Traveling across domestic border near Mexico (Phoenix - Cali) while on K1

[KozmicBlues 592]

Hi everyone!
My fiance's K1 visa has been approved and he will be traveling here in a few weeks!! I tried searching the forums, but wasn't able to find much since most searches were bogged down by crossing through immigration when entering the states on the K1. 

 

I live in Phoenix and my mom/some other family live in San Diego. I travel to San Diego several times per year (lucky me!) so I have a lot experience with the border patrol situation. 50% of the time I am waved by without any question; however, the other 50% of the time I am asked a question...usually just where I am headed/coming from. But occasionally they do ask the question "Are you/everyone in the car a US citizen?" I will of course have to answer no if they ask something like that which will then prompt the question about my fiance's status. 

 

I want to travel to my mom's before we get married so my fiance can meet her and see San Diego, but I'm nervous about them asking questions at the border. My fiance will be here legally from the K1, but won't have a green card and we wouldn't be married yet so no AOS filing. I'm 99% certain that I'm overthinking this way too much, but figured I would ask to see if anyone has experienced going across states near Mexico (AZ, CA, TX) while on the K1 visa? I assume they are familiar with a K1 visa, but what if they aren't? 

 

Obviously I know he will be fine in the end even if he is questioned sine he's in the country legally, but I am afraid of it causing an ordeal and having to put my fiance through even more scrutiny. I just feel so bad for all of the questioning he's already had to endure so far with this process (though I understand why) and would hate for him to have a bad experience at the AZ/CA border.

[Ben&Zian 4,398]

It isn't just they are on a K-1, as soon as your fiance enters the US the K-1 is voided. They are then legally in the US on the I-94. Carry passport and copy of valid I-94 form (can be obtained online after entry to the US) and you'll be fine.

[KozmicBlues 592]

10 minutes ago, Ben&Zian said:

It isn't just they are on a K-1, as soon as your fiance enters the US the K-1 is voided. They are then legally in the US on the I-94. Carry passport and copy of valid I-94 form (can be obtained online after entry to the US) and you'll be fine.

Ah, that makes sense! That's what was making me nervous...that the K1 is voided after he enters since it's a single-entry visa. I didn't even think about the I-94 so thank you!! I will print that out ahead of time so he has that in addition to his passport.

 

Thanks so much for easing my silly nerves!  

[Ontarkie 14,444]

~~Moved to Working and Traveling, from K1 P&P~~

[D.Ba 85]

He will have a stamp in the passport with the validity date - should be 90 days from entry, but they wrote the wrong date for me, so, worth checking at the airport what they write in.

 

Once you are married, he should travel with a copy of the marriage certificate, especially after the 90 days are over. When you have the NOA for the AOS, then that.

 

We got stopped by border patrol near Tucson between marriage and AOS, and they took a long time processing the expired visa plus marriage certificate, guess they had never seen that. And supposedly, I was "not in the system". Well...

I certainly was not going to cross into Mexico before Greencard, but at the checkpoints you should be fine. They asked my husband, pointing to me "is that your wife?", that felt weird. Hey, I can hear you. And they never asked proof of HIS citizenship, other than he had told them "American citizen". They were pretty nice, though.

[TBoneTX 46,068]

Present the I-94, and add, "we fully intend to comply with the requirements of the K-1 visa by marrying within 90 days of his entry into the U.S., then proceeding with Adjustment of Status."

[TBoneTX 46,068]

And see the first post here.  This system of carrying documentation worked very well up through Mrs. T-B.'s naturalization.

 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/562879-cbp-at-tsa-airport-checkpoints-why-theyre-there-how-best-to-handle/