Yes, you can visit!

[Ameriaussie 49]

My fiance was approved the B2 after we had gotten the NOA2. He's now in the U.S. with me and was approved for a 6 month entry.

[S & V 59]

8 hours ago, Ameriaussie said:

My fiance was approved the B2 after we had gotten the NOA2. He's now in the U.S. with me and was approved for a 6 month entry.

Wow, 6 months!  Congratulations.  We are hoping they stamp for at least 90 days, but 6 months would be amazing.  I suppose we won't know until she enters what they will stamp.  I've heard there is no real way to know what they will do so we will just wait and see.

Edited November 15, 2019 by S & V

[Ameriaussie 49]

30 minutes ago, S & V said:

Wow, 6 months!  Congratulations.  We are hoping they stamp for at least 90 days, but 6 months would be amazing.  I suppose we won't know until she enters what they will stamp.  I've heard there is no real way to know what they will do so we will just wait and see.

I would recommend you picking her up and enter via Chicago. We did this as a strategic move. Depends on personality, but we ensured we had our story lined up as well. 6 months endorsement as a huge surprise. But the officer and we joked and laughed all the way through the interview. Me being there definitely helped.

[carlovely 51]

Hi all! Just thought I'd give some people the same peace that I was given by some other people on this thread. Some background info: I had a B2 visa(been active for 20+ years ish) and an F1 visa(expired some years ago) way before we got engaged and started the K1 process. I assume all of this had something to do with my easy experiences at Customs because if I really wanted to do something bad I would've done it years ago. I've also visited 3 times since we became long distance for less than 3 weeks each and with more than 3 months in between so that might've also been a factor in our favor. However, I do come from a high fraud country and this could always set off alarms. This is how all 3 of my visits have gone: 

 

CBP Officer: Reason for visit?
Me: Vacation/Leisure

CBP Officer: How long?
Me: 3 weeks.

CBP Officer: Have you graduated yet? 

Me: Yes.
CBP Officer: What do you do in the DR?
Me: I'm a graphic designer.

CBP Officer: *Takes my fingerprints, takes my pic, hands me back my passport* Have a good trip

Me: Thanks, have a good day. 

 

I always bring extra paperwork just in case but it always ends up not being used and my anxiety always seems to be for nothing... Always get approved for 6 months. Good luck guys, be smart. 

 

[S & V 59]

Just to update.  Getting through Customs was a breeze and she was endorsed for 6 months.  We will enjoy the holidays together and then we'll wait patiently for NOA2 to come.

[ECCK 211]

Hi all, just adding my experience for others to read if they are considering to visit while waiting for their K1 visa. 

 

I arrived into Seattle from Australia with the plan to visit for 2 months so that we get to spend our birthdays together (both in Dec) and Christmas with his family.

 

When I got to the desk at immigration the officer I spoke to began questioning why I didn't book a direct flight from Melbourne and went through a transit in Asia. I explained that it was because I found cheap tickets but the officer didn't seem to believe me and kept questioning where I visited before landing in the US. I actually haven't flown direct to the US the last two times I visited so I'm not too sure why it was such a sore point this time. 

 

Then he asked about what I was doing in the US (visiting fiance and travels) and how I met him. When I mentioned that I met my fiance online he shook his head, so I knew this wasn't going well. He asked if we were planning to get married and i told him we had a K1 visa in process. When he gave me a slip saying I was going to secondary I wasn't surprised at all. 

 

Another officer came to escort me to the waiting area. This officer was kind enough and said they'll just ask me some standard questions.

 

Waiting in the room with the other people getting questioned was the most nerve wrecking experience. I just kept telling myself that other people on Visa Journey had gone through this and as long as I am prepared I'll be fine. At one point I did see someone get hand cuffed and my stress levels soared ...

 

About 40 minutes of waiting and then my name got called and this second officer was extremely nice. He said he found my K1 file and saw that we were trying to do the right thing. He did say I shouldn't have come back so soon (I had visited in late June and left early August) and warned me several times about not adjusting my status on this trip. I confirmed that I understood and would be waiting for the K1 approval. I had brought my K1 package and additional documents I had collated for the eventual interview as proof that I intend to complete the K1 process. 

I was asked what I did for my job and I told him, and mentioned I have one year of leave which allows me to travel. I had a letter from my employer but he didn't check it. 

 

The officer then asked for details about my fiance (job and address) and asked for me to spell his name. I thought the name thing was odd because he said he could see our K1 file on his computer screen, so I assume he was checking my knowledge. I was also questioned again about how I met my fiance and the officer said "you didn't meet him online did you?" I'm told him the truth that i did meet him online. I was expecting more questioning on this but he left it at that. 

 

He did a routine check of my bags and then told me he will approve my visit.

He eventually gave me my passport back and let me through. When I left he said again "don't adjust your status!". I told him "i promise I won't!!" I was so relieved it was over!!

 

Overall the questioning wasn't as scary as I thought. Once the officer saw my package and saw how thorough it was, he was confident we had a legitimate relationship. It also helped that my fiance is in the Navy and he said my fiance most likely wouldn't want to do the wrong thing. I would recommend anyone that's worried - just be prepared. Even if they don't check your documents, just having them on hand and available helps your case. 

[HBundle 44]

Hello all,

 

I'm new to this forum but greatly appreciate everyone's testimonials.

 

I've read through quite a bit of this thread, and have only noticed a handful of people with fiancees in Latin America, specifically Colombia.

 

My fiancee lives in Colombia.  We have applied for K1 and have received NOA1. I would love for her to come here to visit and meet more of my family. 

 

She is currently unemployed in Colombia, but has a car and is renting an apartment.  No kids. 

 

Would we have to apply in advance for a tourist visa and have a separate interview?  My understanding is that you cannot apply for a second visa while one is pending.  The posts I have read here seem to be a situation where they just received a visa at the POE.  Is this even an option for Colombian citizens waiting for K1? 

 

Thanks in advance

[Boiler 45,411]

3 minutes ago, HBundle said:

Hello all,

 

I'm new to this forum but greatly appreciate everyone's testimonials.

 

I've read through quite a bit of this thread, and have only noticed a handful of people with fiancees in Latin America, specifically Colombia.

 

My fiancee lives in Colombia.  We have applied for K1 and have received NOA1. I would love for her to come here to visit and meet more of my family. 

 

She is currently unemployed in Colombia, but has a car and is renting an apartment.  No kids. 

 

Would we have to apply in advance for a tourist visa and have a separate interview?  My understanding is that you cannot apply for a second visa while one is pending.  The posts I have read here seem to be a situation where they just received a visa at the POE.  Is this even an option for Colombian citizens waiting for K1? 

 

Thanks in advance

There is no receiving a visa at the PoE, Visa's are issued by Consulates.

 

If she wants to visit she needs to apply for a B Visa, might be best to wait until she is working before she does so.

[HBundle 44]

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

There is no receiving a visa at the PoE, Visa's are issued by Consulates.

 

If she wants to visit she needs to apply for a B Visa, might be best to wait until she is working before she does so.

Thanks-- so in other words it is not an option for her to visit since she is not from a Visa Waiver country and we are already waiting on the K1 Visa?

 

Thanks again

[Boiler 45,411]

1 minute ago, HBundle said:

Thanks-- so in other words it is not an option for her to visit since she is not from a Visa Waiver country and we are already waiting on the K1 Visa?

 

Thanks again

She does not have a visa to visit so to Visit she would need to apply for one and be issued one.

[SalishSea 17,772]

1 hour ago, HBundle said:

The posts I have read here seem to be a situation where they just received a visa at the POE. 

Not for Columbians.  Columbia is not a VWP country.

[Maria002 54]

4 hours ago, HBundle said:

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum but greatly appreciate everyone's testimonials.

I've read through quite a bit of this thread, and have only noticed a handful of people with fiancees in Latin America, specifically Colombia.

My fiancee lives in Colombia.  We have applied for K1 and have received NOA1. I would love for her to come here to visit and meet more of my family. 

She is currently unemployed in Colombia, but has a car and is renting an apartment.  No kids. 

 

It is recommended that she is employed before applying for a tourist visa. I am not sure wether it is restricted to aply for two visas at the same time, but  being the case I think it is better to wait untill she gets  her K1 visa.

[Maria002 54]

Regarding my experience  traveling while waiting for my NOA2: 

 

• I was allowed to travel with no issues(I previously had a tourist visa issued several months ago).
• The officer at the customs asked me who I was visiting, for how long i would stay and where. I replied that I would visit my fiance, would stay 1 week and gave him his address.   The office said it was ok and allowed me to continue.

😊🌞

[Valmabe 254]

5 hours ago, HBundle said:

Hello all,

 

I'm new to this forum but greatly appreciate everyone's testimonials.

 

I've read through quite a bit of this thread, and have only noticed a handful of people with fiancees in Latin America, specifically Colombia.

 

My fiancee lives in Colombia.  We have applied for K1 and have received NOA1. I would love for her to come here to visit and meet more of my family. 

 

She is currently unemployed in Colombia, but has a car and is renting an apartment.  No kids. 

 

Would we have to apply in advance for a tourist visa and have a separate interview?  My understanding is that you cannot apply for a second visa while one is pending.  The posts I have read here seem to be a situation where they just received a visa at the POE.  Is this even an option for Colombian citizens waiting for K1? 

 

Thanks in advance

Hi, she can apply, the thing is wether she gets the visa or not. When filling the tourist visa form she'll be asked if "has anyone file a petition for her to come to the USA", no need to say, she must say yes. When applying for a tourist visa people must convince the CO that there's not intention to stay, in other words, you do not have intention to immigrate. Having said that, once the pending petition shows in the system, the intention is there for them, therefore her tourist visa will be denied, let alone that she is unemployed. 

 

Colombians need a visa to visit the USA, we can not board a plane without a visa. 

 

I've read here in other boards,  that getting a tourist visa with a pending petition is difficult, not impossible, but difficult, not only for colombians, some people have been lucky. So obviuosly, is up to you guys to make the decision. Hope this helps you to get an idea. Any doubts let me know, I'll be gala to help.

Edited December 19, 2019 by Valmabe

[yoshi1993 10]

I am going to share my experience. 
I just arrived at the US this morning less than two hours ago. I am from Japan and my POE was Portland.
My fiancé and I submitted our K1 application in November and we are waiting for our NOA2.

I was very nervous about visiting the US while we wait for our K1 visa to be approved. I was particularly nervous because I was going to visit my fiancé for 85 days and I had already quit my job. (No job, no car, no lease agreement since I lived with my mom)

I went through APC and I had an X on my paper so the lady told me to go to the different line from everybody else. Nobody was in line so I had zero wait time. The questions CBP officers asked me were
1. Where are you from?(Japan)  2. Where are you going? Whats the purpose? (At this point I told him that I was visiting my fiancé) 3. How long are you going to stay in the US?(I’m leaving on x/xx) 4. Are you currently employed? (No I already quit my job)5. How much money do you have? (About 400USD) 6.  Are you gonna look for a job in the US while you are here? (No) 7. Are you aware that you cannot stay in the us for more than 90 days? (Yes)

 

I thought I was for sure going to be sent to a secondary room because I was visiting for almost three months without a job and had only 400usd. But the officer didn’t ask for any documents and kept making sure I knew the rules. I told him about our K1 application and that my fiancé was able to financially help me. The whole process was about 5 minutes. 

 

so it is possible to visit your fiancé. I think I was really lucky though. Make sure to be confident when you answer questions!