travelling to pakistan on AP

S

sarmad

Registered Users (C)
i have an AP valid till july, 2004. have not used it before. i also have H1-B valid till 2006 but i do NOT have an H1-B stamp in my passport. i do have an expired F-1 stamp in my passport from college days.

i'll be travelling to karachi, pakistan, over the holidays. has anyone travelled back from karachi on AP? were there any issues?

i just read thru this thread, http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=96974, posted on sep 8, 2003, that the pakistani immigration officials ask for a "transport letter" from the U.S. embassy/consulate to prove that the AP is genuine! ridiculous...

has anyone travelled to karachi more recently than sep 2003 and ran into this issue at the airport? is there something else i can carry to avoid this. and if not, where in karachi can you get this letter from and how long does it take?

i'm only going back for 2 weeks so i don't know if i have time for this crap. i'll also be carrying an EVL, original pay stubs, and valid EAD card. hopefully that'll be enough. any advice is appreciated...

thanks,

sarmad :)
 
Originally posted by sarmad
i have an AP valid till july, 2004. have not used it before. i also have H1-B valid till 2006 but i do NOT have an H1-B stamp in my passport. i do have an expired F-1 stamp in my passport from college days.

i'll be travelling to karachi, pakistan, over the holidays. has anyone travelled back from karachi on AP? were there any issues?

i just read thru this thread, http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=96974, posted on sep 8, 2003, that the pakistani immigration officials ask for a "transport letter" from the U.S. embassy/consulate to prove that the AP is genuine! ridiculous...

has anyone travelled to karachi more recently than sep 2003 and ran into this issue at the airport? is there something else i can carry to avoid this. and if not, where in karachi can you get this letter from and how long does it take?

i'm only going back for 2 weeks so i don't know if i have time for this crap. i'll also be carrying an EVL, original pay stubs, and valid EAD card. hopefully that'll be enough. any advice is appreciated...

thanks,

sarmad :)
Click to expand...

Sarmad

You said you have a valid H1B till 2006. If you have previous 6 months paystub it is not a bad idea to get a new H1B stamp at the Karachi consulate in Karachi. But I am not sure how long it takes to get H1B stamped in Karachi.

Travelling with AP should not cause any trouble for you. It might be due to the ignorance of the immigration officer at the airport. Try explaining him about the AP and you should not have any trouble. Carry all documents you have in original and don't forget to keep a photocopy in case you lose the original.

I am not sure about the 'transport letter' requirement. Usually when one has to send goods/parcels from countries like India, Pak, B'Desh, Lanka, Emirates etc, the airline / immigration officer will ask for a transport letter. I have not hrd of any transport letter for people. Also contact the Pakistan Embassy and the airline if such a requirement exist (?) and post your experience.

hth
dyno

 
thanks dynobuoy. yeah, getting an H1-B stamp is not an option bcos it takes too long and i'm only there for 2 weeks. (actually, the karachi consulate doesn't even issue visas anymore, so i'll have to fly to islamabad).

i'll call the US consulate in karachi tomorrow as well as the airline in karachi and the pakistani embassy here to figure this out. i'll post any answers that i may find.

in the mean time, if anyone has any experience with this, please feel free to share.

thanks,

sarmad :)
 
okay, i just called the turkish airlines karachi office (that's what i'm flying) and they said they have no problem reconfirming my seats with Advance Parole. they do not know of any issues at karachi airport about "transport letters".

i also called the US consulate in karachi and the person there said they only issue "transport letters" when directly requested by the karachi immigration officials or the airline. they do NOT accept appointment requests directly from travellers.

she also gave me the number to the immigration dept at the US embassy in islamabad. they're not open yet but i'll confirm this with them.

this whole thing sounds goofy. it wud seem that u can only get this letter when and if you're stopped at the airport.

if anyone else has any insights, please advise. i leave for karachi in a week and this is very disconcerting.

thanks,

sarmad
 
Sarmad,

I think and also read here that peple who used AP for the first time experienced some problem as the AP had no stamps on it to showfolks at Khi that an AP can be used to enter USA especially while confirming PIA tickets, and they actually required that LETTER as PIA is scared of immigration related fines. If AP already bears immigration stamp (after 1st use) then its easy to convinced those morons. Someone suggested here to take a quick trip to nearest POE (Canadian Border etc) to change your status into Parolee, after that your AP will have an entry stamp which will help dealing with imm at Khi airport.
 
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thanks truenblue. i wud've considered a trip to canada to change my status but it's a little late now. i'll have to arrange a canadian visa and transport and stuff which will be difficult to do right now.

i'm actually considering going to CSC and getting a letter from them. hopefully, they'll understand my pleas! i just hope that the khi immigration morons will accept that as a verification letter.

sarmad :)
 
Yah right its now too late to take a trip to border although it would have been a simple U turn after exiting out of US w/o any ca or maxican visa.

Anyway please do post your experience here about that letter and your trip to Pk. I will probably in the same situation, as you are, around mid next year.

goodluck :)
 
My Experience

Hi Guys,

I came back from vation on Parole document in Jan 2003. I traveled from Lahore, but in my case the H1-b visa was still valid. I landed in LAX in Jan. Got in on the parole document. I didn't have any problem at the airport. They didn't ask for any documents and stuff although i had the pay stubs and all that.

From what i know, the immigration officials at the airport in Pakistan know every thing about parole documents. They just hassle people to get some money out of them. If you need more information about the letter you are talking about, call the PIA office in karachi. They should have complete details. I have had friends who have traveled on parole document from Pakistan. They have been able to get out but have been hassled at the Lahore airport. From what i have heard, Karachi officials are better and more professional.

Please post what you find out, it will be interesting to know.
Have a safe holiday.

osm
 
okay guys, here're the final results from all my research:

- called US consulate in karachi and the US embassy in islamabad. both said that they do not issue "transport letters" if you already have an AP. "transport letters" are only meant for people who have lost their original document. if the karachi immigration officials feel that the AP document is not genuine, then the airline must request an appointment for the traveller directly (though they were not sure why this wud happen). they did not tell me how long it takes to issue the letter in case it comes to that even though i asked repeatedly. they just said it varies. most importantly, you cannot get the letter preemptively.

- called turkish airlines (the airline i'm flying) and they did not know anything about "transport letter". they said they have no problems reconfirming my seats if i show them the original AP. they said people travel on AP all the time and they've never heard of any issues.

- called PIA (even though i'm not flying with them) and asked them about this. PIA said they also reconfirm seats with just the original AP. they said if the immigration officials at the karachi airport think that the AP is not genuine, then it's between the passenger and immigration... PIA is not involved!

- i also checked with a friend of mine who travelled on a new AP (that is one without any parole stamps) in jan 2003. he said he did not have any issues at the karachi airport. he did, however, warn that the immigration officials there are always out for bribes so it's important to carry all original documents (I-485, I-129, etc). but no questions about his non-stamped AP.

if anyone has information to the contrary, please let me know. but, basically, i'm done worrying about this issue! of course, i'll post my experience once i'm back from pakistan :)

thanks,

sarmad :)
 
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Thanks for all the good research and sharing it all with us, please do post you experience when you get back from Pakistan. I also plan to travel to Lahore on AP early next year and am looking forward to your post

Best of luck and have fun there...:)
 
got back safely with no problems

guys, i flew back to the US on 12/31 on AP from karachi with no problems.

- i had no trouble reconfirming my flights in karachi with emirates and turkish airlines after showing them my original AP and giving them a copy.

- at the karachi airport when checking-in for the flight, the guy at the desk did not know about AP. he asked his supervisor and then just took a photocopy and gave me my boarding pass.

- the immigration official at the karachi airport also had not seen an AP document before! he just asked the officer next to him and he said it was okay. no more questions. everyone at the airport was very polite and professional. just for fun, i asked the guy about this "boarding letter" deal for APs. he said they only request those from passengers when they have been asked to do so by the US embassy in islamabad! but he said they don't do that for the newer APs anyway (ones with the pictures directly printed on them).

- there are several checkpoints after immigration where they check your documents. at each point, once i had explained what the AP was, they let me through without any hassles.

- at dubai airport, there were no issues except i had to explain to some people (at the gate and security) that an AP is just like a visa, etc. at istanbul airport when boarding the flight for the US, they entered the A# from my AP and my passport number into a computer, presumably to send to the US ahead of the flight (it's a new security thing, i guess).

- i entered the US at chicago o'hare. the whole process took 30 seconds! the immigration offical stamped my passport and one of the AP documents with the parole stamp and that was it. no secondary inspection, nothing! i imagine it's bcos they already ran everything through their security system when they received the info from istanbul airport?

so basically, there were no issues about boarding letters or bribes or anything.

just rehearse this line to tell airport officials: "my green card application is pending. so the US immigration has issued me this travel document to enter the US. it's just like a visa and allows me to enter the US before [point to AP expiration date] this date here." after that, no one asks any more questions.

i also noticed that if you speak english at the karachi airport, everyone treats you better. to my father's ire, i'm one of those ppl who start out sentences in urdu and finish them in english... but, i guess, in this case it was to my advantage ;)

also, about the protector of emigrants stamp, i ended up getting it in karachi. the guys at the protector office hadn't seen an AP before and made me get a notarised affidavit stating that i was responsible for deportation costs if the US didn't let me enter on the AP! in any case, the guy at the protector desk at karachi airport told me that i didn't need to. they only check people who have H or L visa stamps in their passports for the protector stamp.

hope this helps all of you who're planning travel on AP. thanks,

sarmad :)
 
Re: got back safely with no problems

Originally posted by sarmad
guys, i flew back to the US on 12/31 on AP from karachi with no problems.
.
.
- i entered the US at chicago o'hare. the whole process took 30 seconds! the immigration offical stamped my passport and one of the AP documents with the parole stamp and that was it. no secondary inspection, nothing! i imagine it's bcos they already ran everything through their security system when they received the info from istanbul airport?

so basically, there were no issues about boarding letters or bribes or anything.
.
.
hope this helps all of you who're planning travel on AP. thanks,

sarmad :)
Click to expand...

sarmad,
welcome back, glad to hear that you didnt face any problem anywhere.

so what I understand you first flew into O'here and then caught turkish air from there. Did you report INS for exit registration ?



also, about the protector of emigrants stamp, i ended up getting it in karachi. the guys at the protector office hadn't seen an AP before and made me get a notarised affidavit stating that i was responsible for deportation costs if the US didn't let me enter on the AP! in any case, the guy at the protector desk at karachi airport told me that i didn't need to. they only check people who have H or L visa stamps in their passports for the protector stamp.
Click to expand...

Please give a little more detail..
wats that emigrants stamp /protector office and all that ? I left khi twice on H1 before but I never came across that thing ??

did you get emigrant stamp on the airport while leaving khi ?
Were you asked to report to protector office ?
And did you have that affadavit before coming to airport or did you sign some official doc on the spot ??

thanks
 
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Re: got back safely with no problems

Originally posted by sarmad
guys, i flew back to the US on 12/31 on AP from karachi with no problems.
.
.
- i entered the US at chicago o'hare. the whole process took 30 seconds! the immigration offical stamped my passport and one of the AP documents with the parole stamp and that was it. no secondary inspection, nothing! i imagine it's bcos they already ran everything through their security system when they received the info from istanbul airport?

so basically, there were no issues about boarding letters or bribes or anything.
.
.
hope this helps all of you who're planning travel on AP. thanks,

sarmad :)
Click to expand...

sarmad,
welcome back, glad to hear that you didnt face any problem anywhere.

so what I understand you first flew into O'here and then caught turkish air from there. Did you report INS for exit registration ?



also, about the protector of emigrants stamp, i ended up getting it in karachi. the guys at the protector office hadn't seen an AP before and made me get a notarised affidavit stating that i was responsible for deportation costs if the US didn't let me enter on the AP! in any case, the guy at the protector desk at karachi airport told me that i didn't need to. they only check people who have H or L visa stamps in their passports for the protector stamp.
Click to expand...

Please give a little more detail..
wats that emigrants stamp /protector office and all that ? I never came across that thing, I left khi twice on H1 before ??

did you get stamp on the airport while leaving khi ?
Were you asked to report to protector office ?
And did you have that affadavit before coming to airport or did you sign some official doc on the spot ??

thanks
 
truenblue, yes, i flew from LAX to ORD and then took turkish airlines to pakistan. i did my exit special registration at ORD. i basically, checked-in for the flight and received my boarding pass. i told the lady at the counter not to take away my I-94 cards because i still had to do exit special registration. she told me where to go for that (basically arrival level at ORD) and to return the I-94 cards back to her when i'm done, without getting in line again.

the exit special registration was painless. there was no one else waiting there. took 2 minutes for the entire process. the immigration official stamped my old I-94 card and passport with "Departure recorded" stamp and that's it. then i went upstairs and dropped off the stamped I-94 card at the turkish check-in counter.

alright, the protector of emigrants stamps is a different beast altogether. technically, all pakistanis working abroad are required to have the protector of emigrants stamp in their passport. if you have an H1-B stamp in your passport, you shud definitely get the protector stamp. i know of several H1-B friends who were stopped from boarding their flights because they didn't have the stamp. you must've been lucky in the past that you were not stopped but i wudn't risk it.

the protector office in karachi is near the baloch colony bridge off shaheed-i-millat road. you shud take ur passport with the H1-B stamp, an original employment letter stating your salary and start date, and original NICOP card (if you have one, otherwise, they'll make you file an application the same day with 2 passport photographs). after making lots of photocopies and a waste of Rs. 6,000, you'll basically get a stamp in your passport which states that you're authorised to leave the country for employment. the protector of emigrants fees are supposed to cover for any deportation, etc. costs of pakistanis abroad. part of the Rs. 6,000 is also a "mandatory voluntary" (seriously) life insurance policy.

don't worry too much about the details. just go to the protector office with all the documents and they'll help you prepare everything (as i said, lots of photocopies and trips to two different banks to deposit "challans").

hope that helps,

sarmad :)
 
sarmad,
thanks buddy for this important info.
So basically that thing is for people on work visa abroad. Next time I will use my AP for the 1st time too but I will surely pay a visit to that protector ofc to avoid any further confusion.

thanx:)
 
Hi,

I remembered going through this Protector Mess back in 2000 while i travelled on H1b. Originally this Protector insurance was for the people who worked in middle east but later added on for US as h1b became popular. I travelled via PIA in 2000 and they refused to confirm my flight without Protector Stamp and nobody at the airport checked the Stamp and i was un-happy with that mess. I think now its part of requirement as the govt is collecting more funds. What i heard about the AP use is that if you take your EAD card along and show at the airport with AP then you dont need any Transport letter to prove the authenticity of the AP. Again i am not sure as i haven't travelled and i am glad this forum can answer concerns of many people.
 
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