Anyone been through Miami POE?

[afdp 0]

Let me add my POE experience in Miami back in December,

I had flown into Mia intl' as a tourist countless times before, so I knew my way around pretty well, but as a new LPR I knew it would be different so I was concerned about time. I had budgeted 2:30 hours between landing, immigrating, and catching a plane for Pittsburgh, so as soon as I got off the plane, I started running. (Ignore the walkways, you can definitely go faster just running on the side).

When I got there I kept going straight past the visitor lines, into the lines for residents and USC's (I had read here before that technically this wouldnt be the correct line, so I asked, and an officer confirmed I was in the right place). At the booth I presented my brown envelope, and a very nice officer welcomed me and said "these are processed in the office", so she pressed a button, a red light turned itself on and a second officer came over took my envelope from her, and showed me the way to the secondary inspection office. He took my envelope and put it sideways on a rack. There were like 5 or 6 more before mine. I kept checking it, kept checking the clock on the wall and the sign on the wall that read "we are the face of our nation". Quick note: No cellphones in this area, not allowed, (and no cellphones in baggage claim either just so you know, no reception).

Now here's where all the running paid off: 5 minutes after I sat to wait, a plane must have arrived from Cuba, for at least 30 people came chatting excitedly, with their envelopes, into the office. (I read somewhere there's a direct flight from Habana to Miami, that has something like a 3 month waiting list)...

Their envelopes were placed in the rack behind mine. Phew.

I kept checking the envelope rack. They dissapeared one after the other, until they finally took mine. An older officer, white hair. He ripped it open -*careful!* I thought-, he removed all the paperwork from it and started typing away. He typed for the longest 10 minutes ever. Then he called my name.

-Colombian, huh?

-erm, yes..

-where are you going to?

-Pittsburgh

He lifted his eyebrow. The left one.

-Says here you should be going to Vegas

-Yes, i'm going to Pittsburgh for the holidays. My wife's sister is having a baby. She lives there. Our residence will be in Vegas.

He looked at me again. Not entirely convinced, so he pulled out the big guns...

-When's your wife's birthday?

-(ha!, I thought)..August 18th.

-Have you ever been in trouble with the law?

(hunh?)...I gave him a big smile.

-No.

He grunted. Stamped my passport and said,

-This way

He moved out from behind the counter and led me towards a desk on the corner, where he took my fingerprints (with proper ink, not the fascinating little red device). He gave me a tissue to clean my fingers, gave me back my passport, and finally smiled.

-That's it. Welcome to the United States.

I looked at the clock again before leaving the office. 40 minutes had passed since my arrival.

I walked out of the office, and followed the sign towards baggage claim. My bags were sitting on the floor, someone had already taken them off of the carousel. I grabbed a little smartcart, and followed the directions to customs. There were some officers sitting at some booth desk things. I handed my form and was waved through. I noticed that the people that hadn't been waved through had to go to a sideline where they screened their bags on a conveyor belt. Quite fast, actually.

Shortly after that, I asked a worker how to get to connecting flights and they instructed me to follow the yellow dots on the floor. So i did (Why isn't that clever? I remember thinking).

some meters later I ran into one of the stations where they receive your baggage for screening. I gave them my bags and kept walking. Since I was already in the secure area, all I had to do now was find my gate, and sit down. I had over an hour before they started boarding. But I wonder how differently things might have gone, had i arrived to the office after the Cuban flight.

Sorry. Got carried away.

[captainButch 0]

Let me add my POE experience in Miami back in December,

I looked at the clock again before leaving the office. 40 minutes had passed since my arrival.

I walked out of the office, and followed the sign towards baggage claim. My bags were sitting on the floor, someone had already taken them off of the carousel. I grabbed a little smartcart, and followed the directions to customs. There were some officers sitting at some booth desk things. I handed my form and was waved through. I noticed that the people that hadn't been waved through had to go to a sideline where they screened their bags on a conveyor belt. Quite fast, actually.

Shortly after that, I asked a worker how to get to connecting flights and they instructed me to follow the yellow dots on the floor. So i did (Why isn't that clever? I remember thinking).

some meters later I ran into one of the stations where they receive your baggage for screening. I gave them my bags and kept walking. Since I was already in the secure area, all I had to do now was find my gate, and sit down. I had over an hour before they started boarding. But I wonder how differently things might have gone, had i arrived to the office after the Cuban flight.

Sorry. Got carried away.

afdp, thanks for the gerat story, but i wonder like you, how long would it have been if you got stuck behind the plane load of Cubans? I just hope we have the same luck you did, 40 minutes? ew can do that.

Also, YMMV, thanks for the "heads up".........Oh My God, if I miss my connecting flight out of Miami, (there is a good possibility that will happen) I'm at the mercy of American Airlines?. That is not a very comforting thought. My connecting flight is to Chicago where I'll be taking another flight to Indianapolis. So now, instead of thinking how many hours this will take, I am starting to think how many days will this take?

So, I guess it all depends on luck, if we are lucky enough to get through Customs in time to catch our flight, no problem. We will be running as fast as we can to make it. I just hope we do.

thanks for all of your help.

captainButch