Thanks

[sweetsue2010]

I just wanted to say "thanks" especially to Nichole and this web site!! My son's fiancee has her Visa (K-1) in hand and will be coming from the UK in August!
One question if anyone knows what the customs meeting at the airport will be like?
Thanks so much again!!!!!

[nichole]

There's several steps

Immigration: Get in the visitors line with everybody else who doesn't live in the US. Present the UK passport, the I-94 card (white one filled out on the plane), and the sealed brown envelope. They take fingerprints and a photo. In many airports, they call someone to escort her to a "secondary" room. It's not a bad thing, just where they process the papers rather holding up the other line. She may wait awhile if others are there before her. When she is called up they will open the brown envelope and look through the papers. They will stamp the visa or write on it...I forget but basically showing it was used. They will write on the I-94 card and put the date when the 90 days to marry is up, sign it, maybe write the visa # or her A-number on it. I think they write K1 visa too because somebody had to later get a corrected one because the officer wrote the wrong visa type on it. They tear off the bottom of the I-94 and give it to her or staple it in the passport. DO NOT LEAVE THE ROOM WITHOUT THE I-94. It's only about 2"x3". Don't lose it because it's needed to get her SSN and to file for her greencard. Replacement is expensive. Check it to make sure her name is correct and it says K1.

Then they may give her the spiel about must marry within 90 days, file for a greecard etc. Some say "do you know how long you have to marry?" Or they may say "when do you plan to marry?" Nothing hard.

Luggage: Next stop baggage claim to pick up her luggage that has been circling all this time.

Customs: Normally a pass-through where she turns in her customs declaration. She doesn't have to itemize her things that "will remain in the US." She can write "household goods" and no value. If she has brand new items (gifts for anybody, liquor, cigarettes) then she does list that with a value. Anything else that just looks like her personal belongings isn't listed. There is no duty or limit for immigrant household goods. As with any other traveler, they could choose to search her bags, but probably not.