How long does it take at the airport when you arrive in the US

[Kathy Anne 1]

Trying to find out how long does it take at the airport going through immigration want to book a flight for my fiancé but don’t want him to miss his next flight

[Crazy Cat 41,761]

Depends on several factors, but I recommend 4 hour layover to cover delays, immigration, transfers, etc.  

[Kathy Anne 1]

35 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Depends on several factors, but I recommend 4 hour layover to cover delays, immigration, transfers, etc.  

Thank you so much

[Chancy 6,241]

*** Moved from Working & Traveling During US Immigration to Moving to the US forum, where similar topics about POE procedures and time frames are discussed ***

 

[qrk 104]

There was 4 of us waiting for the airport interview. It took about 2 hours of sitting, waiting and being interviewed (Dallas DFW). This was several years ago so it maybe different nowadays. I second @Crazy Cat recommendation of 4 hours or more if possible.

[Kathy Anne 1]

Thank you he made it wasn't long at all in Washington they asked like 3 question and he was done now I have to figure out what I need to do after we married what to file so he can start working

[Kathy Anne 1]

so can anyone tell me the next step after we get married on the 19th i know i have to file something but not to sure what to look for

[Chancy 6,241]

22 hours ago, Kathy Anne said:

so can anyone tell me the next step after we get married on the 19th i know i have to file something but not to sure what to look for

 

Just to confirm -- your fiance entered on K1 visa?  If yes, does he already have SSN?  If no SSN yet, I strongly recommend he go to an SSA office ASAP to apply for SSN.  For K1, best to apply for SSN before getting married.

 

Check this guide for the AOS process after getting married on K1 -- https://www.visajourney.com/guides/adjustment-of-status-k1-k3-visas/

 

[Kathy Anne 1]

12 minutes ago, Chancy said:

 

Just to confirm -- your fiance entered on K1 visa?  If yes, does he already have SSN?  If no SSN yet, I strongly recommend he go to an SSA office ASAP to apply for SSN.  For K1, best to apply for SSN before getting married.

 

Check this guide for the AOS process after getting married on K1 -- https://www.visajourney.com/guides/adjustment-of-status-k1-k3-visas/

 

i thought he had to marry and then file papers for adjusment of status then he could get ssn ugh why does this have to be such a pain

 

[Chancy 6,241]

1 minute ago, Kathy Anne said:

i thought he had to marry and then file papers for adjusment of status then he could get ssn

 

Yes, that's one way to get SSN.  But applying for SSN now before marriage could be much faster.  With tax filing season coming up, would you really want to risk not having SSN for your husband before the filing deadline?

 

[Kathy Anne 1]

1 minute ago, Chancy said:

 

Yes, that's one way to get SSN.  But applying for SSN now before marriage could be much faster.  With tax filing season coming up, would you really want to risk not having SSN for your husband before the filing deadline?

 

Thank you so much 

[PeterMcS 3]

The standard recommendation for connecting flights after your first flight arriving in the US is to allow 2 1/2 hours. See, e.g. the Washington Post article "What to expect when connecting from an international flight" and it's comments (don't think I can put a link here).

 

But I see above recommendations for 4 hours. Is the process really that much longer for someone coming in on a K-1 visa like my fiancee will? She says she's heard, and one poster above agrees, they just ask a few questions.

[PeterMcS 3]

1 minute ago, PeterMcS said:

The standard recommendation for connecting flights after your first flight arriving in the US is to allow 2 1/2 hours.

 

... because you have to get your checked luggage then go through security again.

[Crazy Cat 41,761]

3 minutes ago, PeterMcS said:

The standard recommendation for connecting flights after your first flight arriving in the US is to allow 2 1/2 hours. See, e.g. the Washington Post article "What to expect when connecting from an international flight" and it's comments (don't think I can put a link here).

 

But I see above recommendations for 4 hours. Is the process really that much longer for someone coming in on a K-1 visa like my fiancee will? She says she's heard, and one poster above agrees, they just ask a few questions.

Too many things can delay the layover for a new immigrant.....flight delay prior to landing at POE, long immigrant lines at immigration, extended secondary inspection, etc.  Personally, I think 4 hours is better than 2 hours.  

[Kathy Anne 1]

34 minutes ago, PeterMcS said:

The standard recommendation for connecting flights after your first flight arriving in the US is to allow 2 1/2 hours. See, e.g. the Washington Post article "What to expect when connecting from an international flight" and it's comments (don't think I can put a link here).

 

But I see above recommendations for 4 hours. Is the process really that much longer for someone coming in on a K-1 visa like my fiancee will? She says she's heard, and one poster above agrees, they just ask a few questions.

It only took him maybe 20 minutes for the questions what’s long is standing in the line to get threw to that part and that was less then and hour so 2 hours was a good time frame