Yes, you can visit!

[Arinlars 19]

Just tell her to bring enough evidence for strong ties in her home in Moldova and be friendly and smile. Seriously lol.

[Arinlars 19]

So sitting here at the SEA Airport and crying and thinking.. I already visited 3 times (this was my 3rd) and all of my visits were about 8-9 days each.. they told me that next I will visit it should be with my visa. I don't know if they said that seriously or just you know, kind of wishing me that.. I am sitting here and already miss my fiance, and thinking if this takes AGAIN too long maybe I should visit again. But this would be hard no? Anybody traveled more than 3 times in the us? :/

[Anna Grant 169]

So sitting here at the SEA Airport and crying and thinking.. I already visited 3 times (this was my 3rd) and all of my visits were about 8-9 days each.. they told me that next I will visit it should be with my visa. I don't know if they said that seriously or just you know, kind of wishing me that.. I am sitting here and already miss my fiance, and thinking if this takes AGAIN too long maybe I should visit again. But this would be hard no? Anybody traveled more than 3 times in the us? :/

Yes, I have. Twice before putting in the K1 petition and twice since. The last two times for 89 days and 90 days - 18 July - 15 October and 1 December until 28 Feb (leaving in 2 days).

If nothing moves, we are considering me attempting to come back on 1 April - on a 2 week plane ticket which we can change as required once I'm here.

I know what you mean about crying. I've done it every time at the airport as we're having our last kisses goodbye. Me with tears streaming down my face and my fiance biting his lip and trying to be strong for me. Then he goes back to our empty apartment and cries.

Arinlars - what we have to remember is that we are so very lucky. We have found love in this crazy world. I never believed in love - thought is was made up by Hollywood - and got until the ripe old age of 49 before actually falling in love. That the love of my life is normally 4000 miles away from me is just something we have to get through.

Edited February 26, 2013 by Anna Grant

[Arinlars 19]

I know this is how my fiance and I handling this. Dropping me off, me crying and everybody staring at me.. sigh. Mine is 5100 miles haha xD With the route through Greenland!

No I am home and we have again the silly time difference. Sigh sigh

Sigh. I never believed in love too until I met him. The silly thing is if I take another vacation off work I have to stay another month here. The vacation I'm using I could use it to quit earlier. Sigh sigh.. Even so, when he visits me its cheaper I'll convince him to take 5 days off again Thats another silly thing that awaits us too! Namely is the US you are allowed to day 1 day off every month whereas in Germany 28 a year and it resets every year.

[mobilhub 0]

i can see how the vets will get bored of answering the same questions everyday so it will be good to have some experiences on a thread. i will put my experience on the 12th june!

[Jeikun 65]

I'll post my fiancee's experience after March 24 as well.

[mobilhub 0]

A friend of mine successfully visited her fiance in California last month. She had no problems (more information). (She's waiting for her NOA2).

[Anna Grant 169]

I thought I would update people on my experience yesterday at Chicago O'Hare at 3:30pm and hope it helps other people. Before I start the story, just to say I got in.

We are still waiting for our NOA2 and I have come in for 6 weeks. I was made redundant and left my employer on 23 November, so have no job and only have a room in a flat as I have sold my flat in preparation for my eventual move to the US. Better to sell it a reasonable leisure than sell it in a hurry!

So. I brought a folder showing all my ties to the UK and our lawyer provided us with a letter saying that I was only coming for 6 weeks and then leaving again. Our lawyer has constantly told me 'do not come back to the US without the K1 Visa in your passport'. So it was good of him to provide the letter - I expected to only provide one saying that he was acting on our behalf.

I was nervous at passport control but controlled the nerves well.

All he asked me was:

What are you here for?

Answer: holiday

How long are you staying?

Answer: six weeks - I return on 12 January

And then it was the usual - 4 fingers - one thumb routine and I was through.

Collected my luggage and made my way to the customs guy with my completed form. This has always been quick - hand the form and through. However, this time he had questions. As I had bought my fiance's children a couple of London t-shirts and mugs, I declared them although it was under $100, which I know is the limit. I did this last time too. He saw the total on the front and then turned over the form and saw the items.

He asked:

Who are you here to visit?

I was thrown as I didn't expect him to be asking that question - I expected that from passport control.

I said 'pardon?' He didn't repeat the question - he just looked at me.

I said 'My fiance'

He asked 'When are you getting married?'

I said 'March or April, whenever the K1 Fiancee visa comes through.'

He asked 'What visa are you on now?'

I replied 'An ESTA'.

He said 'You know you're going to have to go home, don't you?'

I've said 'No!' and as my heart fell through the floor. My fiance is just yards away from me - waiting for me at the other side of the door I can see.

He said 'You can't stay until April'.

I said 'I don't want to. My return flight is on 12 January.'

He said 'OK. Have a nice day.' and waved me through! He didn't even ask to see my return ticket!

I think my mistake was putting anything on the customs form. Everyone else was being waved through. I only did it as I had left the tags on the presents to give to the boys. In hindsight, that wasn't really necessary as I'm not going to be able to return them as I'm in the US for 6 weeks! I should just have removed the tags and not declared anything.

There's also another possible explanation for the questions. If I did show up at passport control as having applied for a K1 visa, passport control might have tipped the wink to customs whilst I was getting my luggage to ask me more questions. The customs guy did look down at my luggage as if to assess how much was there - I was about 3kg under the 23kg allowed and had my carry on bag and laptop. However, I have a brand new passport, so no stamps in it - I would think their computer system will link my new passport to my old one but I don't know what detail it would show.

I walked out into the arrivals hall and into the arms of my fiance and just wanted to cry. He said 'You're shaking but you're here and that's all that matters'.

That's me above. I flew back last night - at 9pm on the 90th day - gulp! But no problem. I had spoken twice to the agents who deal woith Visa Waiver and they both confimred that I had to leave the US by 11:59pm on day 90. If there had been delays due to weather, then I would have been able to to appaoch an immigration person at the airport for guidance.

Still no sight of our NOA2 - it's been 7 months and 8 days since our NOA1. Therefore, I cancelled my flight on 12 Jan back to the UK and then rescheduled it for 8 Feb when it became apparent that we were not going to get our NOA2 before I left.

Edited March 1, 2013 by Anna Grant

[DaisyD 12]

Been meaning to write this for a while, but only just got round to it. I just wanted to share my experiences.

I've visited my fiance 4 times previously without any problems at immigration. Each visit was for less than 10 days and a couple of months apart.

I flew over for a visit in December and at the immigration desk was asked the usual questions, told them I was visiting my fiance and when my return flights were for. The man at the desk asked for my itinerary but I didn't have one as I didn't have a printer at home. He informed me that it was a requirement of the visa waiver (I didn't realise this). So I got sent to the second interview room (not sure what it is called). Quite a few others from this man were also sent there and the immigration officers in there seemed to be complaining that he was sending lots of people their way. I put my passport in the queue and took a seat and waited until they called me up. I spoke to the immigration officer at the desk he asked for a reservation number which i didn't have so he had to manually look up my flights (which he wasn't too pleased about but he did find them). He was asking me about my fiance and if we'd applied for a visa and when we were going to get married. He was also able to check my previous visits and highlighted one of the visits he couldn't find the return flights for but i remembered it was via a different airport so that seemed to satisfy him. Anyway, once he'd found my flight details he printed them out for me and told me to remember to take a copy with me next time.

So it was a bit of a pain and took a while to wait my turn (luckily I had plenty of time until my next flight) but it wasn't a big deal. Maybe that all my previous visits had been relatively short helped, I'm not sure.

So my moral is print out the flight details and take them with you (or at least have the reference number) and that I wasn't asked for any other evidence of intentions to return home.

Hopefully that puts peoples mind at rest.

Daisy

x

[Anna Grant 169]

Oh yes. If you have an electronic ticket, you must always travel with a copy of your itinerary. It's to show that you have a return (or onwards) ticket, one of the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program.

[DaisyD 12]

Yes, I've learned that lesson now. I don't think I was ever asked for it previously which is why I didn't make the effort to get it printed at Christmas. But I'll make sure to have for my next trip at Easter to save the hassle again.

[Kevinbolts 0]

just wanted to say thanks to everyone on this post for helping, my fiancee went through LAX with very little questions and made it through just fine! she did not have to state the reason why she was visiting or anything! my new question is while we are waiting for the 6 months of our NOA2 she was here for 3 months and is back in italy now. I found a cheap flight for her to come back and visit me for another month and a half but it is only 5 weeks from the last date she left. would they be suspicious if she came for 3 months, left for 5 weeks, and try to come back for a month and a half? anyone else have experiences of visiting for long periods of time within a short time period? thanks again!

[Anna Grant 169]

Yes. I visited for 89 days (July to October 2012), went back for six weeks and then came back for 90 days (1 December 2012 to 28 Feb 2013 - my plane ticket was only for six weeks but I changed it once it became apparent that we weren't going to get the NOA2 any time soon). I had a couple of questions the last time - see my previous post - but nothing too alarming.

[uk2upstateny 13]

I'm flying into JFK on April 3rd for a month and a half. We're not far away from NOA2 (in theory), so I'm hoping everything will go ok!

It's tricky because I'm renting a room from a friend so don't have any lease.. And I don't have any job ties either. It's so scary! But I'm sure if I take a copy of NOA1, and return flights, maybe a letter from our lawyer it'll be ok..

Any tips?

[lost_at_sea 995]

I'm flying into JFK on April 3rd for a month and a half. We're not far away from NOA2 (in theory), so I'm hoping everything will go ok!

It's tricky because I'm renting a room from a friend so don't have any lease.. And I don't have any job ties either. It's so scary! But I'm sure if I take a copy of NOA1, and return flights, maybe a letter from our lawyer it'll be ok..

Any tips?

I went to NY (JFK) in January for a week (it was my birthday, bf had to go over for work, so he went ahead of me by a week so I travelled alone). Immigration officer just asked when I was going home (a week later), what I was doing (having my birthday here), who I was travelling with (my boyfriend, but he's already here for work) and then to take my picture which I made a goofy face in and she said "no, like a model!" (I think she was Polish, so it sounded particularly cute). Wished me well. The chap asking for my blue card asked me if I was on my own, and I said "sort of, but my boyfriend is already here - he'll be outside waiting to pick me up" and he said "ah, okay, have a nice time!". No problems.

Edited March 6, 2013 by lost_at_sea