Children with pending K2s need to travel to US - please help me prepare info for Border Patrol

[baron555 934]

This is what we ended up going with - we realized buying cheaper tickets wouldn't save us all that much money anyway, it was money that would completely go to waste, and I didn't want to put my kids in a weird position at CBP... so we just went ahead and decided to get the return tickets through the same company they're entering POE at. It ended up being the best option, money-wise, and now I have the travel authorization from the father matching those dates as well.

So, the return ticket issue is handled - thank you so much for your input and suggestions.

Besides a return ticket, is there anything else you suggest for CBP? To show ties to the country? I'm still trying to get something from the embassy - an interview date would be best but I'm doubtful I can get one in time for their departure.... Any other suggestions?

Thank you all again. It's much appreciated!

A letter from you with your GC number, etc. stating the plans for the kids.

[NikLR 13,232]

Really for children this won't be an issue. They have their travel authorization and return tickets. Unaccompanied minors are shuffled through the cbp really fast in crew lines. My daughter has made her plane ride with tickets issued only 30 minutes prior to departure (airline issues) including security and customs.

[Boiler 46,232]

Are they at school?

[SparklePony 238]

We will enroll them at school in the US for the 88 days they're staying with me and my husband. That was part of the deal with their dad.

[Boiler 46,232]

Then they will need F1 Student Visa's.

Do you have I 20's from the School?

[SparklePony 238]

Then they will need F1 Student Visa's.

Seriously? Why?

[Merrytooth 5,748]

You can't enter as VWP to attend public school here in US.

[canadian_wife 1,829]

Tourists cannot attend public schools on the tax payer dime. Have you looked into this yet?

good luck

[SparklePony 238]

I had no idea... though it does totally make sense. Ugh.I feel so stupid for not knowing any of this - just glad this community is such a wealth of information!

In that case, the worry about CBP is kind of moot, isn't it?

[Boiler 46,232]

I had no idea... though it does totally make sense. Ugh.I feel so stupid for not knowing any of this - just glad this community is such a wealth of information!

In that case, the worry about CBP is kind of moot, isn't it?

Public or Private requires a Student Visa and everything that goes with it.

How old are they?

[SparklePony 238]

They're 10 and 13. According to this official website, F1s are not even allowed for kids before high school. However, I can't quite figure out where our case fits in. It says, right at the top

Dependents of a nonimmigrant visa holder of any type, including F-1, are not prohibited from attendance at either a public primary school, an adult education program, or another public educational institution, as appropriate.

I guess that means that as my dependents they are allowed to attend? Like I said in my OP, I am a greencard holder, so that means they can attend school?

But then, at the bottom, it says:

Foreign students may come to the United States to live with U.S. citizen relatives while attending public school. The child is limited to twelve months of study in secondary school (high school). The child may not study in elementary school.

So what happens with younger kids? So confused, right now...

[Boiler 46,232]

You are not here on a non immigrant visa.

If you were here as a Student they your accompanying children could go to public school or say on a work visa.

You would need to find a School locally which will take International Student and can issue an I 20. You need to speak to the International Admissions Officer.

[SparklePony 238]

But if the website says:

F-1 students are prohibited from attending public elementary schools or publicly-funded adult education programs.

And

Student F-1 visas cannot be issued to persons seeking to enter the United States in order to attend a public primary/elementary school or a publicly funded adult education program.

Doesn't this mean that with their ages they're not eligible for an F1?

[SparklePony 238]

Ok... so, all of this is regarding public schools. They could still be issued F1s for private schools. That may be what I wasn't getting at.

How would homeschooling work then, seeing as the F1 requires an I-20?

[Boiler 46,232]

Well you started with the VWP which is for visiting, now to what extend a long holiday includes an element of schooling is moot but I would not complicate it by calling it Home Schooling which has a very different context.