Yes, you can visit!

[loladolly 51]

I live with him too and it makes it harder for me too, but well, almost done with the K1 so !

[Chrissie 2]

Hi everyone!

I booked my ticket and am visiting my fiancé in Texas for two weeks at the end of November. According to our timeline we should have our NOA2 by then, and I hope it will help with getting me into the country... As I hope customs understands that we didn't wait all this time just for me to stay in the country illegally. I live at home with my parents, but I do have a fulltime job at H&M here so hopefully that will be a strong enough tie. I'm flying through Houston, to Austin; anyone have any experience with the Houston airport?

[Skyler and Silvia 1]

My fiancee is heading up here tomorrow night (should arrive Friday morning), so fingers crossed that the plethora of information she is bringing will be enough to convince the officers at JFK that she really is only visiting for a week! This thread has been great as far as tips and such go.

[Anna Grant 169]

This thread has given me hope. Our US lawyer told me that I couldn't come back to the US until I had the K1 visa - I came back on Tuesday from 89 days with my guy. We submitted the I-129F and got the NOA1 on 24 July, so are hoping to get the NOA2 shortly. I am being made redundant in late November and have sold my flat in anticipation of moving to the US. Therefore, I have nothing to tie me here. I will be leaving most of my stuff, so will get a letter from my landlady saying that I have a significant amount of stuff in storage with her to indicate I'm going to return.

I have a question though. My passport is due to expire on 13 March 2013 so I was going to renew it now. However, now I'm concerned about my ESTA as that is linked to my passport expiry date. If I renew my passport now, I have to get a new ESTA. Might I be refused one as their records will show that the is a K1 application in process? Would I be better to hold back on renewing it until I get further into the process? I know that I am supposed to have 6 months left on my passport when I travel but also am aware that the US extend passports for travel from people from the UK by 6 months past their expiry date.

Has anyone had expereince of getting a new ESTA whilst in the middle of the K1 process? Thanks.

[edenjames 6]

I am considering traveling to see my fiancé in November from Australia if we don't get our NOA2 in the next couple of weeks. My question is as I will not be working then and don't have a lease will I have any issues getting in? POE will be LA. I will have a return ticket and copies of current cell phone bills and bank accounts, and a copy of our petition and NOA1. Will this be enough? I can also get a letter from my mother who will be looking after my 2 children stating that I will be back on X date.

[Chrissie 2]

This thread has given me hope. Our US lawyer told me that I couldn't come back to the US until I had the K1 visa - I came back on Tuesday from 89 days with my guy. We submitted the I-129F and got the NOA1 on 24 July, so are hoping to get the NOA2 shortly. I am being made redundant in late November and have sold my flat in anticipation of moving to the US. Therefore, I have nothing to tie me here. I will be leaving most of my stuff, so will get a letter from my landlady saying that I have a significant amount of stuff in storage with her to indicate I'm going to return.

I have a question though. My passport is due to expire on 13 March 2013 so I was going to renew it now. However, now I'm concerned about my ESTA as that is linked to my passport expiry date. If I renew my passport now, I have to get a new ESTA. Might I be refused one as their records will show that the is a K1 application in process? Would I be better to hold back on renewing it until I get further into the process? I know that I am supposed to have 6 months left on my passport when I travel but also am aware that the US extend passports for travel from people from the UK by 6 months past their expiry date.

Has anyone had expereince of getting a new ESTA whilst in the middle of the K1 process? Thanks.

I had the same issue, my passport was due to expire April 2013. I got it renewed before I got my plane ticket so that I could use my new document number. I also got a new esta becauuse of the document number. You can't change the current esta you have, even though it's valid for two years... I actually got my new esta last week and I think its fine.. I wouldn't risk having different document numbers in their files.

Edited October 19, 2012 by Chrissie

[Skyler and Silvia 1]

My fiancee called me a few hours ago from JFK letting me know she got in without issue. The only questions they asked were "Why are you visiting?" ("Vacation") and "What do you do for work?" ("Finance"). If I find out more details later I'll post them, but from what I gathered in our brief conversation the officer was very friendly and there was no hassle.

[Anna Grant 169]

I had the same issue, my passport was due to expire April 2013. I got it renewed before I got my plane ticket so that I could use my new document number. I also got a new esta becauuse of the document number. You can't change the current esta you have, even though it's valid for two years... I actually got my new esta last week and I think its fine.. I wouldn't risk having different document numbers in their files.

I was thinking of flying out at the end of November for Christmas, so would be back in January well in time to update before my passport expired. If I renew my passport now, I wouldn't get it back until just before I'm due to fly. Processing time for renewal of passports in the UK is about four weeks.

I think I will leave it as it is. It might even help with entry because it's obvious that I would unlikely to stay beyond the expiry date of my passport and ESTA!

[Chrissie 2]

I was thinking of flying out at the end of November for Christmas, so would be back in January well in time to update before my passport expired. If I renew my passport now, I wouldn't get it back until just before I'm due to fly. Processing time for renewal of passports in the UK is about four weeks.

I think I will leave it as it is. It might even help with entry because it's obvious that I would unlikely to stay beyond the expiry date of my passport and ESTA!

Woops, I got mine within a week so I definitely get your point. I'm sure it'll be fine and hope you'll have a great time!!

[Catarina 0]

Hi everyone!

I booked my ticket and am visiting my fiancé in Texas for two weeks at the end of November. According to our timeline we should have our NOA2 by then, and I hope it will help with getting me into the country... As I hope customs understands that we didn't wait all this time just for me to stay in the country illegally. I live at home with my parents, but I do have a fulltime job at H&M here so hopefully that will be a strong enough tie. I'm flying through Houston, to Austin; anyone have any experience with the Houston airport?

Hi! Im traveling this week to Texas too , Dallas Very nervous about POE, but everything will be fine

[Gail83 21]

Hi! Im traveling this week to Texas too , Dallas Very nervous about POE, but everything will be fine

I fly into Dallas on 19th November, I'd be really interested to know how you get on.

[Maya&Matt 2]

Hi everyone!

I came to visit my fiance last Wednesday and had no problems at all! We are now at the end of the K1 visa process. I have my interview at the embassy in Spain scheduled for November 13th. But we still wanted to see each other before then as we have been apart for a long time now.

I was scared and nervous before coming because I had absolutely no proofs that I was coming back to spain. I don't have a job (finished a temporary job in September), a lease, a mortgage... nothing at all! I took with me my last pay check (from more than a month ago), a letter from my mother saying she expects me back home in 2 weeks, and of course copies of all the letters from USCIS, NVC and the embassy.

They didn't ask me for anything at the POE (it was JFK, New york by the way). He only asked me 3 questions:

- why are you coming to the US? (vacation)

- do you have family in the US? (yes, I have 3 cousins leaving in the US).

- is this the address of your hotel? (from the form you fill on the plane), No, its the address of my fiance who I will be visiting for 2 weeks.

Didn't ask anything after that! he took picture, fingerprints, and he said have a nice trip! He didn't even ask to see my flight back home.

I got stopped again after I took my luggage, but it was a very nice man that kept joking and asking me how many languages do I speak, etc.

That was it!

Good luck to everybody! From my experience it is completely worth it!

[moemac59 192]

at this point, i've only gone to visit my fiance once since we started our application back in january. it was only for a week in march, but i did bring a letter from work indicating my expected return date as well as my flight itinerary for a trip i was taking for a family reunion (here in canada) over the easter weekend. it was a good thing i did too.

i answered all questions honestly: reason for visit (vacation), why (to visit my fiance), is he moving here or are you moving there (i'm moving to the US). at this point i mentioned that we had applied for the K1 visa (hopefully to indicate we were going about things correctly and legally), and that i would only be moving once the visa had been approved. the officer then led me to one of the back offices where i spoke with another customs official.

fingerprinted, picture taken, asked basically the same questions, produced my evidence of returning to Canada. this official mentioned that they get a little more careful with people once visa's are involved (said i completely understood), but they let me proceed. my carry-on luggage was thoroughly searched and i was given the full pat-down at security.

it was definitely unnerving and stressful, but i was honest about my intentions. if i had not had the evidence of returning with me, i don't think they would have let me on the plane.

Andrea, good point about the NOA2. I brought that with me everytime I crossed over at the border and had no problem. I also brought over evidence that I would return to Canada when stated....like a copy of my lease agreement, bank statements, hydro bills, phone and cable bils and a letter from my employer stating my return date to work.

Since I crossed over often (every 2nd weekend) I had only a hassle once but because I had all of this info with me, it made it easier and the CBA asked how I knew to bring all of this supporting evidence with me. My response was "My fiance's cousin is an ICE agent and he was the one who told me to make sure that I have this information wtih me" After that response, the agent typed some stuff into the computer and I never had a problem being admitted into the US again.

Sorry that I can't give more information about my individual enteries each time into the US but because we only lived 2.5 hours away from each other, I visited over 250 times in 4 years...so to post about that would be like writing a manifesto.

i am flying to Wichita again next week tuesday for 2.5 weeks and hope to not have too much hassle. i have a few doctor appointments in june, so i am bringing the appointment letters with me, i plan to take some phone bills along, my flight itinerary with return date/time, and last time i visited him i did come home. i am also bringing along my NOA2 email notice (my fiance has not received our actual letter in the mail yet) to prove that we are going about things legally; my feeling is - and i would hope the customs officer would see things the same way - that we've done things legally thus far, why would we screw things up now when we're so close to the end?

i'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is enough and they let me through, but i have to admit i am apprehensive... i'll let you know how things go once i'm down there *crosses fingers*

[Kevinbolts 0]

My fiancee plans to visit me in the US for 3 months in early December on the VWP. I sent the I-129F package out October 18th. When she gets back from visiting me it will be late February/early March. Will she need to be home before March to receive any letters from her consulate or any phone calls regarding her K-1 visa? If the letters from the consulate arrive before March is it ok for her parents to receive the mail and just keep it and my fiancee can finish it when she gets back from visiting me or is there a deadline to file the papers? Approx time from I-129F filing date would be about 5 months (Oct. 18th to early March). I heard there is so much waiting time from the period you file the I-129F so it is the best time to visit for a long period of time, I don't really actually know what happens after I file the I-129F, if someone could link me to details that would be great!

[dandiggas 0]

Landed yesterday in the us for 2 months through JFK...probably the easiest time I've ever had getting through...took about 1 minute...very friendly