This Sunday I returned from India to the USA. It was a 22-hour flight journey and then another 3-hour drive home. Due to recent immigration restrictions and issues, everyone is scared and uncertain about what can be asked and how the experience might be.
I flew from Delhi to JFK, which was my port of entry, and then from there I had a connecting flight to Dallas. Immigration was at JFK, so I had to collect the checked bags, complete immigration, and then recheck them before going to security.
These days, almost everyone has a question about the immigration experience, so I thought of sharing mine. We landed around 6:30 AM, and the immigration line was long. The immigration officer serving my queue was taking longer than usual, and I noticed the scared faces of other passengers as they answered him. He was also asking them to show some papers. What? I don’t know. This is all I could guess by looking at them.
When my number came up, I was ready with passports (me, my kid, and mother-in-law) and my I-797 (H-1 B) document. He asked me a couple of questions about my mother-in-law and me, asked us to look in the camera one by one, and then let us go. He didn’t ask for my I-797, surprisingly.
Questions asked:-
- Why are you here?
- Where will you be staying?
For my mother-in-law
- Is she your mom?
- Is she gonna stay with you?
- How long will she be here?
When I said she would be here for 6 months, her return flight is in January. He asked again: Which date in January? I had to dig into the Expedia app on my mobile, and it took me some time to fetch the itinerary. I told him the date, but then he asked to show the itinerary. I showed him, and then he asked to make sure she leaves on the said date.
After that, security and everything was standard. Overall experience was good. I am not sure about all that negative news, but my experience was smooth, and 2 weeks before my spouse came to the USA, her immigration was smooth as well.
Tips:-
- Be confident; there is nothing to worry about
- Be ready to answer the questions
- Have all supporting documents related to your visa
- Don’t speak too much; answer whatever is being asked. I should not have mentioned January when I was asked about how long my mother-in-law is gonna stay.
If you have any questions, feel free to post them.
Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
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