Entry into the US IR/CR1 Visa

[+VOL-- 0]

My husband and I are in Beijing, China. We want to travel to the US this month. My husband just received his immigrant visa here in China. Due to the virus travel ban, will entry into the U.S. be allowed on a IR/CR1 visa? I know citizens and permanent residents are allowed in but what about those that have just received their immigrant visa and have not entered the US yet?

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

1 hour ago, +VOL-- said:

My husband and I are in Beijing, China. We want to travel to the US this month. My husband just received his immigrant visa here in China. Due to the virus travel ban, will entry into the U.S. be allowed on a IR/CR1 visa? I know citizens and permanent residents are allowed in but what about those that have just received their immigrant visa and have not entered the US yet?

I would check with the embassy just to be sure

[givionte 138]

Entry is allowed for alien families/spouses of US citizens, so you are ok.  As long as you travel together it won't be a problem.  If traveling alone, it could be more difficult to explain to the airlines at check-in that you are able to legally fly and enter the US, but the law is on your side.

 

If you have any layovers on your planned flight, please check local country laws for any new restrictions.  For example, my wife and I will fly to the US in May, but to even simply layover for 2 hours in Incheon, she needs a travel visa currently, due to the restrictions due to the pandemic.  Something to think about before you book.

Edited February 15, 2020 by givionte

[+VOL-- 0]

Thank you both for your answers.

 

Givionte, yes you are right. I was able to contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier and they confirmed that he will be able allowed entry. And yes, transiting through another country was also another thing I worry about. What nationality is your wife? My husband is Ghanian. How did you find out that she needs a visa? Seems our two transit options right now are either South Korea or Japan. I have been unable to find definite answers if transiting through either Korea or Japan will be an issue. 

 

[+VOL-- 0]

deleted...

Edited February 15, 2020 by +VOL--

[+VOL-- 0]

5 hours ago, givionte said:

Entry is allowed for alien families/spouses of US citizens, so you are ok.  As long as you travel together it won't be a problem.  If traveling alone, it could be more difficult to explain to the airlines at check-in that you are able to legally fly and enter the US, but the law is on your side.

 

If you have any layovers on your planned flight, please check local country laws for any new restrictions.  For example, my wife and I will fly to the US in May, but to even simply layover for 2 hours in Incheon, she needs a travel visa currently, due to the restrictions due to the pandemic.  Something to think about before you book.

Sorry, I meant to quote you earlier. Please see my question above. Thanks!

[Just Paul 4,595]

Use this to determine visa needs:  https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/

[givionte 138]

13 hours ago, +VOL-- said:

Thank you both for your answers.

 

Givionte, yes you are right. I was able to contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier and they confirmed that he will be able allowed entry. And yes, transiting through another country was also another thing I worry about. What nationality is your wife? My husband is Ghanian. How did you find out that she needs a visa? Seems our two transit options right now are either South Korea or Japan. I have been unable to find definite answers if transiting through either Korea or Japan will be an issue. 

 

Personally I found out from the news about the new South Korean travel restriction, and confirmed it on the Korean Air website which is the first leg of my trip in May.  I'm still a bit worried about our booking since we are expecting to fly into Minneapolis, but currently people flying from China are restricted to 9 or 11 different airports.  Hopefully that will be ending before Spring, because fares have doubled in May in the last week, and I don't want to be forced to change.

[+VOL-- 0]

7 hours ago, Paul & Mary said:

Use this to determine visa needs:  https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/

Thank you so much. That was really helpful. We called the Korea Air customer service for additional confirmation and they sent us a similar website:  https://www.timaticweb2.com/integration/external?ref=27165d7fc2e2de6595bb4c4aaa105031

This one allows you to skip the "Reason for Travel" part which only allows either "tourism/vacation" "business" and "duty." I thought that might affect the result. Also it's more detailed about which situations transit will be needed. 

[+VOL-- 0]

1 hour ago, givionte said:

Personally I found out from the news about the new South Korean travel restriction, and confirmed it on the Korean Air website which is the first leg of my trip in May.  I'm still a bit worried about our booking since we are expecting to fly into Minneapolis, but currently people flying from China are restricted to 9 or 11 different airports.  Hopefully that will be ending before Spring, because fares have doubled in May in the last week, and I don't want to be forced to change.

Thanks for the the reply. We were able to get in contact with Korean Air who just told us to contact the Ghanian embassy and the Korean embassy in China. They also shared this website to check if visa is needed https://www.timaticweb2.com/integration/external?ref=27165d7fc2e2de6595bb4c4aaa105031

 

We haven't booked our tickets yet but Japan is another option for transfer. Since we won't need a transit visa for Japan, we'll just go with Japan. I hope everything has settled down by the time you travel and everything goes smoothly.

Edited February 16, 2020 by +VOL--