This is a new thread about the Port Of Entry Experience of International travelers to various Airport in United States... You're free to share your stories here.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHt2xnXk8AI

My POE experience was at JFK Airport January 2016.

I came in through Emirates and the landing was a bit rough was on queue for like 20 mins before they took an arab guy in front of me for secondary questioning. I was called and this was the following conversation/interview.

CBP: Good evening can I have your passport?
Me: Good evening (While giving him my Naija passport)
CBP: Why did you come to U.S
Me: I came for a Conference in Atlanta
CBP: Oh okay .. Did you come with anything you will like to declare?
Me: No I came with just one hand luggage.
CBP: Did you come alone?
Me: No I came with 2 of my colleague
CBP: I see, I will be stamping your passport for entry into the United States Of America.
Me: Thank you

That was all.. I submitted my I-90 paper and stepped into the arrival hall of JFK Airport into the freezing night.

ood afternoon. I was actually surprised to see an educative thread like this on naira land. I have an issue that I need clarification on. my fiance lives inthe US. He is a green card holder, about to get his citizenship too. we have plans for this year but with this travel ban,I am scared. please how does this ban affect his ability to come back this year and return safely to the US as well as my ability to join him over there later. thanks

ijofy:
ood afternoon. I was actually surprised to see an educative thread like this on naira land. I have an issue that I need clarification on. my fiance lives inthe US. He is a green card holder, about to get his citizenship too. we have plans for this year but with this travel ban,I am scared. please how does this ban affect his ability to come back this year and return safely to the US as well as my ability to join him over there later. thanks

I'm sorry this is not the right thread and the travel ban did not affect Nigerians and lastly the travel ban has been lifted for now.

Update: A new travel ban is in place and Nigeria is not part of it.

@seyewest pls can i get to talk to you pls send me your email. Am worried . My email is mizportable16@gmail.com.

good day.am was granted two years visa on b1/b2 .am going for my ant wedding what are they going to ask me @ point of entry,

oluok123:
good day.am was granted two years visa on b1/b2 .am going for my ant wedding what are they going to ask me @ point of entry,

You should have it in mind that they will want to know why you came to U.S and whatever reason you gave will lead to the next question.
The standard questions are
1) Why did you come to U.S?
2) Do you have anything to declare?
3) How much do you have with you?
4) How long are you staying?

POE :Hi
Me: Hello, how are you doing?
POE : Good, so where are you going to?
Me: (Tells hotel address)
POE :How long will you stay there?
Me: Two weeks
POE: (looks at me, stamps my passport)
Me: Thanks (smiles when I see he has given me six months to stay)

Pidgin2:


POE :Hi
Me: Hello, how are you doing?
POE : Good, so where are you going to?
Me: (Tells hotel address)
POE :How long will you stay there?
Me: Two weeks
POE: (looks at me, stamps my passport)
Me: Thanks (smiles when I see he has given me six months to stay)

great

Commendable thread for those that are skeptical due to the recent travel ban issued by the U.S Government.

I came in through JFK by Virgin Atlantic September 2016. Plane touched down at 12:45 am New York Time. It was a very short queue and was busy talking with a lady I met in London during the three hours layover. On the queue; a middle-aged man directed me to a CBP officer while the lady was directed to another officer.

Me: Good morning.

CBP Officer: Morning; Passport please? Took my finger print.

CBP Officer: Why are you in the U.S?

Me: For professional development Program on Contract Management and negotiation. I mentioned date of training and the University it was held.

CBP Officer: How long are you staying?

Me: 10 days

CBP Officer: Okay, welcome to the U.S. Stamped me in for 6 months.

Me: Thank you.

Proceeded to Agriculture and scanned my Bag through and that was it.

No need for panic if your intention in the U.S is straightforward.

FrontPageLawyer:
Commendable thread for those that are skeptical due to the recent travel ban issued by the U.S Government.

I came in through JFK by Virgin Atlantic September 2016. Plane touched down at 12:45 am New York Time. It was a very short queue and was busy talking with a lady I met in London during the three hours layover. On the queue; a middle-aged man directed me to a CBP officer while the lady was directed to another officer.

No need for panic if your intention in the U.S is straightforward.

Thanks bro.... Virgin Atlantic must be quite expensive coming from Lagos to New York.

This is an awesome thread. Please share more experience

Take time to read the executive order and the official documents and you will see there is nothing to fear if you are in a real relationship with nothing to hide.

And aside the fact Nigeria was not included in the suspension, the new order explicitly states green card holders and those who already have visas will not be impacted.

Given your husband will be getting citizenship soon you should be able to get a green card in 6-9 months.

ijofy:
ood afternoon. I was actually surprised to see an educative thread like this on naira land. I have an issue that I need clarification on. my fiance lives inthe US. He is a green card holder, about to get his citizenship too. we have plans for this year but with this travel ban,I am scared. please how does this ban affect his ability to come back this year and return safely to the US as well as my ability to join him over there later. thanks

like how much can someone hold as BTA wen going to US

oluok123:
like how much can someone hold as BTA wen going to US

If you're spending more than 6 days have more than $700 like $80 per day.

@ oga seye thanks for the visa help please what about if I am travelling to US but visiting my uncle and aunty on vacation not staying in a hotel how much PTA is required @ the point of entry even if I have my international master card with me. Thanks alot sir.

Obizee:
@ oga seye thanks for the visa help please what about if I am travelling to US but visiting my uncle and aunty on vacation not staying in a hotel how much PTA is required @ the point of entry even if I have my international master card with me. Thanks alot sir.

did you inform them at the embassy you're visiting your uncle and aunty?

seyewest:

did you inform them at the embassy you're visiting your uncle and aunty?

@ oga seyewest yes i did

U dont need to be scared

When going to visit an uncle in u.s for 2weeks, bros seyewest, like how much Bta can one hold?

Lrmush:
When going to visit an uncle in u.s for 2weeks, bros seyewest, like how much Bta can one hold?

since you will be staying with your uncle you should hold at least $500

Seyewest please help. I filled a particular hotel on my ds 160 form as the place I do be staying in Us. However I got a cheaper place after my successful interview and canceled previous hotel booking and booked for this cheaper one.
Please hope this won't be an issue as I am travelling very soon. What your take on this

Poe experience
So I flew from Lagos to Houston through klm and had a stopover at Amsterdam.the que at the poe was so long.however,it got to my turn

Cbp;what's your purpose of travel to the us
Me;my uncles wedding and vacation
Cbp;how long do you plan to stay
Me;three weeks
Cbp;are you a student?
Me;yes sir
Cbp;how much did you travel with and what other items did you bring along?
Me;$500,traditional attires and party souvenirs for the wedding.
I got stamped in for 6months after this and my vacation was splendid.i can't wait for summer to come

SirWahl1:
Seyewest please help. I filled a particular hotel on my ds 160 form as the place I do be staying in Us. However I got a cheaper place after my successful interview and canceled previous hotel booking and booked for this cheaper one.
Please hope this won't be an issue as I am travelling very soon. What your take on this

it won't be an issue at all.. just confirm the hotel booking before leaving Nigeria.

ethnicgirl:
Poe experience
So I flew from Lagos to Houston through klm and had a stopover at Amsterdam.the que at the poe was so long.however,it got to my turn

Cbp;what's your purpose of travel to the us
Me;my uncles wedding and vacation
Cbp;how long do you plan to stay
Me;three weeks
Cbp;are you a student?
Me;yes sir
Cbp;how much did you travel with and what other items did you bring along?
Me;$500,traditional attires and party souvenirs for the wedding.
I got stamped in for 6months after this and my vacation was splendid.i can't wait for summer to come

Good.

does anyone have an experience flying Emirates from lagos then a connecting flight from Dubai to Florida or any other states .... heard there is a pre screening in dubai b4 boarding for the states.and on getting to the states any issue with the CBP officer.
Then for a family of 4.(wife,hus,5yrs,7yrs kids) going for family holiday in florida,with hotel booking already spending 13days....like how much PTA can one hold ,..excluding hotel reservation.

tosenbaba:
does anyone have an experience flying Emirates from lagos then a connecting flight from Dubai to Florida or any other states .... heard there is a pre screening in dubai b4 boarding for the states.and on getting to the states any issue with the CBP officer.
Then for a family of 4.(wife,hus,5yrs,7yrs kids) going for family holiday in florida,with hotel booking already spending 13days....like how much PTA can one hold ,..excluding hotel reservation.

Yes I flew emirates last year and to answer your questions...
1) There's no CBP Pre screening outpost in Dubai... it's in Abu Dhabi that's Etihad Hub.
2) It's important you call the hotel before you leave lagos... tell them to confirm your booking.
3)When deciding on PTA you have to consider a lot of factors like hotel,is the hotel giving you free breakfast,the city,transport system,shopping etc... If you're staying for more than 6 days then allocate $50 per day for yourself and if you're with your family (Dad,mum and 2 kids) that's $250 and breakdown into $75 per day for parent and $50 for the kids which is $4000 this is not part of the hotel bill and shopping.
If you want to be on the safe side hold more than $3500 when traveling with your family this will not include your hotel bill.

Nice thread.

I got my tourist visa late Nov last year. Applied as a family, with my dad, little 10 years old cuz (she stays with my parents),mum and younger bro. We were to attend a wedding in Texas December but time to meet up was not on our side plus dollars issue then. Baring in mind that my sis was gonna also wed this year, we decided to wait, Now my sis wedding is in May and in Maryland precisely. Booked tickets already, and we decided to come in tru JFK cos the lay over if we were to come in through Washington state airport which is closer to our destination, we have 9hrs layover inbound, and 22hrs layover outbound, but via JFK its less than 2hrs inbound and less than 8hrs outbound.
Does it matter we didn't make it to Texas before?
My little cousin does not bare our surname, but she has been staying with us. She is my mum's younger sis daughter. Does this matter? Her parents her divorced, father in UK, and mother elsewhere. She Will be traveling with us. We intend to stay 6 weeks as it is a wedding plus family vacation. We will be visiting, Boston, Texas too within this period after the wedding. The family that we were to visit and stay for the daughters wedding will all be coming for the wedding too from Texas and are the same family we will be visiting in Texas.

Cc seyewest

JFK to final destination is about 3.5hrs
Washington state to final destination is about an hour.

God bless u for d good work ure doing here.
Pls we'll be travelling to new jersey for a two weeks vacation in April,I just want to know if I can go along with cerelac for my 1yr baby with Milo and golden morn for my daughter who is 4yrs.
Am asking cos these are the only tins they eat and I know we won't be able to go shopping for cereals same day we get there.

I hope traveling with a laptop won't be an issue at p.o.e, when going for a two weeks visit?

MrLP:
Nice thread.

I got my tourist visa late Nov last year. Applied as a family, with my dad, little 10 years old cuz (she stays with my parents),mum and younger bro. We were to attend a wedding in Texas December but time to meet up was not on our side plus dollars issue then. Baring in mind that my sis was gonna also wed this year, we decided to wait, Now my sis wedding is in May and in Maryland precisely. Booked tickets already, and we decided to come in tru JFK cos the lay over if we were to come in through Washington state airport which is closer to our destination, we have 9hrs layover inbound, and 22hrs layover outbound, but via JFK its less than 2hrs inbound and less than 8hrs outbound.
Does it matter we didn't make it to Texas before?
My little cousin does not bare our surname, but she has been staying with us. She is my mum's younger sis daughter. Does this matter? Her parents her divorced, father in UK, and mother elsewhere. She Will be traveling with us. We intend to stay 6 weeks as it is a wedding plus family vacation. We will be visiting, Boston, Texas too within this period after the wedding. The family that we were to visit and stay for the daughters wedding will all be coming for the wedding too from Texas and are the same family we will be visiting in Texas.

Cc seyewest

JFK to final destination is about 3.5hrs
Washington state to final destination is about an hour.

The most important thing to know about your visa is the visa category.. I believe the visa you applied for is B1/B2 which means you can visit U.S for tourism,visiting and sometimes conference. I see no big deal in shelving your plans but you must have a good reason for doing that.

if I'm right your plan is to land in JFK and fly to your actual destination which is not a bad idea but you must have your ticket confirmed to your onward destination in U.S before you leave Nigeria which simply means buy your ticket for your inward travel in U.S before leaving naija they will ask for it.
You must get a letter of consent from your little cousin dad and mom before traveling with her and they must be available to receive phone call in case they called them not just in U.S but your connecting country... if possible hold a copy of the parent ID card,little cousin birth certificate and letter of consent from the parent.
If you have a good reason for not going to Texas then say it... I'm sure that shouldn't be a reason for them to return you.

Daragurl12:
God bless u for d good work ure doing here.
Pls we'll be travelling to new jersey for a two weeks vacation in April,I just want to know if I can go along with cerelac for my 1yr baby with Milo and golden morn for my daughter who is 4yrs.
Am asking cos these are the only tins they eat and I know we won't be able to go shopping for cereals same day we get there.

Sure why not... tell them it's for the children but be mindful of the quantity you carry.