Yes, you can visit!

[Toshtishtash 1]

Just thought I would come in and share my experience Turns out I was worrying about nothing!

I arrived at Washington Dulles airport, the immigration line was extremely short (for the first time ever!) A cheerful looking guy (Again for the first time ever!!!) called me forward and asked why I was visiting America. I said that I was here to visit my fiance and my Dad and family. He asked what my fiance was doing in America, and I said that he was infact American... He looked at me with great sympathy and said 'Oooooh... The long distance thing must be difficult huh?' Which I replied 'Yes sir, it certainly is...' He then asked me if my fiance had talked me into moving over yet and I said 'Yes actually we are in the middle of the K1 visa process' he looked at me again with great sympathy and said 'Ooooooooh, I feel for ya, that must be tough, that's a loooooong and drawn out process' Again, I nodded in agreement. He took my fingerprints, stamped my passport, told me to enjoy my stay, wished me good luck and off I went!

We had an AWESOME week together I am now back in England though and I just so don't want to be here anymore I think someone should take the word 'soon' out of the English dictionary, it is starting to really get on my nerves.. lol

[English Muffin 59]

Just thought I would come in and share my experience Turns out I was worrying about nothing!

I arrived at Washington Dulles airport, the immigration line was extremely short (for the first time ever!) A cheerful looking guy (Again for the first time ever!!!) called me forward and asked why I was visiting America. I said that I was here to visit my fiance and my Dad and family. He asked what my fiance was doing in America, and I said that he was infact American... He looked at me with great sympathy and said 'Oooooh... The long distance thing must be difficult huh?' Which I replied 'Yes sir, it certainly is...' He then asked me if my fiance had talked me into moving over yet and I said 'Yes actually we are in the middle of the K1 visa process' he looked at me again with great sympathy and said 'Ooooooooh, I feel for ya, that must be tough, that's a loooooong and drawn out process' Again, I nodded in agreement. He took my fingerprints, stamped my passport, told me to enjoy my stay, wished me good luck and off I went!

We had an AWESOME week together I am now back in England though and I just so don't want to be here anymore I think someone should take the word 'soon' out of the English dictionary, it is starting to really get on my nerves.. lol

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm flying into Boston next Saturday to visit my OH and I'm already getting nervous about going through immigration.

I'm sure everything will be fine but it's just nice to hear that it's been painless for someone else. Thanks again.

[Toshtishtash 1]

Just thought I would come in and share my experience Turns out I was worrying about nothing!

I arrived at Washington Dulles airport, the immigration line was extremely short (for the first time ever!) A cheerful looking guy (Again for the first time ever!!!) called me forward and asked why I was visiting America. I said that I was here to visit my fiance and my Dad and family. He asked what my fiance was doing in America, and I said that he was infact American... He looked at me with great sympathy and said 'Oooooh... The long distance thing must be difficult huh?' Which I replied 'Yes sir, it certainly is...' He then asked me if my fiance had talked me into moving over yet and I said 'Yes actually we are in the middle of the K1 visa process' he looked at me again with great sympathy and said 'Ooooooooh, I feel for ya, that must be tough, that's a loooooong and drawn out process' Again, I nodded in agreement. He took my fingerprints, stamped my passport, told me to enjoy my stay, wished me good luck and off I went!

We had an AWESOME week together I am now back in England though and I just so don't want to be here anymore I think someone should take the word 'soon' out of the English dictionary, it is starting to really get on my nerves.. lol

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm flying into Boston next Saturday to visit my OH and I'm already getting nervous about going through immigration.

I'm sure everything will be fine but it's just nice to hear that it's been painless for someone else. Thanks again.

No worries I hope you have a great time!!

[honeybear 0]

hi

im new here, can u tell me what being 'TOUCHED' means?

thanks so much!

I'm sure all the vets on this board are tired of this daily question, but keep in mind that dozens of people are just starting this process every day, and the "can I visit while the application is pending?" question is one, if not the, most pressing matters to most of them.

Information about this is all over this site, but scattered. I for one am a person who likes to hear personal experiences too, so I can make a decision based on what others in my similar situation have gone through.

The answer is yes, visits are allowed. But whether you will actually be admitted lies entirely in the hands of the officer questioning you upon entry. And face it, hearing you've got a sweetheart you're intending to/have married waiting for you in the US is going to set off a "he/she is just going to stay here forever" bell to that officer. It's your job to convince that officer that you have a life back in your home country that you fully intend, and will, go back to.

Anyway, I'm hoping people will post their experiences visiting the USC before and during the visa journey. I'm sure that all of us do visit legally, and do leave when we're supposed to. So, is there anything that worked for you? Hindered you? If you were ever denied, why? Were you able to remedy the situation and try again?

Going through customs can make your stomach turn, and make you feel like a criminal even though you've done nothing wrong. So, let's try to calm each other down and tell each other our experiences. I think we'll find that most of us are admitted (albeit with a little hassle, perhaps).

Vets, maybe this will cut down on having to answer the question 5 times a day!

Michele

[vanessaandbrent 0]

hi

im new here, can u tell me what being 'TOUCHED' means?

thanks so much!

It is what tells you your case has been opened by someone at USCIS

[English Muffin 59]

Just returned from 9 days in the US and getting through immigration was a breeze. I went through Boston Logan International and they only asked me how long I was staying and that was it.

Gillian

[zizzyb 0]

Just returned from 9 days in the US and getting through immigration was a breeze. I went through Boston Logan International and they only asked me how long I was staying and that was it.

Gillian

my fiance will be here tomorrow... hopefully he'll go through wo a glitch!

[Steven F 0]

My fiancee and I have applied for the K-1 visa, which we're still waiting to hear back from.

I've visited her twice this year, first in April, where I stayed almost the full 90 days and left in July, and I'm here (in the US) again now. I came for the second time in September, and on arrival at Atlanta, I was taken in to the fun little room, where an unnecessarily abrupt CBP officer asked me why I was back so soon, made me wait for about an hour and then stamped my passport and let me in to the country. My ticket to return to the UK is for the 16th of October (next week), but I would like to stay longer. I stayed longer than my ticket last time and there was no problem, and I know that the 90 days for this time don't run out until the beginning of December.

My problem is this:

The unnecessarily abrupt CBP officer said that if I didn't leave on the date of my ticket (the 16th), I'd get in trouble. As far as I'm aware, I'm legally entitled to stay in this country for 90 days, so does he have any authority to say that, or was it just talk?

If I do stay longer, say until Thanksgiving, and I want to return again for Christmas, are they pretty much certain to refuse me entry? Can they refuse me entry if my K-1 has gone through by then (or if I have a B-1 tourist visa, for example)?

Will staying longer adversely affect my K-1 application?

I'm just worried because it would be two vists of almost 90 days each.

[RosemarieL 0]

My fiancee and I have applied for the K-1 visa, which we're still waiting to hear back from.

I've visited her twice this year, first in April, where I stayed almost the full 90 days and left in July, and I'm here (in the US) again now. I came for the second time in September, and on arrival at Atlanta, I was taken in to the fun little room, where an unnecessarily abrupt CBP officer asked me why I was back so soon, made me wait for about an hour and then stamped my passport and let me in to the country. My ticket to return to the UK is for the 16th of October (next week), but I would like to stay longer. I stayed longer than my ticket last time and there was no problem, and I know that the 90 days for this time don't run out until the beginning of December.

My problem is this:

The unnecessarily abrupt CBP officer said that if I didn't leave on the date of my ticket (the 16th), I'd get in trouble. As far as I'm aware, I'm legally entitled to stay in this country for 90 days, so does he have any authority to say that, or was it just talk?

If I do stay longer, say until Thanksgiving, and I want to return again for Christmas, are they pretty much certain to refuse me entry? Can they refuse me entry if my K-1 has gone through by then (or if I have a B-1 tourist visa, for example)?

Will staying longer adversely affect my K-1 application?

I'm just worried because it would be two vists of almost 90 days each.

I think you are able to visit on VWP for up to 6 months in a year. Any longer than that could be considered an abuse of the Visa Waiver program. I don't think longer visits will impact your K1 so long as you do not overstay but it is possible they will turn you away next time unless you can provide some good proof of ties to your home country. There is always a risk of being turned away for every visit.

[Courtney 1]

I've got a story of being denied entry to the UK- last February ('07)... I'm the USC, and at the time, when i was going to see my boyfriend (the Brit), he was still just my "boyfriend". We hadn't filed for any visas at that point. Hindsight is 20/20, and now i realize where i went wrong... I arrived at immigration, and the woman asked how long i was there for... Completely unprepared and without return ticket at that point, i said "I'm not sure, at some point in early April". I had plans to return to the US with my boyfriend only a couple of weeks after arriving in the UK, and still hadn't purchased a return ticket. That put up the red flag, and eventually I was "officially detained".

I was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, all my luggage was searched and all relevant material (cell phone, personal letters) were confiscated. I was put into a detainee room, and remained there for 8 hours, questioned twice. I was eventually denied entry- I didn't have a job in the US, and couldn't prove strong enough ties to the US. I had no intent on living in the UK, just staying there on my "visitor visa". I know it was pretty dumb, but I was clueless to all of this immigration stuff. I know now how clueless I was, but anyways, I was allowed three days to stay in the UK, and then I was required to leave the country. I look back and think that was pretty nice- they could have sent me back on another 8 hour flight after my 8 hours in detainment! Fortunately I had my three days, and then I headed back to the US, and have been here ever since.

My boyfriend came to the US this summer for 89 days (1 day short of the allowed 90 days) and during his stay, he proposed, and we applied for the K1 visa. Now i'm going to visit him on friday in the UK. Feeling terrified, i'm trying to get everything together I might need at immigration. YES, we are applying for a US visa, and we will be getting married in the US... But i'm just worried that my previous denial of entry is going to cause me problems on my visit. I leave for the UK on friday, 10/26/07. I'm going to have a letter from my employer (i have a permanent job in the US now), and i'll have a copy of our NOA1 (just a scanned copy though). I'll have pictures of me and my fiance together, and a letter from his mother saying how happy she is that i'll be coming out to visit, as well as a copy of my itinerary. Any thoughts? Think i need anything else? I'm thinking maybe i should bring a rough draft of our wedding invites, but they have a definite date on them (back when we were optimistic about getting approved by February of 2008!). The invites show the wedding will be in the US.... And then again, they're not official invites- just extremely rough drafts... Oh i don't know! I'm so worried!!!

I know that each entry is based on it's own merit- and I'll have much better circumstances this time around, but I can't help but be worried. You should see the lovely ANGRY X in my passport. There's a UK stamp with a big X through it- so strongly penned into the pages that it actually cut the paper. Although I'm sure I'm in the computer, I don't think i'll be breezing through immigration ever again. Any thoughts?

[Courtney 1]

Ok, to follow up on my last post- I've been to England- all last week, and they let me in!! The worst part of the whole trip was sitting on the airplane in Cincinatti for 6 hours waiting to take off. Ugh. But when I finally did arrive, my whole immigration ordeal took about 20 minutes. The line was relatively short this time, and I finally got a somewhat nice lady. Went a bit like this:

HER:"Where are you coming from?"

ME: "The U.S.A."

HER: "How long are you here for?"

ME: "A week"

HER: "Why are you here?"

ME: "I'm here for vacation to see my fiance"

HER: "You're here to see... (momentary doubletake) your fiance??"

ME: "Yes, my fiance".

HER: "And what nationality is your fiance?"

ME: "He's English"

(noticeable annoyance on her part- you could see her realizing this wasn't just a quick interview)

HER: (after flipping through my passport) "And what's THIS all about?" (she was pointing at the big X from the last time i was denied entry)

ME: "I was denied entry back in February"

HER: "Why were you denied entry?"

ME: "I was denied entry because I didn't have a return ticket, and because I didn't have a job in the US"

HER: "What nationality is your fiance?" (maybe she was testing me?)

ME: "He's English. I have lots of proof to show that I'm going back to the US in a week. I have a letter from my boss, a copy of my trip itinerary, and proof that we've filed for a K1 visa in the US so that he can come to the US to marry me and live there with me"

HER: "Well let's see that"

(I bring out the packet, and let her look through it. She doesn't ask for it, so I start volunteering all of my information- car title, checking and saving account info, pay stubs, receipt from engagement ring, receipt from the lawyer, etc)

ME: "I have lots more information too, to prove that I'm going back to the US"

HER: (obviously annoyed, again) "Who told you to bring all this??"

ME: "No one told me to, but I had such a hard time last time, I thought I'd bring as much proof as I could to show you that I plan to go back to the US after my stay"

HER: "Ok, I'm going to look through all this, and check to see if your story checks out about your entry denial last time you came through. Please go sit in that area over there while I look through this"

ME: "Ok, Thank you" (and i go sit in the small fenced off waiting area that's provided for the "special" victims of immigration)

--She's gone for about ten minutes, and finally comes back and joins me in my little waiting area--

HER: "Ok, so your story checks out. One more thing- the copy of your NOA1 says in fine print that this process could take a really long time. What are you going to do if it takes longer than you're expecting?"

ME: (I look at her a bit puzzled and say questioningly:) "Wait? I mean, what else can we do? I can't afford to keep coming back here, and I have a job I've got to be at, and he's self employed, so I guess he can come visit me, but we will just have to wait".

HER: "Ok, you're all set, come back up to the podium and I'll put you through"

She stamped my passport, wrote in my date of departure, and said I had to leave by this date if I ever wanted an easy entrance back into the UK.

And that was it! And I was so worried!!! But all the information I got together was well worth it- I walked up to immigration with confidence, and didn't act nervous. I gave her all the "text-book" answers she was looking for, and it all went smoothly. I don't anticipate having any more troubles the next time I try to get in the UK, as long as I can prove I'm employed in the US and I have a return ticket.

So I lived through it, and now am only worried that my fiance will have trouble coming here to see me at Christmas. I hope that as long as he has proof that he's planning on going back to the UK, and shows knowledge that he knows we can't get married while he's here, he should be ok.

Good luck to anyone planning a trip to see your fiance- it's worth it, if you can stand the worry and stress beforehand! Seeing my fiance for a week has really reminded me how much I love him and how fiercely I want our visa application to go through so that we don't have to spend anymore of our lives away from eachother! Keeping faith in that is the only thing that's going to get us through!

[NickyMcMillan 0]

Just thought I'd add my experience here. I've lurked on here for the last year, now I feel I should contribute at last. The postsings here have been most helpful. So far we've got to the NOA2 stage, now just waiting for packet 3.

When I travel to the states I always travel thro Dublin. I find clearing US immigration there makes the flight a much more pleasant experience. Last time was in July, the officer didn't ask me any questions at all. Even tho I had plenty of evidence to prove my ties in the UK if asked to provide them. Going back again in January again via Dublin. Will post my experience then.

My fiancee likewise always travels thro Dublin to visit me in the UK. She goes thro Irish immigration, who rush her thro when she tell them she's on her way to the UK. But for some reason they don't do immigration control for Ireland-UK flights? Makes life easier for us, but it does make you wonder.

Nicky

[Courtney 1]

Just thought I'd add my experience here. I've lurked on here for the last year, now I feel I should contribute at last. The postsings here have been most helpful. So far we've got to the NOA2 stage, now just waiting for packet 3.

When I travel to the states I always travel thro Dublin. I find clearing US immigration there makes the flight a much more pleasant experience. Last time was in July, the officer didn't ask me any questions at all. Even tho I had plenty of evidence to prove my ties in the UK if asked to provide them. Going back again in January again via Dublin. Will post my experience then.

My fiancee likewise always travels thro Dublin to visit me in the UK. She goes thro Irish immigration, who rush her thro when she tell them she's on her way to the UK. But for some reason they don't do immigration control for Ireland-UK flights? Makes life easier for us, but it does make you wonder.

Nicky

Hmmm. First time i went to the UK, i went thru Shannon Ireland. I cleared immigration there fine because I told them i was en route to England. And then when i arrived in England, i didn't have to go through any kind of immigration, and I did wonder about that, but just assumed somehow i'd slipped through the cracks. So anyone going to England via Ireland doesn't have to go through immigration in England?! Good to know for future travel plans!! Any one else have any experiences of going to England via Ireland?

[cejf 0]

My first post and boy am I glad I decided to search the forums before I went to visit my honey again.

You see, I've had my B1/B2 for over 3 years now and have visited him on at least 5 visits over the last year and a half. We've filed the K1 petition and we just received our NOA1 (and touched once I believe) so we wait for NOA2 now.

I've been hemming and hawing (is that how those 2 words are spelt) about leaving my current job for a while and we thought that it would be nice to completely decompress from it (it's been a pretty bad experience these last few months) with a month or two with him while we wait. Reading this thread tho, I remember that immigration ALWAYS asks me what I do and where I work. I am fearful that if I say "I'm in between jobs at the moment" they are likely to turn me back.

Man - this long distance thing is tough and the waiting even tougher. I just keep my eyes on the end and hope that it's actually as near as it looks and not just a mirage.

Any advice on the job issue?

[BishopMnA 0]

Side note, as Adam was leaving, one guard asked the other "so that guy is okay?" Other guard answers, "yeah, he's just in love."

That's the cutest thing I've ever heard.

Ya, I agree! That is cute...and almost hard to believe considering the POE was Detroit! I live near Detroit and go through immigration at least 12 times a year for international business travel. And...I always thought that the Detroit POE employes were extremely tough and rude! And, when I brought my fiancee here on here KI, they really kinda drilled us a bit in the 'interview room'...but our drilling was mild compared to the way they treated other immigrants in the 'interview room'. They were really brutal on a bunch of folks...outwardly mocking their use of English as a second language in front of everyone...

However, as some of you might have seen recently on CNN or on the web, Detroit is ranked as the #1 most dangerous city in the United States. So...I guess those POE folks have a tough job...

Peace to all for the Holidays!

Mark-N-AAm