Help with border control?

[L_n_O 3]

ideas:

tickets purchased for family members to come to the ceremony...

work schedule or letter from parents' employer saying they have requested the day off..

[ry143 0]

ideas:

tickets purchased for family members to come to the ceremony...

work schedule or letter from parents' employer saying they have requested the day off..

Thank you for the ideas, very helpful! I'm not sure if tickets are on sale yet but i'll look into it. Thanks again.

[pushbrk 12,609]

Hey Ryan. I'm from Buffalo and my fiance is a Brit too! As for coming on the VWP, it shouldn't be an issue so long as you haven't had numerous visits to the US. Also, its OK to say "visiting my GF". Just be honest and you should be OK. Good luck!

Why do you think numerous trips would be a problem?

I live in Canada and go to the states every month or two for anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks..

I've been doing this for the past 2 years.. meaning I average around 9 trips a year..

(never had a problem... carry pay stubs, letter from school etc..)

Because it HAS been a problem for my fiance! They told him he visits too often and that the last time he was here it would be the last time he could enter the US without a Visa. He had proof of residency in the UK, but their argument was that he simply spends too much time here.

Canada is not the UK. Too much time in the US is not the same as "frequent visits". Frequent short visits are not looked upon the same as frequent long visits with short returns to home country are.

A first or rare visit under the VWP is likely to raise no question besides "purpose of visit". "Pleasure" is all one really needs to say but you can say visiting friends or even visiting girlfriend without any problem.

Where proof of intention to return comes into play is for visits after the fiance petition is filed.

[L_n_O 3]

ya, but just because Canada shares a border with the US doesn't mean they just wave us across the border..

quite the contrary..

My luggage gets tested for explosives almost every visit, I almost always get about 10 mins of questioning at the border.. and this last trip.. I got a nice feel-down from a female officer that really wasn't called for considering I walked through the metal detectors with no problem. They actually pointed to me in the line (pre-metal detector) and said "do secondary on her"..

you just always need to be prepared

and my frequency of visits hasn't changed from pre-filing to post-filing..

[ry143 0]

Hey Ryan. I'm from Buffalo and my fiance is a Brit too! As for coming on the VWP, it shouldn't be an issue so long as you haven't had numerous visits to the US. Also, its OK to say "visiting my GF". Just be honest and you should be OK. Good luck!

Why do you think numerous trips would be a problem?

I live in Canada and go to the states every month or two for anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks..

I've been doing this for the past 2 years.. meaning I average around 9 trips a year..

(never had a problem... carry pay stubs, letter from school etc..)

Because it HAS been a problem for my fiance! They told him he visits too often and that the last time he was here it would be the last time he could enter the US without a Visa. He had proof of residency in the UK, but their argument was that he simply spends too much time here.

Canada is not the UK. Too much time in the US is not the same as "frequent visits". Frequent short visits are not looked upon the same as frequent long visits with short returns to home country are.

A first or rare visit under the VWP is likely to raise no question besides "purpose of visit". "Pleasure" is all one really needs to say but you can say visiting friends or even visiting girlfriend without any problem.

Where proof of intention to return comes into play is for visits after the fiance petition is filed.

a little update. i got here with no problems at the border at all. When asked the purpose of my visit i even said visiting the girlfriend. he didnt ask me any more questions on the issue. just a few other simple straightforward questions. this was at JFK. i'm here for 83 days total

[*julez* 124]

a little update. i got here with no problems at the border at all. When asked the purpose of my visit i even said visiting the girlfriend. he didnt ask me any more questions on the issue. just a few other simple straightforward questions. this was at JFK. i'm here for 83 days total

That's great ry!!! Thanks for the update. But most of all, have a great time with your fiancee! Autumn is a lovely time in Buffalo, lots to do! Enjoy!

[trailmix 77]

ya, but just because Canada shares a border with the US doesn't mean they just wave us across the border..

quite the contrary..

My luggage gets tested for explosives almost every visit, I almost always get about 10 mins of questioning at the border.. and this last trip.. I got a nice feel-down from a female officer that really wasn't called for considering I walked through the metal detectors with no problem. They actually pointed to me in the line (pre-metal detector) and said "do secondary on her"..

you just always need to be prepared

and my frequency of visits hasn't changed from pre-filing to post-filing..

[Michele and Adam 54]

This is the way Adam and I prepare for trips to see each other. Think of all the things you'll have to cancel or change when you move the US after getting VISA (rent, utilities, bank, work, even magazine subscriptions have your name and address on them!) Those are all your proof of ties. Make copies.

But it really shouldn't even come up for someone coming from the UK. This is Adams 3rd visit this year, fourth total, and for 146 days total this year, and he has yet to be asked for a single piece of paper. He went to secondary again this last time August 23rd, but it took all of 45 seconds. Just questioned about visa status and told if we marry now, it would really screw things up. Yep, thanks for the tip. Okay, have a nice visit! Easy easy.

Michele

[rakkaus 0]

My fiancee just left to return to Finland after coming to visit. She had a letter from her university and a return ticket, but in the end, the guy at POE was very relaxed -- I guess it's like how it never rains if you bring an umbrella...

Oh, it gets better: after spending all our time preparing to deal with Immigration and very little of our time thinking about the flight itself, Immigration gave her a cheerful "Welcome to America!" with no problems at all... and some cheesy airline employee at the ticket counter sent her on a wild goose chase from terminal to terminal so she wouldn't have to interrupt her coffee break. She barely got on her connecting flight here before the door closed!

Final report card:

Immigration:

Lazy airline employee:

Edited September 5, 2007 by rakkaus

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Well, there is some risk in saying you are visiting friends. I said that when I went to Edmonton last month, and it was true, too, because of course my fiance is my best friend, and I was also going to see a few other friends. The immigration guy asked what my friend's name was, and I just gave my fiance's name, because that's who I was staying with. I didn't really think anything of it because on my previous trips to Edmonton, I had always stayed with a male friend. Well, when he heard a male name he said "That sounds like a boyfriend." He didn't really care that I was visiting my boyfriend or ask for ties to the US or any such thing, but I'm in my 40s and probably perceived as less likely than someone younger to impetuously decide to stay illegally on a whim.

There's also a possibility of being grilled about how you know the friends you are visiting (my fiance actually got this going through Canadian customs at Pearson after visiting me two months ago---FFS he was returning home!!!). Granted, those experiences were both with Canadian customs, but I don't think it's unique to Canadian customs or can't happen entering the US.

This past weekend he came here, told US customs he was going to visit his girlfriend (we have not yet filed our petition--we're about to). We had discussed this before his flight, and he thought it might be better to say that (and be prepared with evidence of ties to home) because he will have to say to quite possibly the same customs agent that he's visiting his fiancee when he comes here three weeks from now, plus we had already been questioned about saying we were "visiting friends" on our last two visits. He had no problems saying he was visiting his girlfriend. All they did was ask if he had a return ticket; they did not even ask to see it.

I am not suggesting that you NOT say you are visiting friends if you visit before filing. Obviously it has worked for us and has worked for most couples. But you really do still need to have evidence of ties to home anyway, just in case, and you might want to consider what kinds of follow-up questions you might be asked.

[marieke 1]

ive been twice now, first time i said boyfriend (we werent engaged yet) and the 2nd time i said fiance. no problems at all. they never asked for proof. they only asked what my job was and how long i was staying. im about to go again, lets hope its the same!