Travel experience with AP via Frankfurt

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picsarus

Registered Users (C)
Just returned after a three week vacation in India. We were lucky enough to get our APs approved (and in our hand) 2 days before we were scheduled to leave. We did not get a transit visa to travel through Frankfurt. Highlights of the travel:

1.) Lufthansa ticket agent checked our passports when leaving Houston and asked if we had a valid visa (all the visas in our passports have long expired). We showed him the APs and that satisfied him.

2.) Same story when returning from Chennai - the agent reviewed the AP and made some notes.

3.) When getting off the plane at Frankfurt, they made us take a bus to the main terminal, to make the connection (both ways). On the way back to Houston, before exiting the plane, an agent again checked the passport and I had to pull out the AP document again.

4.) Passport control (with AP) again at the gate at Frankfurt.

5.) I filled out the white I94 card and left out the "where visa issued" field blank. Filled in the AP issue date for the field asking for the visa issue date.

6.) Stood in the visitors line at Houston. The BCIS officer was quite knowledgeable about traveling with AP. Stamped the passport and the APs and returned one copy of the AP. Stamping says that Parole expiry date is one year from the date of entry. No fingerprinting or photos.

In short, for travel through Frankfurt with AP, transit visa is not required. Although you have to show your documents at every turn, everyone involved appear to be knowledgeable.
 
THanks for sharing the info

Can you pls. tell us the documents you carried with you. I am plannig a similar vacation in March via Frankfurt.
My attorney has asked me to carry Original 485 Notice, EAD, AP along with Passport.
Did anybody asked you for I140, or your previous H1Bs at any point of time ?
 
did the same

I did the same last year - travelled with AP and there was no problem as described above.
BUT, the interesting thing was that in Bangalore where I boarded the flight from, they were totally confused. They didnt know what this AP was and they kept saying your H1 has expired and you might not be able to enter US. Anyway after some discussion and arguments, they let me through.
But there was no problem either in Frankfurt or Dallas.
 
travel experience

Last year I had gone on company business to an asian country, changing planes in Japan. On my return leg, they created a big fuss at the airport in Tokyo. THe person was not at all aware of AP and least cooperative. He kept on saying I will not be allowed to board since I do not have a "proper visa". I insisted that I speak with her supervisor. After about 3o mins of arguing, finally I was allowed to see the supervisor. He made copies of AP and faxed it somewhere. All this time I was not allowed to leave the tktg area. I do not know what came back on fax or where had he faxed it, but eventually apologised and let me board the plane just in the nick of time.
 
Do we have to carry both copies of AP when travelling or just one copy? At the port of entry do they need to see just a sigle copy of AP or both?

My wife is currently in India and she just took one copy of AP with her. If both copies are needed for travel then I can mail her another copy (original).
 
Don't take 2 copies

On my previous vacation I took 2 copies... When I came to show the copies .. i was asked if i had the second one... and then guess what.. he said "so which one is the FAKE one!! and he was serious... " so I had to convince the guy tha t the other was a backup... Now that was an experiance!
 
Atlanta vs Houston

Hmm, so the officer stamped the passport and the AP and that was it?

In Atlanta, they make you go to a second waiting room where they do some extra checks before they stamp the AP. Already made me miss my connecting flight once...
 
EB2082002: I had all the documents with me that you have mentioned (AP - both copies, 485 original receipt, copy of I140 approval, EAD, employment confirmation letter) - however, nobody asked me for anything other than the Passport and the AP document. The immigration officer at Houston made passing comments about my being a student (after looking at F1 visa - long expired) and subsequently being employed. This was in the form of chit-chat to which I offered grunts as acknowledgment.

dallasgcwait/nicosia: Either the airport officials have become better trained between last year and now or I was just lucky to get some knowledgeable agents. I suspect that not all agents are familiar with traveling with AP. We have to be patient and explain how the AP works.

pravas_desi/aug22_01: I carried both copies. The officer stamped both and retained one. I have seen other folks post in this forum that they have carried both copies and have had one retained by the officer.

alsowaiting's experience confirms that there is no consistency in these things. We already know this of course.

GCExplorer - I hope you get your AP approved soon. Ours took just about 7 months also to get approved.
 
"alsowaiting" is right about atlanta.

Travel date : Aug/2003

I think atlanta's airport is more racial. The Immigration Officer at primary inspection just looked at my passport and AP Documents and did not ask any questions, he pulled out an ORANGE plastic folder and put my passport and AP and asked me to follow him to secondary inspection.

Now in secondary inspection, I was made to wait for 1.5 hours. Finally everything was checked and passport stamped. The officer in seconday inspection told me that he did not understand why I was sent into seconday inspection as my case was a simple AP and did not need to go through seconday inspection.

Finally I am rushing to make my domestic connection, but I have to go through security again. I emptied my pockets but the security guy was too keen to check my wallet, he started asking questions about why I was carrying picture of god in my wallet. He said he has to check my wallet as I might be smuggling something. I was so frustrated and angry at that point that I would have punched him in his face, but I had to catch my flight.

This was not the first experience, I have been through atlanta's hartsfield airport several times(I don't have other choice) and every time I feel like I am being discrimnated (mainly by blacks), but thats my experience.

my 2 cents
 
bottom line

while experiences may differ along with perceptions, the bottom line is mismanagement - insufficient training and improper dissemination adds to the laundry-list of inconsistencies... i do work with another Federal agency on a day-to-day basis and this is a theme... these situations do get resolved with passage of time - but until then my personal mantra is risk management...
 
AP expiration date

picsarus,
Did you just mention AP expires one year from the date of entry not from the date issued? I just applied my first AP and have a plan to travel. I would like to get some idea. Please input.
Thanks!

yl8401
 
yl8401 - I wondered about it also. The stamp on the AP/I94 says "Paroled pursuant to Sec. ..... of the I&N act to:" Feb 16, 2005 (I returned on Feb 17 2004). The AP expiry date is 01/10/2005. My assumption is that the document is not valid after 01/10/2005. In the AP document, there is a statement: "Each parole period is not to exceed one year from the date of parole at the port-of-entry". To be on the safe side, I would assume that the earlier date applies. Consult an attorney to be sure.
 
US VISIT check

If you have AP, you don't need undergo the Finger printing checking under US VISIT system? Whoever travelled in AP, please share your experience

Thanks!
 
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