What are some of the things to expect at POE-Experiences here!!!
- Thread starter Gh Man
- Start date
Yes i am also preparing to take off and will love to hear from past winners.
I guess some of you guys should share experiences at POE here and also those who change their mailing addreses at the POE and the sort of steps they undertook.................every little detail is welcome here!
The experience is not bad as all the hard work has been done by then
My POE was SFO and the differences vs. entering on a visa were:
- Stand in a seperate line for new Green card holders that enter the US for the first time.
- They take about 10 min to check all the paperwork in the sealed yellow envelope.
- They took my fingerprints with ink instead of digital scans
- I was asked some questions on my plans and living address in the US.
Overall process took 20 min of processing at the desk, but the line I was in was moving slowly so I waited for about an hour and a half before it was my turn. This is something to keep in mind in case you are have a connecting flight. I was by myself, but if you have a family (e.g. 2 adults and 2 children) I would count on 30-45 minutes for processing, so 2.5 to 3 hours between flights.
Enjoy the experience and good luck in the US!
My POE was SFO and the differences vs. entering on a visa were:
- Stand in a seperate line for new Green card holders that enter the US for the first time.
- They take about 10 min to check all the paperwork in the sealed yellow envelope.
- They took my fingerprints with ink instead of digital scans
- I was asked some questions on my plans and living address in the US.
Overall process took 20 min of processing at the desk, but the line I was in was moving slowly so I waited for about an hour and a half before it was my turn. This is something to keep in mind in case you are have a connecting flight. I was by myself, but if you have a family (e.g. 2 adults and 2 children) I would count on 30-45 minutes for processing, so 2.5 to 3 hours between flights.
Enjoy the experience and good luck in the US!
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My experience was pretty close to heyMike's. Only difference was our PoE was LAX, and because the queue for US Citizens/Residents was short and one of the Customs and Immigration officers saw us with an envelope they recognized - she came up to us and asked if that was to be handed to us, she took a quick look at the sealed envelope, and asked us to join the shorter faster moving US Citizens/Residents queue.
The rest of the process was the same as described my heyMike, with about a 30-40 min processing time for ourselves once pulled aside.
The rest of the process was the same as described my heyMike, with about a 30-40 min processing time for ourselves once pulled aside.
Hi,
My POE was Boston Logan. I waited in the queue for non-residents/citizens, and when I got to the desk, the guy opened my envelope. He asked me a couple of questions (DOB, where I was flying from). He then stamped my passport and wrote my 'A Number' above the stamp. Finally he took my fingerprints with the electron and gave me directions to where they did seconday processing.
I went down to the secondary processing room, handed in my documents and took a seat to wait. Unfortunately there was about 20 people before me in the queue so I had to wait for about 1.5 hours. A lot of the people there seemed to be in some kind of trouble (e.g. overstayed visa waiver, worn passports etc). Finally, when my turn came, I was called up to the counter. The lady asked me if the address on the form was still correct. She then took my fingerprints again (using ink this time).
Then I was all done! I took a taxi to my hotel.
The actual processing time for me was less than 10 minutes, but it took a lot longer because of all the other people there that day. This might be something to consider if you have to change planes, or if you have people waiting for you.
All the best,
Breandan.
My POE was Boston Logan. I waited in the queue for non-residents/citizens, and when I got to the desk, the guy opened my envelope. He asked me a couple of questions (DOB, where I was flying from). He then stamped my passport and wrote my 'A Number' above the stamp. Finally he took my fingerprints with the electron and gave me directions to where they did seconday processing.
I went down to the secondary processing room, handed in my documents and took a seat to wait. Unfortunately there was about 20 people before me in the queue so I had to wait for about 1.5 hours. A lot of the people there seemed to be in some kind of trouble (e.g. overstayed visa waiver, worn passports etc). Finally, when my turn came, I was called up to the counter. The lady asked me if the address on the form was still correct. She then took my fingerprints again (using ink this time).
Then I was all done! I took a taxi to my hotel.
The actual processing time for me was less than 10 minutes, but it took a lot longer because of all the other people there that day. This might be something to consider if you have to change planes, or if you have people waiting for you.
All the best,
Breandan.