CANADA TO US - Moving over TWO trips? Can I get fiancee's stuff over the border without her present for trip #2?

[RedditMusic 3]

Hey, all! Here's the short version. My fiancee (Canadian) is just about ready to move! She's coming to the USA on a K-1 visa. It's (long) driving distance.

I know that she can only cross the border one time with the K-1 visa. But, can I move her stuff over two trips?

Last time I tried to take some of her belongings over the border during a trip home (a few weeks before the K-1 visa was approved), I got held up and eventually turned away, as she was not accompanying her stuff. The border people pulled me into secondary and verified all our info, and one of the last questions they asked me was "so is her visa approved yet?" which suggested to me that that might be a deciding factor in this issue. My answer was no. Ultimately I was told I am not permitted to bring someone's belongings with me over the border unless they are present.

If she is present with me for the first van full of things, we presumably will get through fine. But what about a second trip with just me? Will I be able to cross into the US with a car full of her stuff if she's now legally in the US on her visa?

 

(To head off the most obvious response questions: I cannot get a larger vehicle than this 9ft moving van in time. We also (I believe) don't have time to arrange a stuff-shipping service such as U-Pack or U-Boxes. If anyone has creative ideas I haven't thought of, they are more than welcome and we are desperate for them! Moving distance example would be Toronto to Boston, about 500mi/800km.)

[Ontarkie 14,228]

~~Moved to the Canada forum, from Working and Traveling~~

[Ontarkie 14,228]

She has 10yrs to move all her things over. My father brought a few things down for me. If you want to bring another load before her AP is in just get a copy or her Visa to show a connection to her stuff.