what to bring when crossing the border

[mrsserendipity 0]

besides my passport/visa of course. i'm not bringing my car over, so i don't have to worry about that. i'll just have my clothes and computer, hah. as far as documents, what will i be asked for? any questions i should be ready to answer? will be i fingerprinted and all that? should we have some cash on us? are there any documents THEY should be giving me/ i need to ask for? i have an immigrant visa, not non-immigrant, if that makes any difference. should i have copies of our approved applications? thanks!

[misa 2]

Bring the sealed envelope too. You don't need to bring any forms if you're moving everything yourself. Just have an itemised list ready with approximate value of items to speed things along. They probably won't even ask to see it. They may not even look at your stuff. Not sure if they will issue you an I-94... if they do, it costs $6 or $7 USD. They may or may not photograph and fingerprint you. They didn't do that with me (entered at Peace Bridge, Fort Erie).

Bringing the approved petitions isn't necessary but when I crossed the border, I had my entire visa file with me just in case. All they really need is the visa in your passport and the sealed envelope.

Have a good crossing!

Edited May 23, 2007 by misa

[mrsserendipity 0]

Bring the sealed envelope too. You don't need to bring any forms if you're moving everything yourself. Just have an itemised list ready with approximate value of items to speed things along. They probably won't even ask to see it. They may not even look at your stuff. Not sure if they will issue you an I-94... if they do, it costs $6 or $7 USD. They may or may not photograph and fingerprint you. They didn't do that with me (entered at Peace Bridge, Fort Erie).

Bringing the approved petitions isn't necessary but when I crossed the border, I had my entire visa file with me just in case. All they really need is the visa in your passport and the sealed envelope.

Have a good crossing!

sealed envelope? what envelope?

[misa 2]

Don't CR-1/IR-1s get a sealed envelope along with their visa in their passport to bring to the POE? K1s and K3s do. It's got the medical info ####### in there with a bunch of other stuff like your application forms, passport photos (I snuck a peek when I was at the POE) and it says "do not open" on it.

[misa 2]

Our Mao refers to a "brown envelope" in this thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67793

Did you get your passport back from Montreal yet? If not, they should be sending that back with something for the POE.

[mrsserendipity 0]

Don't CR-1/IR-1s get a sealed envelope along with their visa in their passport to bring to the POE? K1s and K3s do. It's got the medical info ####### in there with a bunch of other stuff like your application forms, passport photos (I snuck a peek when I was at the POE) and it says "do not open" on it.

no, still waiting.

hmm, i dunno. the mean lady at the "interview" didn't even look at or take my xrays or most of our documents, she just came and was biatchy and we took things back with us.

anyone on a cr-1 know? did you receive anything with the passport?

this isn't the medical exam envelope, right? we needed that for the INTERVIEW. why would they need it at the POE, too, if the consulate said it was ok? hmmm. they would've opened it there anyway, so it wouldn't have been sealed still.

Edited May 23, 2007 by mrsserendipity

[Flames9_RN 358]

Yep, I got the brown envelope. Just handed it to Immigration at POE, and that was the last I saw of it!! Xray is urs to keep!! It will all come in the express post envelope.

Edited May 23, 2007 by flames9

[Carlawarla 1]

Along with your passport, you should receive a brown sealed envelope from the Consulate. Yes, it has your medical forms in there, along with any papers they took copies of at the interview, along with your original papers that you submitted. I was told that what's in the envelope was basically your "file". You hand that over at the POE, and they send it to USCIS. Information from that file is eventually added to the "system" in the USA. You bring your xray with you. You can roll it up or put it in your suitcase.

Whatever you do, you'll see a brown sealed envelope saying "DO NOT OPEN". Don't!

Carla

[Flames9_RN 358]

I dare you to open it,lol That way you can write on what happens when you open the envelope, and see if they truly do deny you entry,lol Just kidding. Hopefully everything arives soonest.

[misa 2]

I read someone that someone's fiance here in VJ *did* in fact open it! Not sure what country they were from. I don't know if they made it to the POE but I believe they went to the consulate to get it re-sealed.

DO NOT OPEN IT!

I guarded my passport and envelope (mine was from Vancouver so it was in a white envelope) with my life until I got to the POE.

[jynxNdragnfly 0]

Once when crossing with my USC fiance we enquired with the customs officer in the booth about what 'immigration' stuff we'd eventually have to do. He said 'oh the I130 through Montreal. It's easy', blah blah blah. Then he said 'oh one tip for you don't open the envelope marked 'do not open' cause then you'll have to start all over again' Not sure if that's 100% true or if he was just trying to impress upon the fact not to open it LOL He said you'd be surprised at how many people open it.

[Melyssa 0]

Once when crossing with my USC fiance we enquired with the customs officer in the booth about what 'immigration' stuff we'd eventually have to do. He said 'oh the I130 through Montreal. It's easy', blah blah blah. Then he said 'oh one tip for you don't open the envelope marked 'do not open' cause then you'll have to start all over again' Not sure if that's 100% true or if he was just trying to impress upon the fact not to open it LOL He said you'd be surprised at how many people open it.

Haha. I don't think that's true. Hyperbole maybe ;-)

[misa 2]

Heh, as far as I know they won't make you start over again, but you would have to get it resealed at the consulate. And you'd probably get told off too.

[Mephys 2]

Funny thing, the guy at Port Huron, it was his first K-1 since few months and had his supervisor next to him. So his supervisor tells him " Go ahead, open that enveloppe" I'm like " Are you sure? Cause if youre not supposed to, well at least dont blame it on me for opening it!!"

We had a laugh out of it, but yeah when they opened it it was just all the file, with the approved petition in it, etc. All they do is stamp your date of entry with a copy of your I-94, and then they send it back to USCIS! They guy even looked in it and said we had nice pictures

Only thing is he never took back any fingerprints of me. All he did was checking my Visa, and my list of belongings that was in the car and they never checked the car itself.

I'm happy to know you have an happy ending with your case, sure hoped it could have been faster for you but now you will be together and the rest is a joke !

Have a safe trip!

Mephys