost certainly be admitted (I have only heard of one instance where someone who had a K-1 was not admitted, and I don't know the whole story there). You will not be able to go through the same POE with her anyways as she will be most likely be separated for her part.

Most likely seperated??? Most Likely?? or for sure??? is this known or just an opinion. I am planning on flying and coming back with my fiance as she has never made an international flight and wants me there with her. So, you are saying they will seperate us and then we have to find one another again at some other place in an international airport??

Can a senior member give some advice with evidence to back it? Thanks..!