Expat_Wannabe

My Embassy interview is this week and I'm due to fly out next Wednesday, but just had a panicky thought...Is it ok that I have a one-way flight into othe US? I'm on an 18-month J1 visa and none of the airlines would do a return date longer than 12 months away, but I got a good deal through STA on a one-way flight, but now I'm wondering whether that's ok! Does anyone know?!?

Lesley1020

They won't even ask you about that... they say not to book a flight until you have had your Embassy interview (I did too, tho!) so they won't officially expect that you have made final travel plans. At the POE no-one asked me about a return flight either... so don't worry.

How are all your plans coming along? Getting excited?

Bob

Shouldn't be a problem, though at POE, they might want you to show how you'll leave, so have some brochures for one way return as well....just a thought

antjen

out of curiosity, which airline are you flying with?, as im flying to US end of oct, looking around at prices it was much more expensive to book a 1 way ticket than a return - even a couple of the airlines i spoke to (BA & Virgin) both said to just book a return ticket and not use the return flight, for example virgin was aprox £650 one way but about £430 return both on the net and on the phone, rather wasteful but its the cheaper option.

Ant

Bob

Here's a thought, get open tickets with no fixed return date, and then transfer the return ticket to someone else, it normally costs £30 i think to transfer the name, that way you can sell the return ticket on ebay to someone in the same situation or something...

Rete

You can do that in the UK? I know here in the states if you have to cancel a ticket the only person eligible to use it when rebooked is the person whose name the original ticket was booked to.

Rete

antjen

Unfortunatly i cannot make changes to my ticket, but i could always ebay it it still - theres got to be someone in the us with the same name as me lol

Ant

Bob

Yeah, not on all flights, and I've only noticed it done on an open ticket, but you fill in some forms and then can transfer the ticket, I think has to be done 30 days before it's needed or something like that, so it is a bit of a hassle, but it is do able, from the UK at least

Expat_Wannabe

The only reasonable flight I could find was with Virgin through STA, worked out at £250 one-way. Return flights and one-way flights with everyone else were really expensive for September!

Not sure if I'm getting excited Lesley! I'm really nervous, especially about the Embassy interview! Also had a few teary moments when saying goodbye to people! I think I'll be a nervous wreck by the time I get out there! I'm filling in my DS-156/158 today, but the Embassy website is playing up, so the forms aren't formatting properly. What with it being labour day there's noone at the Embassy to call! Just have to make the best of it! I don't need to fill in a DS-157 do I? Just for male applicants or passport holders from Cuba, Iran, Libya, Nort Korea, Sudan or Syria, right?!? Just that I've been re-reading your posts and saw that you filled one in.