Manipulate Layover Time for K-1 Entry

[acuratlsd 11]

That would be a very good idea OP, you know what a challenge it is to reach your destination. Now throw in the fact that you're totally new to hauling yourself several thousand nautical miles to an unfamiliar place...that can be quite intimidating.

Besides, I think your fiancee would be thrilled to share the last leg of her trip with you.

You might even earn a few extra points in the 'he's so thoughtful and caring category.'

Take a jacket with you when you meet her at JFK, March is still cool for us but cold for a Pinay.

Oh thanks for the processing times link. It helped out great. I will just do a one way to JFK and then when I make her plane ticket, I will make mines.

It will only cost an extra 100 dollars for me to go see her and bring her back with me, but after paying all these immigration fees. 100 dollars just seems like pocket change.

Also, meeting her at the POE will be better since America works a little different than the Philippines. It will throw her off seeing organization. LOL

If I am not mistaking usually when you switch from International to Domestic then you have to carry your own bags. Air lines haven't been the best of support when it comes to making traveling easy.

.so when i am there I can grab her bags and hold it for her while she is being interrogated.

[pushbrk 12,898]

Oh thanks for the processing times link. It helped out great. I will just do a one way to JFK and then when I make her plane ticket, I will make mines.

It will only cost an extra 100 dollars for me to go see her and bring her back with me, but after paying all these immigration fees. 100 dollars just seems like pocket change.

Also, meeting her at the POE will be better since America works a little different than the Philippines. It will throw her off seeing organization. LOL

If I am not mistaking usually when you switch from International to Domestic then you have to carry your own bags. Air lines haven't been the best of support when it comes to making traveling easy.

.so when i am there I can grab her bags and hold it for her while she is being interrogated.

No, you can't hold her bags while she's being interrogated. She will clear passport control and immigration before she picks up her bags, then pick up her bags and clear Customs before she sees you. You can help her make the transfer of luggage and the connecting flight.

[Leatherneck 693]

Factor in late departure from Manila or connecting city. Are you sure she won't land first in Honolulu or Guam?

My personal recommendation is that if her POE is JFK and her destination is RDU, that you meet her at JFK and drive or take the connecting flight together. If that's not practical, have her arrive as early in the day as practical, with at least a 4 hour layover to something other than the last flight to RDU that night.

No buying a round trip from RDU to Manila and back with the idea she'll just take the return leg. Do your research well and unless she's an experienced traveler with excellent English skills, don't leave her to make that connection on her own.

Well said!

[Leatherneck 693]

Oh thanks for the processing times link. It helped out great. I will just do a one way to JFK and then when I make her plane ticket, I will make mines.

It will only cost an extra 100 dollars for me to go see her and bring her back with me, but after paying all these immigration fees. 100 dollars just seems like pocket change.

Also, meeting her at the POE will be better since America works a little different than the Philippines. It will throw her off seeing organization. LOL

If I am not mistaking usually when you switch from International to Domestic then you have to carry your own bags. Air lines haven't been the best of support when it comes to making traveling easy.

.so when i am there I can grab her bags and hold it for her while she is being interrogated.

Pushbrk is correct, I'll add, you won't even be able to get close to that area, that is a secure area.

But you can be a nice guy and carry her bags after she is turned loose by the gatekeepers.

Glad that link helps.

[acuratlsd 11]

No, you can't hold her bags while she's being interrogated. She will clear passport control and immigration before she picks up her bags, then pick up her bags and clear Customs before she sees you. You can help her make the transfer of luggage and the connecting flight.

Awww... really... I guess I'll be her bag boy for connecting flights.

Just out of curiosity. When I was flying and I had to show ID I showed them my Veterans ID card and they didn't accept it saying it wasn't valid.

I told them "Didn't you know the VA is part of the government?" Then no light bulbs came on.

Now that I am at the POE, is there anything that I should bring with me to help along the process if they have any questions.

I would think my passport for one... does anyone else have any suggestions?

I just don't want to travel that far and forget something important.

[Leatherneck 693]

Awww... really... I guess I'll be her bag boy for connecting flights.

Just out of curiosity. When I was flying and I had to show ID I showed them my Veterans ID card and they didn't accept it saying it wasn't valid.

I told them "Didn't you know the VA is part of the government?" Then no light bulbs came on.

Now that I am at the POE, is there anything that I should bring with me to help along the process if they have any questions.

I would think my passport for one... does anyone else have any suggestions?

I just don't want to travel that far and forget something important.

Nothing you can do for your fiancee or help her while she is processing, she will be in a secure area and as Pushbrk stated, you will not see her until she clears the customs area. They will be the last hurdle she needs to clear.

Just take a jacket for her, she will be going from tropical oven heat to cool March NC weather.

[Peace.... 281]

I have to have my fiancee fly from the Philippines to North Carolina.

Going into Raleigh isn't the easy place to fly into directly so of course she will need a layover in New York which I think will be the POE.

To give her enough time for the waiting time, finger prints, and camera shot at immigration.

Is there a way to manipulate the layover time for your POE while ordering your tickets online?

It took us 4 hours total to get through customs. It all depends on how many need to come through customs that day, for us our flight was full and half of the people had to go through customs. JFK is a hard place to find yourself around and since your fiance has never been there LOL good luck having her try to find her next connecting flight. Some flights you actually have to leaving the building connect to a tram and go from there. I went to get my fiance and I brought him here as I knew just how difficult his connecting flights were gonna be.

[acuratlsd 11]

It took us 4 hours total to get through customs. It all depends on how many need to come through customs that day, for us our flight was full and half of the people had to go through customs. JFK is a hard place to find yourself around and since your fiance has never been there LOL good luck having her try to find her next connecting flight. Some flights you actually have to leaving the building connect to a tram and go from there. I went to get my fiance and I brought him here as I knew just how difficult his connecting flights were gonna be.

Someone mentioned to fly her into Washington, DC but it requires a connection in between. Manila to JFK is a straight shot.

I really want to get this as painless as possible. It is only 90 dollars from my house to JFK so its no trouble. I think it will be better to grab her from customs and we both can come home on one plane. She is not familiar with what they do here in the United States. So it is best if i travel with her.

[Operator 1,927]

I agree with Leatherneck and Pushbrk. JFK clearance can take some time even with a US passport let alone a K-1 visa. I'm sure she would be very happy to have you meet her outside of customs!

[Caryh 5,206]

When I was waiting for my then fiancée to get through immigration and customs, it took three and half hours at the Minneapolis/St Paul POE. Turns out she was second to the last in line. I was getting pretty nervous waiting that long. I was beginning to think she missed her connection in Japan. There's nothing you can do or know while she's locked behind security. No one to call, no one to ask, wala. I did call the airline to confirm she had made her connection in Japan, but that was the only thing I could find out. Give yourself plenty of time. Consider getting a room that night in New York for the two of you, and flying on the next day. It will definitely be less stress on both of you on her arrival day.

[Enigma11561 336]

I know JFK well. Connecting times can be brutal. You need more than 2 hours. Four would be a minimum to be safe. As others pointed out, she needs to clear immigration, get her papers, then baggage, then customs, and there is no way you can be there. You will first see her coming out of the secure area with a ton of baggage. I do not know what airline she is flying on but I would bet she will arrive in the main international terminal, but may have to go to another terminal to pick up the connecting flight to NC. That is not difficult, but for a person not familiar with JFK, it can be very daunting. You must be there for her. Period.

Now a suggestion. I suspect you both will want to be "back home" as soon as possible, but have you considered taking your time doing this? She will be arriving in NY, one of the greatest cities in the world ( I am a New Yorker ) so why not take a day or two to see this city? The ride back to NC passes our Capital, and can be a great time to talk in the car while driving through some beautiful countryside. When will she have the chance to do this again?

[JnB 6]

Someone mentioned to fly her into Washington, DC but it requires a connection in between. Manila to JFK is a straight shot.

I really want to get this as painless as possible. It is only 90 dollars from my house to JFK so its no trouble. I think it will be better to grab her from customs and we both can come home on one plane. She is not familiar with what they do here in the United States. So it is best if i travel with her.

I can sense your excitement. .

Just wanted to know what Airline is your fiancee flying from mnl to jfk?

Also I agree that its better if you pick her up at jfk. I used Jfk before as POE. Coming from international arrival area and then going to the domestic departure for the connecting flight at jfk is hard to navigate. I had hard time navigation jfk when I landed there after visiting Philippines. And also, New Yorkers or atleast the people at the airport jfk aren't as nice as the other airport I have been to. So it can be intimidating for her.

Also leave at least 5 hours gap for your connecting flight.

Congrats!

[pushbrk 12,898]

I know JFK well. Connecting times can be brutal. You need more than 2 hours. Four would be a minimum to be safe. As others pointed out, she needs to clear immigration, get her papers, then baggage, then customs, and there is no way you can be there. You will first see her coming out of the secure area with a ton of baggage. I do not know what airline she is flying on but I would bet she will arrive in the main international terminal, but may have to go to another terminal to pick up the connecting flight to NC. That is not difficult, but for a person not familiar with JFK, it can be very daunting. You must be there for her. Period.

Now a suggestion. I suspect you both will want to be "back home" as soon as possible, but have you considered taking your time doing this? She will be arriving in NY, one of the greatest cities in the world ( I am a New Yorker ) so why not take a day or two to see this city? The ride back to NC passes our Capital, and can be a great time to talk in the car while driving through some beautiful countryside. When will she have the chance to do this again?

I second this recommendation. If you can arrange the time, I would make a trip out of it for at least a couple days. For my wife and stepdaughter I drove a rented minivan from Washington State to LAX to pick them up. We spent that first night in So Cal and took a couple days to make the drive home, They saw some scenery and got acquainted. Raleigh is a lot shorter drive than that. Yes, I've made that drive too. :-) And many more.

[acuratlsd 11]

I know JFK well. Connecting times can be brutal. You need more than 2 hours. Four would be a minimum to be safe. As others pointed out, she needs to clear immigration, get her papers, then baggage, then customs, and there is no way you can be there. You will first see her coming out of the secure area with a ton of baggage. I do not know what airline she is flying on but I would bet she will arrive in the main international terminal, but may have to go to another terminal to pick up the connecting flight to NC. That is not difficult, but for a person not familiar with JFK, it can be very daunting. You must be there for her. Period.

Now a suggestion. I suspect you both will want to be "back home" as soon as possible, but have you considered taking your time doing this? She will be arriving in NY, one of the greatest cities in the world ( I am a New Yorker ) so why not take a day or two to see this city? The ride back to NC passes our Capital, and can be a great time to talk in the car while driving through some beautiful countryside. When will she have the chance to do this again?

Perhaps you haven't been to North Carolina on the east coast... Country side is all we have. LOL I can go to my backyard and find tobacco.

Yeah, I will have to see what is going on with her flight. Maybe I will have my dad come with me as a second driver. I am just going to ask to see how everything is going to go and once she gets the visa in her hand then some hard planning with the flights. I think going to New York would be the best, if I can get Atlantic, Georgia that would be just great. Ive never been to atlanta

[acuratlsd 11]

I can sense your excitement. .

Just wanted to know what Airline is your fiancee flying from mnl to jfk?

Also I agree that its better if you pick her up at jfk. I used Jfk before as POE. Coming from international arrival area and then going to the domestic departure for the connecting flight at jfk is hard to navigate. I had hard time navigation jfk when I landed there after visiting Philippines. And also, New Yorkers or atleast the people at the airport jfk aren't as nice as the other airport I have been to. So it can be intimidating for her.

Also leave at least 5 hours gap for your connecting flight.

Congrats!

Actually that is exactly how they are up there. They all have that "I'm pissed for the day" attitude to everyone that is not use to that part of the United States. I had to bite my tongue a few times when I was in New England because to me they were very rude, especially the driving.

I was at Dunkin Donuets in Danbury, CT and I asked if I could have my coffee substituted with a soda and he told me he couldn't do it. It was not allowed. Down here in the south, they are all on it.

Best thing about new england are the old country and just that its so beautiful up there. Where I live is so flat and ehhh not very attractive.