Yes, you can visit!

[Marie & Dan 4]

Thank you very much for your response. Did your fiancé showed them proofs of tie to UK ?

[Stu4Lee 66]

I visited for 16 days just a matter of weeks before we got NOA2. It was just what we both needed as VSC had come to a virtual standstill and the waiting had become tiresome.

Didn't want to risk a longer stay as I have few ties in the UK now.

Was only asked how long I was staying, nothing else.

Passport was stamped 90 days.....typical

Edited June 22, 2012 by Stu4Lee

[Marie & Dan 4]

I visited for 16 days just a matter of weeks before we got NOA2. It was just what we both needed as VSC had come to a virtual standstill and the waiting had become tiresome.

Didn't want to risk a longer stay as I have few ties in the UK now.

Was only asked how long I was staying, nothing else.

Passport was stamped 90 days.....typical

Nice!

[Darkmoonfaerie 19]

Thank you very much for your response. Did your fiancé showed them proofs of tie to UK ?

He was never asked for anything but had proof in case he needed it.

[Marie & Dan 4]

He was never asked for anything but had proof in case he needed it.

Ok thanks

[Level99 1]

Figured I would share my two most recent experiences since both spooked me a little bit.

My fiance and I have been on a two month visiting rotation. She stays with her parents in Quebec for two months, then she comes to the US and stays with me for two months aproximately. I have a job that requires a lot of my time so my vacations are short and inconsistent, and she is currently unemployed (what job would hire her that would allow her to take leave for two months and come back? Our collective sanity is worth more than she would be making, in our perspective). She graduated college last May as well, so she is not in the best position to prove ties to her home country when she comes to visit. She has no car of her own so you could pretty much say she is not in the best position to provide ties to return to her home country whenever she visits. Lately, we've been driving when she needs to come down or go back up, so there's not even a return ticket. But when driving, I'm always there with her to help back up her story

We cross near Champlain, NY on the I87 Border Crossing. Going into Canada has never been more than a 3 minute chat about where I work, where am I going, what am I doing, how long am I staying, and where I am staying. I brought my dog (a Pitt-Terrier Mix) and didn't even get asked for up-to-date vaccinations. The trouble has always been coming back, and we go through the same place.

First big hiccup was traveling back down in January. We traveled down on Jan 2. The BPO asked the normal questions, asking how we were related. The moment I said fiance, his eyes lit up. He asked when we were planning on getting married, and I told him we were going to apply for a fiance visa shortly. He asked if she was working, and she said she was unemployed right now. He asked how long she was staying, I said 2 months. He asked how she was coming back, and she said some of her friends were spending their spring break with us and would be bringing her back to Canada when they returned. After five minutes of talking with other BPOs, he sent us to additional questioning. 45 minutes after sitting in the office we were finally brought up and spoke with a different BPO. She dove right in to questions about how long we had known each other, who was planning on moving where, when we were going to get married, was she going to get a job, why she was spending 2 months in the states (she actually made a comment that anyone who stays longer than a month on a passport/visitor visa and isn't a "snowbird" is considered not normal), had she been denied entry before, and so on. I had been studying the K1 for a while at that point, so for almost all of her questions we were able to say that we were within the laws of visitation for the US and that we were getting prepared to start the legal process to bring her down permanently. She left to talk with other BPOs and came back to tell us that while she COULD deny entry right then and there, that because our stories checked out and we knew all about the K1, that she would let us through. She advised that we immediately apply for the K1 once we got home, though, as that would help prove validity during future border crossings. And so we went on our way. Definitely a scary experience to say the least.

Second hiccup came when traveling down in April. Same border crossing, different BPO. He asked where we were going, how long was she staying, where she lived, what my job was, and how we were related. He definitely started getting snoopy once I said we were engaged. However, before he could press on with too many questions, I pulled out the NOA1 from the K1 and handed it to him. He shut the window for a few minutes, then handed back the paper and waved us through just saying "alright, go ahead". I would almost say he sounded disappointed that we were able to go through

Gotta go through this again in a few weeks so I'm hoping for another smooth experience.

[NYCGirl18 1]

I flew into JFK on May 6 of this month and it really made me question whether they see pending visa petitions. We had filed in January and were waiting for our NOA2 when I came to visit (we actually got approved while I was there) and the CO did not ask me anything. And if I say anything, I mean that. Only a "hi", then took and scanned my passport, stamped my Customs Declarations, took fingerprints of the 4 fingers of my right hand (no right thumb, no fingers of my left hand, no picture) and then shoved the passport back at me and said "bye, bye". Seriously, that's the only things he said and I was, of course, in shock...pleasantly, but I had expected him to ask something at least. So I dunno if he was just in a good mood or if they really can't see pending visa petitions...

The same thing happened to my boyfriend (who is from the UK and has been coming in and out of the country quite a bit this past year) the last time he flew into JFK!! They didn't ask him anything, they just stamped his passport and let him through!! Crazy. We were expecting him to get out his paperwork and everything, but nothing!

[Tim1989 0]

After my fiance and I got engaged and decided to go through the K1 process I´ve been to the U.S. twice. The first time was just before we were submitting our petition to the USCIS, the second time was roughly 2.5 months after the petition was received.

I've discussed these trips with my immigration lawyer and his answer was very clear: "Yes, you are able to visit the U.S. during your case. It will actually show the consulate in a later stage that you are still actively in a relationship."

He advised me to just simply answer all the questions the immigration officers asks you when crossing the border and always tell the truth. I've always taken my employment contract with me and paystubs, just in case I was given a hard time. Also I brought my binder with all my flight information (all boarding passes and itineraries from the past, just in case as well). But both times I had no problems crossing the border.

[ico 1]

Even when an inmigration lawyer told me not to travel, I have entered the country 3 times since we started the process. No further questions and I would say that even less question than the ussual were asked

[NYCGirl18 1]

Even when an inmigration lawyer told me not to travel, I have entered the country 3 times since we started the process. No further questions and I would say that even less question than the ussual were asked

Did you just tell them you were coming in on holiday or did they not even ask that?!

[Marie & Dan 4]

Sounds like you all had a good experience with the border officers. I still don't know what i will do, now it's a question of money...and of parents too lol

[Wobbafut 6]

I'll try to come for one month in september. Hopefully i wont be denied. Let's see

[rotalihinna 0]

I'm from a non-VWP country and I already have a 10-year tourist visa (which I used last year)... you guys think trying to enter with a tourist visa while I have a post-NOA2 K1 pending (no interview date set yet, though) would be a problem?

From this thread it looks like people aren't having big problems entering the US with a pending K1 (unless they do something wrong, or have been coming to the US 'too' frequently) but then it's mostly people from Canada, Britain and other VWP countries... not much mention of others.

I am self-employed in Turkey (have papers proving that, but they are in Turkish), I will have my return ticket and I also hired an immigration lawyer whose name & number I can produce (so hopefully they'll know I'm serious about doing this the legal way). I'll also have some bank statements.

It always depends on the customs officer, but do you think I stand a good chance of getting in the country?

[IrishStar 0]

We received NOA1 on June 19th. My fiance (Irish) came to stay for 3 months from February to May. He left for 2 weeks (to London) and came back for another 3 weeks. He is working in London on the Olympics until mid August. Do you think it would be problematic for him to return to the states until he has to go back for the medical? He worked under contract for NBC on the Olympics so he would have to look for work in Ireland to be there for only a month, or he could just come here and stay with me. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

[Mumu 10]

Côôl!!!! I can see its doable but I really don't want to take the risk even if I have all the papers. I've been there three times and my love once, so he's managing to come to see me in France around December.

Coucou aux Frenchies