jessb

Hey Everyone,

Firstly, thanks to all of you who have shared your experiences and your knowledge about immigration here. It's been really helpful to us!

I usually find the answers I'm looking for on my own through previous posts, but this time I need help. Has anyone actually travelled together as a couple to the US when the visa holder enters for the first time with a K-1 visa? If so, can you tell me what it's like? Do you have to go through separate lines? We've travelled together in Europe and always both went through the non-EU line together, even though he was EU. Can we both go through the visitor line at the POE in the US? Or do we use the citizen/resident lane? Am I allowed to be with him when he enters?

Our info: I am a USC, my fiance is from the UK. Tomorrow a courier is scheduled to take his passport & birth certificate to the Embassy in London. We planned (after he receives his passport w/visa) on me flying over to England for a few days, then the both of us going to America together.

Even if someone could direct me to a previous post, that would be great. My own searching has yielded nothing.

Thanks
Jess

Moonshadow_Girl

My then fiancé and I traveled together from LHR to SFO. Once we arrived, we just followed the sign to the "New Immigrant" line. It didn't occur to me to not go with him. I figured they would tell me if I couldn't check in there. Lucky for us, there was virtually no queue. We spent about 10 min there between the both of us. Of course, 9 of those minutes were spent on my fiancé, going through all his paperwork. He even got a "Welcome to America" from the Officer. No problem whatsoever.

ian-mstm

No, but he can't go through the USC line with you. You will have to go through the visitor line with him if you want to stay together.


Of course you are!

Ian

Noorah101

We did this. I went to Turkey to attend my fiance's K-1 visa interview. He was approved, and we flew back to the USA together a week later.

Our POE was JFK. We both went through the non-USC line. We were allowed to stay together (good thing, too, since he needed me to translate). For us, it took about 2 hours to get through Immigration, but I thnk that's longer than the norm.

It was a great feeling coming to the USA together for his very first time!

Rene

jeffreyhy

jb,

My fiancee and I also came to the USA together, entering at JFK.

We went through the USC line together.

Regards, JEff

paul_79

Hi,

My US fiancee travelled from LHR to JFK with me. We both went through the non-USC line together. She was processed in about 10 seconds, me 10 minutes including secondary processing of my visa. It was all very quick for us!

jessb

Thanks to you all for your replies, much appreciated!

ian-mstm

With respect, yours would seem to be an atypical situation.

Ian

jessb

How so, Ian? (with respect, of course)

ian-mstm

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that it is more usual for the USC to travel through the non-USC line with the alien, than it is for the alien to go through the USC line with the USC.

Of course... I could be wrong!

Ian

jessb

Thanks, Ian. This is what we did when we travelled together in Europe (we both went through the non-EU lane), so maybe it's best to start that way in the US, too. We usually enter through O'Hare (anthough never have arrived in the US together), and often there's a worker stationed close to both entries. I'm sure it won't be too difficult, in the end. Hoping for a 10-mintute entry, like some of the others here, no matter which line we use!

meauxna

We went through the non-US line, having been verbally spanked for using the UK citizen line Over There before.
If you don't want a delay, may as well head to the line equipped to handle your entry type vs the USC line where they may not be prepared for it (they load balance now, so it's probably all a moot point). Look for a special desk for first time immigrants.. SFO has one, like Moonshadow G says, so other busy airports probably do too.

jeffreyhy

Perhaps. But asking an immigration agent walking the floor at the POI which line to use can yield a different result than asking an internet discussion group.

Regards, JEff

jeffreyhy

Exactly!

At JFK the alien is going to secondary inspection anyway, no matter which line they wait in. The agents in the booths are going to go through the materials in the envelope. Other POEs may be different.

jb - where will your POE be?

Regards, JEff

jessb

Jeff -

We're not sure yet. We wanted to take a direct flight to Detroit, but it's not easy anymore to do that. We'll probably connect through ORD (Chicago), that's our normal route. It depends on price at this point, as tickets will be bought only a few weeks ahead of time, and close to the holidays.

Thanks
Jess