Gail Brand

Hello all.. I'm in the Uk and my fiance in the US has literally only just posted off
the petition to the CA office..now I need to go to San Fran en route to Canada (don't
ask) on the 23rd June 02 and I've been told I may get hassle entering the US.

1. Does anyone have any experience with entering the US whilst a K1 petition is in
the pipeline?

2. Does anyone know if by then it will resiter on my passport that there is K1
petition in progress?

I know this is boring, but pleeeeeeeease help!

also, anyone got a timeline on UK/California applications?

Best wishes and thanks!

Gail

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abi

As long as you can show sufficient proof that you have every intention of returning to the UK after your visit, you should be ok. But showing sufficient proof is the hard part. Employment proof, proof of residence, bank details are some of the things you may have to show. It is true that the INS inspector could not let you into the US because youre in the process of teh K1, but as long as you can show the proof they need, or may need, then you should be ok. As for whether it shows on your passport, well whether it does or whether it doesnt, it is better to be honest, and tell them at the POE. If you dont tell them, and they have it on their system then it will raise suspicion. Good luck.

Daniel

"Gail Brand" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > Hello all.. I'm in the Uk and my fiance in the US has literally only just posted
    > off the petition to the CA office..now I need to go to San Fran en route to
    > Canada (don't ask) on the 23rd June 02 and I've been told I may get hassle
    > entering the US.
    >
    > 1. Does anyone have any experience with entering the US whilst a K1 petition is in
    > the pipeline?
    >
    > 2. Does anyone know if by then it will resiter on my passport that there is K1
    > petition in progress?
    >
    > I know this is boring, but pleeeeeeeease help!
    >
    > also, anyone got a timeline on UK/California applications?
    >
    > Best wishes and thanks!
    >
    > Gail

Dear Gail,

I can respond only on the second part of your question, since I'm not familiar with
K1 entering to US as turists.

CSC, the CA Service Center, averages about 32-38 days from the receipt date on the
I-797, the Notice of Action form. I'm counting mine, , I'm still at day 26. There
is tons of stuff on the web. To learn more about the processing times, on any search
engine, www.google.com is the best, search for CSC JIT report or CSC Processing times
etc. and read them.

By the way, I'm from SF.

Good luck! Daniel

Maarten W.G. An

"Gail Brand" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hello all.. I'm in the Uk and my fiance in the US has literally only just
    > posted off
the
    > petition to the CA office..now I need to go to San Fran en route to Canada (don't
    > ask) on the 23rd June 02 and I've been told I may get hassle
entering
    > the US.

A lot of people want to know, can the foreign fiance VISIT the US fiance in the US
during this process?

There are no guarantees....several people have recently been turned away at the port
of entry after starting the k-1 process. If you try to make an entry during the k-1
process you may be turned back and sent home. The risk of this happening appears to
be growing. If you elect to try for an entry, be aware of this risk. If you are
fingerprinted at the time you are turned back at the port of entry, this may delay
your interview for the visa, because the FBI check will come back with a positive
result and they will have to wait for a report from the FBI. This could take 2-3
months, and the consulate will question you about this attempted entry.

If you elect to try an entry during the k-1 process:

Bear in mind, what you are trying is basically a crap shoot. You may or may not gain
entry. If you elect to try, what you need is Substantial evidence of your intent to
return to the foreign country...what you do is travel to the US and wait until you go
through immigration, and hope like all get out that they let you in. Evidence you
should bring with you includes: a copy of letter from employer stating when you are
expected to return, copy of apartment lease agreement, copy of bank account, and
anything else that you can get your hands on. If you are leaving a child behind in
the care of someone else, a letter from that someone stating when you are expected to
return. The more evidence you provide, the better your chances are of being let in,
however bear in mind, the immigration officer will have the last say on this. You
could be spending money on the plane fare for nothing if they put you on the next
plane back to your country. It is generally wise to say as little as possible, but
always to tell the truth. If they ask you who you are visiting, say "a friend." If
they note that you have a fiance visa petition filed for you and ask you if this is
true, say "yes" and then quickly go on to say that you would not do anything to
jeopardize your fiance visa process, especially staying in the US. I would advise the
foreign fiance, however, NOT to visit AFTER he/she has obtained the police report,
because in so doing at least one person has invalidated the police report and had to
get a new one.

Here is a set of recommendations gleaned from the alt.visa.us.marriage-based
newsgroup, if you come to the US to visit your fiance :

1. Answer only what you are asked, and do NOT volunteer or elaborate in any way
whatsoever.
2. Repeat of rule #1, most people do not listen when they are told to answer only
what they are asked.
3. Bring along AMPLE proof of your intent to return to your home country, in case
they ask, but do NOT volunteer it.
4. Always tell the truth to any consular, port of entry, or INS officer, but again,
do NOT volunteer anything more than you are asked. For instance, if they ask you
if you have a girlfriend, say Yes, but do not volunteer that you have a fiance,
wait for them to ask. If they ask if you plan to marry on this entry, state no and
leave it at that. If they ask for more details, answer them as they ask them, but
do not volunteer anything. Always answer a "yes or no" question with yes or no and
not more than that.
5. Wait for them to ask the purpose of the trip. If asked, state "to visit a friend."
If they don't ask more, don't tell more.
6. Bring along sufficient clothes and money for the stated length of your trip. If
you state that you are going to spend 3-4 months, this will make your chances for
entry less (since most people cannot take this much time off work), and it would
be to your advantage to plan a shorter trip (eg, two weeks) and then "change your
mind" about how long you plan to stay after you get to the US. If you are going to
fly, get tickets that allow you to change the date of the return flight.
7. Stay casual.
8. Remember: there are no guarantees: you may or may not be allowed to enter the U.S

Decide for yourself if it is worth the risk. It's playing with fire in my opinion,
and apperantly they have gotten a lot stricter after sept. 11.....

Maarten