badlydrawnmegan

Hello,

My fiance is coming to the US to visit me for the first time (also his first visit to the US in general). I've been to the UK to visit him twice before, once for a month, the other for three months.

He's 24, and he's coming later this month and staying for a full month. He'll fly into Philadelphia from England and then flying to Houston where I am. He has a return ticket and we're going to try to get him a letter from work saying when he's expected back in. He'll bring around $900, give or take, and $350 of that will already be in cash when he gets to immigration.

I don't think he'll have a problem, but I'm just trying not to miss anything out. He's going to say he's visiting his girlfriend (figure it'll sound a bit better than fiance... and we aren't going to try to get married here at all yet, anyway), which was fine in the UK this summer when I said I'd be visiting my boyfriend (granted he was my boyfriend and not fiance yet at that time... only got three questions off the IO and he let me in!).

I go to uni so I'm up here at my apartment all the time. He'll be staying with me here during the week and we'll be at my parents' house on the weekends so he will have a chance to be around them more. I figure when he gives the IO the address he'll be staying at, he should just use my parents' instead of my apartment. Maybe it looks better that way?

Any thoughts? Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Michael

Don't give more information than needed. He should just say he is visiting friends or in the US on "pleasure". No need to complicate things.

Poppy girl

Yep I agree its the truth and less complicated.

badlydrawnmegan

I don't know, we're really not keen on saying just friends. He'll be telling them who he's staying with and it's a girl's name, so it doesn't look like just friends. Also, he'll have an address book on him with my two addresses in them, and those are the only addresses in it at the moment because he just bought it. Only addresses in the US, as well. If they searched him and looked through that.... I just don't want him being called out on it. It sounds sketchy for him to say friends if they find out he means girlfriend.

Ray

Red flag to a bull ... he is coming on vacation ..and hoping to meet up with a few friends .. put down a local motel as an address

lisa67

Agree, agree, agree....he's coming over here for a vacation. No need to mention anyone or anything unless he is asked specifically about you and then he can say you're a friend. Trust us...most of us have been around a very long time !

Michael

He can still put down your addres. You are a friend, right?

Marty J

The first time I went to the US, I was really worried about going through immigration.

When I went through though, the immigration officer just asked me how long I was staying (three months), if I had been in the US before (no), and then told me to enjoy my stay.

I felt pretty silly afterwards for being so worried about it. They're trained to tell the difference between people abusing the system or intending to overstay, and legitimate travellers.

ian-mstm

Ah... the sweet innocence of youth! You entering the UK was a veritable walk in the park compared to what he might face coming to the US. The others have given you good advice... it behooves you (and him) to follow it. He should answer only the questions asked, and he should not volunteer information.

Ian

badlydrawnmegan

Haha, ahh well we didn't want to say just friends because of this reason only... just thought if it led them to more questions about his "friend", then they might get upset if they find out it's girlfriend.

But thanks for all the advice. I think this time we may just use the friend bit. Do you think that's acceptable even if he's staying with me (a girl "friend"?) for a whole month?

lisa67

They don't need to know you are a girl do they ? If he needs to put your address down just use your initial or do what Ray suggests and use a local motel address. I really don't think (hopefully I won't be eating my words) that they'll be worried about letting him in.

Michael

They don't care if it is a guy or a girl. Your making a bigger deal out of it than it is. Even if they start asking him further questions, he could say he is staying with a friend who is a girl that he met in the past couple of years. He just shouldn't say anything that would give them an impression that he may stay and get married.

scrubbedexpat099

I came through quite a few times saying that I was visiting my GF.

But I would suggest that you stick to on holiday visiting friends.

Folinskyinla

Hi:

You are getting way too detailed in your advice. You are starting to get into advice on how to evade things -- and that can become irritating to CBP officers and worsen things.

He just has to know three rules:

1. Tell the truth. It is easier to remember. Corollaries: don't guess -- I don't know or I don't remember are OK if true.

2. Make sure you understand the question. One will be jetlagged and tired. It is OK to say "I don't understand the question?" or even "What??" with a puzzled look.

3. Answer ONLY the question asked, nothing more. If you are asked "do you know what time it is?" the only two possible answers are either "yes" or "no." They did not ask what time it is.


BTW, I recommend he not drink on the plane even though the booze is free on international flights. A lot of water is good.

Second -- if asked as to who he will see, there is nothing wrong with "Seeing [name]" and nothing more. Let THEM ask "who is she?" or even from the computer screen "Is the lady who filed a K-1 for you?"

These rules are designed to make the person both be and LOOK honest. No need to evade. No need to rehearse how to avoid things. The thing I like about these rules is that I repeat them in front of an officer -- it makes her job easier.

badlydrawnmegan

I've rehearsed these rules for my UK visits, haha. Just a bit more worried about the US is all... we're extremely paranoid, hah.

Ok well when the IO says "Whats the purpose of your visit?" then my fiance says "visiting friends." But when he looks at the address on the landing card, or asks him for the address he's staying, and asks "Who lives at this address?" should he then say "my girlfriend"?

I want to make this as easy as possible, but I just still have a lot of worries. I'll take your advice though, just trying to cover all the ground.

Also, he'll be staying for a whole month, I just don't want them to get weird if he eventually tells them he's staying with his girlfriend and didn't initially say that when asked his purpose. Maybe I'm looking too much into things though.

Thank you for your response at any rate! It's helpful.