gandalf1989

Update: She made it through customs just fine. No translator needed, the agent was accommodating of my fiance's limited English. The fact that we plan to get married and apply for a CR-1 Visa did not come up. Apparently the agent looked "scared" when my fiance said that she planned to stay for 3 months, haha. But other than that it went smoothly. I think ultimately she had a lot of things going in her favor: from a low risk country, on ESTA, clean travel history, and going through Toronto. Thank you everyone for the well wishes! We did not do Global Entry this time. But I think I will sign her up for it now that we can sit down together and complete the application. Please correct me if I am wrong, but from what I can tell, she does not have to do Alien Registration since she is visiting on ESTA.

Yes, I think we will do some practice interviews together in English to help her emphasize the points that she will spend time here with her fiancé and do some sightseeing, and that she has a return ticket for September. She will not mention that she will be marrying, but if they ask she will say "Yes I will get married and then return to Japan in September" If they ask if we plan to adjust status, she will answer no, and that she will return to Japan in September. I do not think they will ask is she will apply for a visa, but if they do she will say yes, I would like to apply for a CR-1 Visa, but I will be returning to Japan and complete the process at the embassy in Japan. Ultimately, there is nothing else to do accept to go in prepared, answer all questions completely and honestly, and hope for the best. She has many things going in her favor which will hopefully balance out the red flags. As for Global Entry, we still have several weeks before her flight. Should she try applying now, and if she's lucky, she'll be able to take a Global Entry interview at her point of entry? Will a Global Entry interview have a higher chance of success? Thank you for sharing your experience and for the advice. That's interesting, I didn't know about that. Does she need to complete that before she leaves Japan? Or at the airport? Or while she is here in the US? She has a flight from Osaka to Toronto, then a 3.5 hour layover before flying from Toronto to Pittsburgh. Thank you for the information.

She has a layover in Toronto, so it's possible for me to meet her there and fly into the US together. I like that as a way for me to be more involved in the process, it's just a little roundabout. Because of my job and plane ticket prices, it's not feasible for me to travel with her from Japan. It's frustrating because even though our situation raises red flags, our intentions are good and within the law. I'm just worried that she will not be able to explain the full details of the situation to the satiafaction of an officer. Thank you for the advice and for wishing us well.

She can probably express those statements on her own, especially if she practices, but I'm worried that the language barrier will make it sound like she has immigrant intent and become an easy refusal for the officer. A translator would be ideal if that is an option. Getting a japanese translator seems a little tricky though. How do you feel about preparing a written statement beforehand to show to the officer? We would work on it together and it would contain her own truthful statements regarding her circumstances. Is generating evidence of a bonafide marriage a valid use of the ESTA stay? We will certainly accomplish that, although the purpose of the visit is primarily to enjoy our time together. I'm unsure about requesting to speak to a supervisor because I'm worried it could be seen as uncooperative. But in the worst case scenario that she is refused entry by the initial officer, will there be an opportunity to plead our case before she is sent back? For example to a supervisor, either with my help or the help of a translator? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to prepare for this challenging situation in any way that we possibly can. Thank you for your response, I appreciate the information Yes I understand it is not a visa, I made a mistake in my original post. Thank you for the clarification.

I had no idea that was a possibility. Honestly, if that was the case, I would still be extremely grateful. It would give us the opportunity to get married in the US so that we can begin the CR-1 visa process. And even 3 weeks together would be incredible right now. I would be able to pay for a new return ticket in that case. At the very least she will have gotten value out of the inbound flight. Thank you for the information and for wishing us well.

Hi all, My fiance is flying here from Japan to visit me in the US in June. She will be visiting on an ESTA visa. I'm kind of stressing over the customs interview since she will be visiting for 85 days and I heard that they may scrutinize longer stays. I'd appreciate any advice to help get her through customs without issues. Some details: She will stay from mid June to early September. This will be her 2nd time visiting the US. She previously stayed for 1 week in January this year. Her plane ticket is non-changable and non-refundable. She can speak some English, but she's not skilled yet. She can understand me when I speak slowly for her. She is in between jobs at the moment. I am supporting her financially. She has a part time job offer she can pursue when she returns to Japan in September. We are planning to get married soon after she arrives and apply for the CR-1 Visa right away. She is planning to bring our wedding rings with her on the plane ride to America. She rents a house in Japan. She has 2 living parents, a grandmother, and a brother in Japan. I'm stressed about the long stay, the fact that she is between jobs, and the fact that we plan to get married. I'm worried these might be red flags for a CBP agent even though our intentions are within the law. Would you recommend that we prepare supporting documents explaining our intentions, her situation, and her current ties to Japan? Or maybe just a note witb my name and number in case the agent would like to speak to me (I will be at the airport to pick her up)? If she is denied entry, is there any recourse for us before she is sent back to Japan? I just want her to get here safe. We are both really looking forward to this time together. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Good advice, thank you! I think we will aim closer to 80 days per visit. I've been considering that. If there's any chance that it would reduce the risk of being denied entry by CBP on an ESTA visit, then it seems to be well worth the cost. She won't be working on ESTA. Truthfully I will be financially supporting her during this time for the most part. Thank you for the information. At this time, it is absolutely our intention to have my fiancé visit on ESTA and then return to her home country within 3 months. Thanks for all the informative replies, Eric

Yes, this is correct. I will add that I want her to come visit me as much as possible on the tourist visa while the CR-1 process takes place. I believe that as a Japanese citizen, she is allowed to visit the United States for a total of 6 months out of the year, for up to 3 months at a time. Each time that she comes to visit me on the tourist visa, she will be truthful about the fact that she is visiting her husband in the United States. She will also bring evidence of her ties to her home country, such as her returning plane ticket, as well as lease agreement, employment, and family ties in Japan. Thank you, Eric

That's great news! Thank you so much!

Hi Everyone, I am sure this question has been asked many times before, but I wasn't able to find a thread for it, so I apologize in advance. I'm currently living and working in the United States. My fiancé currently lives in Japan. We have been dating for about 6 months, and we have met in person several times, but we are not yet married. My fiancé will be visiting me in the United States on a tourist visa some time in March or April and staying for about 3 months. We want to apply for the CR1 Visa as soon as possible. I want to know how and when we should get married so that the process goes as smoothly as possible. For example, should we get married when she visits me on the tourist visa? She will be returning to her home country after about 3 months regardless. In this case, would it be possible to begin the CR1 Visa application while she is still in the United States on a tourist visa? Or should we wait until she is back home in Japan before filing. Alternatively, should we have a virtual marriage while she is still in Japan, so that I can apply for the CR1 Visa before she visits me on a tourist visa? Finally, it would be possible for me to visit her in Japan to get married there before applying for the CR1, although that would be the most difficult and expensive option. I appreciate any advice on the subject. Thank you, Eric PS: We are open to applying for the K1 Visa as well, but I heard that they take about the same amount of time to process, so the CR1 Visa seems to be more advantageous (cheaper overall, can being working immediately, etc).