We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Mar 25th 2010, 11:02 pm
#1
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Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 308
We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
We arrived in the USA on Tuesday. It is amazing to finally be here after going through the K1 visa process.
My last week in the UK was spent giving away furniture and saying goodbye to friends. My last day went so fast I almost ran out of time to get everything done. A girlfriend took us to Heathrow on Tuesday morning. We got stuck in some terrible traffic but made it in time. I ended up taking three large bags and my son's car seat and stroller. Our flights were with US Airways. We checked in and I paid $55 dollars for my extra bag. My son and I were allowed 1 free bag each and I didn't have to pay for his stroller or car seat. Personally I thought it was pretty reasonable and our bags were not small but were not overweight/oversize. We said our goodbyes and then through security and off to our gate.
The flight went very quickly and before I knew it we were descending into Philadelphia. We arrived at the Immigration Hall around 4 pm and I filled out the I-94 (white card) for myself and my son, then we joined the queue with our BBEs. We were called forward and the officer asked me the following questions:
How I met my fiance and when?
If my fiance had always lived in the USA?
When were we planning to get married?
He took my fingerprints, did my eye-scan and then said he was sending me to Secondary so that my paperwork could be processed. He gave me a red file with all my papers inside and asked me to continue down the corridor to Secondary. As I was walking away he called out "Good luck".
At 5 pm we arrived at the door of a dingy room full of people - some with their luggage, some without. There was a long desk at the far end of the room with three officers behind it. I walked up and asked the first officer if I needed to leave my paperwork with him. He ignored me. I moved along the desk and asked a second officer if I could give him my red file. He glared at me, and told me that I had to wait my turn and told me to take a seat as there were lots of people in front of me. I was glad I didn't bother to ask how long I would be waiting as another chap asked that question and was barked at and told "It might be 30 minutes, it might be two hours. Sit down and wait". I overhead that if any of us missed our connecting flight, we would be put on the next one... if we got that far that is.
There were some toys and my son played with those while I sat and waited. Some people were processed and allowed to leave. Some people were told to go and get their luggage and come back. It was quite an eye-opener. I have never been to Secondary before and I don't have any desire to go again. My 2 year old was amazing and also the box of old toys was a lifesaver. He is in the tantrum stage at the moment and I was really worried that he might just flip out on me.
At 5.30 pm I decided to whip out my phone and let my fiance know that there was a chance we might miss our connection to Albany. I steeled myself for being in Secondary for some time as there really didn't seem to be much urgency in the processing and there were many people waiting to be processed in front of me. Luckily we did not have to wait too long. Around 6 pm I noticed a female officer had our paperwork. She called our names and we went over to speak with her. My legs were like jelly by now. She handed me our passports and said that everything was in order. She reminded me that I had 90 days to get married and then my new husband would need to file the necessary paperwork to adjust status. I assured her that we understood the process and were getting married asap. She said that we were free to leave and go and get our connecting flight. The last thing she said was "Oh and welcome to America".
It was now a little after 6 pm. Our connection was at 7.07 pm. I found our luggage and a porter helped me get the luggage trolley and the stroller containing the 2 year old through Customs and down to security. At security I had a major panic as I couldn't find our boarding passes. I was the only person in the line and the officer was quite nice and chatted to my son while I emptied my hand luggage out onto the floor. Boarding passes found we went through security and then found our gate. It was now 6.30 pm. Plenty of time left so we went and got a snack to take onto the plane and then we went back and waited to board our final flight. I was absolutely exhausted but pleased that in less than 90 minutes I would be with my future DH for the rest of our lives.
So that's it... my story of arriving in the USA on a K1 visa. Yesterday we got our marriage licence and bought our wedding rings. We are having a very small ceremony on April 10th and then a celebration on June 5th. It is wonderful to finally be here. Very lovely indeed.
My last week in the UK was spent giving away furniture and saying goodbye to friends. My last day went so fast I almost ran out of time to get everything done. A girlfriend took us to Heathrow on Tuesday morning. We got stuck in some terrible traffic but made it in time. I ended up taking three large bags and my son's car seat and stroller. Our flights were with US Airways. We checked in and I paid $55 dollars for my extra bag. My son and I were allowed 1 free bag each and I didn't have to pay for his stroller or car seat. Personally I thought it was pretty reasonable and our bags were not small but were not overweight/oversize. We said our goodbyes and then through security and off to our gate.
The flight went very quickly and before I knew it we were descending into Philadelphia. We arrived at the Immigration Hall around 4 pm and I filled out the I-94 (white card) for myself and my son, then we joined the queue with our BBEs. We were called forward and the officer asked me the following questions:
How I met my fiance and when?
If my fiance had always lived in the USA?
When were we planning to get married?
He took my fingerprints, did my eye-scan and then said he was sending me to Secondary so that my paperwork could be processed. He gave me a red file with all my papers inside and asked me to continue down the corridor to Secondary. As I was walking away he called out "Good luck".
At 5 pm we arrived at the door of a dingy room full of people - some with their luggage, some without. There was a long desk at the far end of the room with three officers behind it. I walked up and asked the first officer if I needed to leave my paperwork with him. He ignored me. I moved along the desk and asked a second officer if I could give him my red file. He glared at me, and told me that I had to wait my turn and told me to take a seat as there were lots of people in front of me. I was glad I didn't bother to ask how long I would be waiting as another chap asked that question and was barked at and told "It might be 30 minutes, it might be two hours. Sit down and wait". I overhead that if any of us missed our connecting flight, we would be put on the next one... if we got that far that is.
There were some toys and my son played with those while I sat and waited. Some people were processed and allowed to leave. Some people were told to go and get their luggage and come back. It was quite an eye-opener. I have never been to Secondary before and I don't have any desire to go again. My 2 year old was amazing and also the box of old toys was a lifesaver. He is in the tantrum stage at the moment and I was really worried that he might just flip out on me.
At 5.30 pm I decided to whip out my phone and let my fiance know that there was a chance we might miss our connection to Albany. I steeled myself for being in Secondary for some time as there really didn't seem to be much urgency in the processing and there were many people waiting to be processed in front of me. Luckily we did not have to wait too long. Around 6 pm I noticed a female officer had our paperwork. She called our names and we went over to speak with her. My legs were like jelly by now. She handed me our passports and said that everything was in order. She reminded me that I had 90 days to get married and then my new husband would need to file the necessary paperwork to adjust status. I assured her that we understood the process and were getting married asap. She said that we were free to leave and go and get our connecting flight. The last thing she said was "Oh and welcome to America".
It was now a little after 6 pm. Our connection was at 7.07 pm. I found our luggage and a porter helped me get the luggage trolley and the stroller containing the 2 year old through Customs and down to security. At security I had a major panic as I couldn't find our boarding passes. I was the only person in the line and the officer was quite nice and chatted to my son while I emptied my hand luggage out onto the floor. Boarding passes found we went through security and then found our gate. It was now 6.30 pm. Plenty of time left so we went and got a snack to take onto the plane and then we went back and waited to board our final flight. I was absolutely exhausted but pleased that in less than 90 minutes I would be with my future DH for the rest of our lives.
So that's it... my story of arriving in the USA on a K1 visa. Yesterday we got our marriage licence and bought our wedding rings. We are having a very small ceremony on April 10th and then a celebration on June 5th. It is wonderful to finally be here. Very lovely indeed.
Mar 25th 2010, 11:44 pm
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: texas
Posts: 183
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
We arrived in the USA on Tuesday. It is amazing to finally be here after going through the K1 visa process.
My last week in the UK was spent giving away furniture and saying goodbye to friends. My last day went so fast I almost ran out of time to get everything done. A girlfriend took us to Heathrow on Tuesday morning. We got stuck in some terrible traffic but made it in time. I ended up taking three large bags and my son's car seat and stroller. Our flights were with US Airways. We checked in and I paid $55 dollars for my extra bag. My son and I were allowed 1 free bag each and I didn't have to pay for his stroller or car seat. Personally I thought it was pretty reasonable and our bags were not small but were not overweight/oversize. We said our goodbyes and then through security and off to our gate.
The flight went very quickly and before I knew it we were descending into Philadelphia. We arrived at the Immigration Hall around 4 pm and I filled out the I-94 (white card) for myself and my son, then we joined the queue with our BBEs. We were called forward and the officer asked me the following questions:
How I met my fiance and when?
If my fiance had always lived in the USA?
When were we planning to get married?
He took my fingerprints, did my eye-scan and then said he was sending me to Secondary so that my paperwork could be processed. He gave me a red file with all my papers inside and asked me to continue down the corridor to Secondary. As I was walking away he called out "Good luck".
At 5 pm we arrived at the door of a dingy room full of people - some with their luggage, some without. There was a long desk at the far end of the room with three officers behind it. I walked up and asked the first officer if I needed to leave my paperwork with him. He ignored me. I moved along the desk and asked a second officer if I could give him my red file. He glared at me, and told me that I had to wait my turn and told me to take a seat as there were lots of people in front of me. I was glad I didn't bother to ask how long I would be waiting as another chap asked that question and was barked at and told "It might be 30 minutes, it might be two hours. Sit down and wait". I overhead that if any of us missed our connecting flight, we would be put on the next one... if we got that far that is.
There were some toys and my son played with those while I sat and waited. Some people were processed and allowed to leave. Some people were told to go and get their luggage and come back. It was quite an eye-opener. I have never been to Secondary before and I don't have any desire to go again. My 2 year old was amazing and also the box of old toys was a lifesaver. He is in the tantrum stage at the moment and I was really worried that he might just flip out on me.
At 5.30 pm I decided to whip out my phone and let my fiance know that there was a chance we might miss our connection to Albany. I steeled myself for being in Secondary for some time as there really didn't seem to be much urgency in the processing and there were many people waiting to be processed in front of me. Luckily we did not have to wait too long. Around 6 pm I noticed a female officer had our paperwork. She called our names and we went over to speak with her. My legs were like jelly by now. She handed me our passports and said that everything was in order. She reminded me that I had 90 days to get married and then my new husband would need to file the necessary paperwork to adjust status. I assured her that we understood the process and were getting married asap. She said that we were free to leave and go and get our connecting flight. The last thing she said was "Oh and welcome to America".
It was now a little after 6 pm. Our connection was at 7.07 pm. I found our luggage and a porter helped me get the luggage trolley and the stroller containing the 2 year old through Customs and down to security. At security I had a major panic as I couldn't find our boarding passes. I was the only person in the line and the officer was quite nice and chatted to my son while I emptied my hand luggage out onto the floor. Boarding passes found we went through security and then found our gate. It was now 6.30 pm. Plenty of time left so we went and got a snack to take onto the plane and then we went back and waited to board our final flight. I was absolutely exhausted but pleased that in less than 90 minutes I would be with my future DH for the rest of our lives.
So that's it... my story of arriving in the USA on a K1 visa. Yesterday we got our marriage licence and bought our wedding rings. We are having a very small ceremony on April 10th and then a celebration on June 5th. It is wonderful to finally be here. Very lovely indeed.
My last week in the UK was spent giving away furniture and saying goodbye to friends. My last day went so fast I almost ran out of time to get everything done. A girlfriend took us to Heathrow on Tuesday morning. We got stuck in some terrible traffic but made it in time. I ended up taking three large bags and my son's car seat and stroller. Our flights were with US Airways. We checked in and I paid $55 dollars for my extra bag. My son and I were allowed 1 free bag each and I didn't have to pay for his stroller or car seat. Personally I thought it was pretty reasonable and our bags were not small but were not overweight/oversize. We said our goodbyes and then through security and off to our gate.
The flight went very quickly and before I knew it we were descending into Philadelphia. We arrived at the Immigration Hall around 4 pm and I filled out the I-94 (white card) for myself and my son, then we joined the queue with our BBEs. We were called forward and the officer asked me the following questions:
How I met my fiance and when?
If my fiance had always lived in the USA?
When were we planning to get married?
He took my fingerprints, did my eye-scan and then said he was sending me to Secondary so that my paperwork could be processed. He gave me a red file with all my papers inside and asked me to continue down the corridor to Secondary. As I was walking away he called out "Good luck".
At 5 pm we arrived at the door of a dingy room full of people - some with their luggage, some without. There was a long desk at the far end of the room with three officers behind it. I walked up and asked the first officer if I needed to leave my paperwork with him. He ignored me. I moved along the desk and asked a second officer if I could give him my red file. He glared at me, and told me that I had to wait my turn and told me to take a seat as there were lots of people in front of me. I was glad I didn't bother to ask how long I would be waiting as another chap asked that question and was barked at and told "It might be 30 minutes, it might be two hours. Sit down and wait". I overhead that if any of us missed our connecting flight, we would be put on the next one... if we got that far that is.
There were some toys and my son played with those while I sat and waited. Some people were processed and allowed to leave. Some people were told to go and get their luggage and come back. It was quite an eye-opener. I have never been to Secondary before and I don't have any desire to go again. My 2 year old was amazing and also the box of old toys was a lifesaver. He is in the tantrum stage at the moment and I was really worried that he might just flip out on me.
At 5.30 pm I decided to whip out my phone and let my fiance know that there was a chance we might miss our connection to Albany. I steeled myself for being in Secondary for some time as there really didn't seem to be much urgency in the processing and there were many people waiting to be processed in front of me. Luckily we did not have to wait too long. Around 6 pm I noticed a female officer had our paperwork. She called our names and we went over to speak with her. My legs were like jelly by now. She handed me our passports and said that everything was in order. She reminded me that I had 90 days to get married and then my new husband would need to file the necessary paperwork to adjust status. I assured her that we understood the process and were getting married asap. She said that we were free to leave and go and get our connecting flight. The last thing she said was "Oh and welcome to America".
It was now a little after 6 pm. Our connection was at 7.07 pm. I found our luggage and a porter helped me get the luggage trolley and the stroller containing the 2 year old through Customs and down to security. At security I had a major panic as I couldn't find our boarding passes. I was the only person in the line and the officer was quite nice and chatted to my son while I emptied my hand luggage out onto the floor. Boarding passes found we went through security and then found our gate. It was now 6.30 pm. Plenty of time left so we went and got a snack to take onto the plane and then we went back and waited to board our final flight. I was absolutely exhausted but pleased that in less than 90 minutes I would be with my future DH for the rest of our lives.
So that's it... my story of arriving in the USA on a K1 visa. Yesterday we got our marriage licence and bought our wedding rings. We are having a very small ceremony on April 10th and then a celebration on June 5th. It is wonderful to finally be here. Very lovely indeed.
Your experience will be very enlightening and reassuring to many others here, as it will be to me should I EVER get there, after the decision that I was not inadmissible I'm still waiting to hear something further like 'would you like to send in your passport so that we may stamp in the K1' 
now for the next bit and I hope you come back on here to let us know how that went. Oh and BTW did you buy a return ticket ? and if so was there any comment on that and what are BBE's ? 
Last edited by Mint Julep; Mar 26th 2010 at 12:18 am.
Mar 26th 2010, 12:16 am
#3
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,473
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Congratulations, Jeepgirl.
I imagine that was a harrowing experience but so glad your son was well behaved and entertained and that your paperwork cleared in time for your connecting flight. The next time I breeze up the Northway, I will give a shout of welcome.
I imagine that was a harrowing experience but so glad your son was well behaved and entertained and that your paperwork cleared in time for your connecting flight. The next time I breeze up the Northway, I will give a shout of welcome.
Mar 26th 2010, 1:45 am
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Silicone Valley
Posts: 1,730
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Sounds like the POE really does vary!
Oh well you're here now, congratulations, enjoy it you deserve it
Oh well you're here now, congratulations, enjoy it you deserve it
Mar 26th 2010, 2:22 am
#5
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2008
Location: Bouncing between Canada and US
Posts: 2,512
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Great story and you managed everything perfectly under a very stressful situation. Congratulations, JG!
Mar 26th 2010, 3:29 am
#6
MODERATOR
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 58,687
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Congratulations, and Welcome to America!
I like your choice of wedding dates...that was my parent's wedding date also (April 10) and they were married 65 years!
Rene
I like your choice of wedding dates...that was my parent's wedding date also (April 10) and they were married 65 years!
Rene
Mar 26th 2010, 3:45 am
#7
Shocked of Redmond
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Redmond, WA
Posts: 3,446
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
So that's it... my story of arriving in the USA on a K1 visa. Yesterday we got our marriage licence and bought our wedding rings. We are having a very small ceremony on April 10th and then a celebration on June 5th. It is wonderful to finally be here. Very lovely indeed.
Your mission now, and you will choose to accept it, is whenever you see one of those whiners who can't bear to be away from their loved ones for even a millisecond, to tell them to "shut up, sit down, and suck it up!"
Mar 26th 2010, 3:58 am
#8
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Congratulations
Secondary is an interesting experience, I had mine in Newark. Didn't even know it was called secondary, or why I was there at the time because I hadn't found BE yet! Can't remember much else about it except there was a Chinese guy trying to get in on an expired visa and not having a very nice time
But that is all over and done with - now you have your wedding to look forward to and AOS and all that good stuff. I've been out almost 5 years now, and just applied for naturalization the other week. Still seems like only yesterday I was sitting having lunch after getting out of secondary waiting for my flight to Chicago.
All the best for your future in the USA
Secondary is an interesting experience, I had mine in Newark. Didn't even know it was called secondary, or why I was there at the time because I hadn't found BE yet! Can't remember much else about it except there was a Chinese guy trying to get in on an expired visa and not having a very nice time
But that is all over and done with - now you have your wedding to look forward to and AOS and all that good stuff. I've been out almost 5 years now, and just applied for naturalization the other week. Still seems like only yesterday I was sitting having lunch after getting out of secondary waiting for my flight to Chicago.
All the best for your future in the USA
Mar 26th 2010, 4:04 am
#9
N99sea
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 248
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Congratulations, sounds like a long day, and that your son did brilliantly. Good luck, Naomi.
Mar 26th 2010, 6:31 am
#10
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 308
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Cheers everyone. I am so happy to be here in the USA. Still can't quite get my head around not having to leave anymore.
I'd been away from BE for a few days. Coming back on and reading through the new posts I can understand why some members step away either temporarily or for good. Wowee!
I'd been away from BE for a few days. Coming back on and reading through the new posts I can understand why some members step away either temporarily or for good. Wowee!
Mar 26th 2010, 6:38 am
#11
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Mar 26th 2010, 7:00 am
#12
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 35,082
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Why?Congratulations, and Welcome to America!
Mar 26th 2010, 10:00 am
#13
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Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 308
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
I couldn't believe how many new threads were about subjects that get answered day in, day out. The threads that really get me are the ones about coming to the USA on the VWP, marrying and adjusting. I've been down this road before - I'm sure you all know by now that it gets my goat.
It's very nice to be in America - thank you
Mar 26th 2010, 12:17 pm
#14
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,473
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Welcome to reality. Yup, some of us will snap and it is understandable from our points of view but, of course, not from the point of view of the posters.
Picture us sitting here with a rubber bite guard in our mouth to stop us from cutting our tongues in half
Picture us sitting here with a rubber bite guard in our mouth to stop us from cutting our tongues in half
Mar 26th 2010, 12:25 pm
#15
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Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 978
Re: We've arrived in the USA! POE Philadelphia
Awhh congratulations, Ican't wait to post my own POE experience!!
