ladywhite
Difficulty:  | Review Topic: Port of Entry Review
I arrived in ATL on time at 10:30 a.m. Saturday 6th of October. The airport did not appear crowded probably because it was in the morning. from my observation there must have been 2 or 3 international flights coming in at around the time my flight arrived. when you get off the plane, you will have the only way to go, which is to the immigration. so, for those of you who fly alone, don't be scared. you will never get lost. there you will see two lines, one for foriegn visitors and the other for US citizens and LPRs. you will go to the former line. on the day i arrived, the line for foreign visitors at the immigration was long but moved fairly fast.
at the first immigration point, you need to show only your passport, your filled I-94, and the Custom form (both received on board). the officer who checked my stuff was African American and very kind. he asked if i loved my fiance (of course!!). then he returned everything to me and told me to go downstairs to the US Custom and Borders to have them process me.
from this point, you again have the only way to go, which is downstairs to either get your luggage or to have your matter further processed. when you get to the lower level, take a trolly (you don't need a quarter to get it) and get your luggage first before moving on to the US custom. you will see that there is only way for you to go to the US custom. signs and directions are good. even though you get confused, you can just ask the airport staff (like i did). they appeared very friendly and helpful.
at the entrance of the US Custom, one officer will look at your passport, visa, and other stuff you have; put it in a green folder; hand it back to you; and then tell you to go to the line that is applicable for you (there are people who need to have their stuff inspected by the US custom that go the same way as you here). following the line to the end, you will get to another officer who will take the green folder(that contains your passport, I-94, Custom form, and the sealed envelop given by the embassy in your country). you will be told to have a seat. here is the area that some people here at VJ call a green room, which is actually not a room but an open area with a green carpet. you can see other people picking up their checked luggage behind you.
it was 11 something and close to lunch time that i finally made it to this "green room." there were only a few people waiting and i was the only one with a K-1. the other two were elderly ladies from Vietnam and Korea who also waited for their brought stuff to be inspected. nonetheless, it took me about half an hour or so to get called. the officer at this point was also African American who asked me only one question that was related to my K-1: when are you getting married? i said 'next week.' then he asked about the amount of cash i carried with me and if i brought fruits with me. he then handed me back my passport with I-94 stamped and a sheet of paper about how to adjust status from a K-1 and told me that i was good to go.
it took me nealy an hour and a half total to get through immigration and custom at ATL airport. I couldn't imagine how much longer it would have taken me had i arrived during the busiest time of day (as others mention it being in the afternoon).
my experience at ATL airport as POE was good. i don't have anything to complain about except the fact that i couldn't find my other suitcase in the end. but that is irrelevant to the K-1.
Wish you the best of luck if your POE is ATL. (f)
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Port of Entry Member Review #13844
Entry Date: 2007-10-06