Round trip tickets

[jbowen28]

I was told by my immigration lawyer that my fiance who is coming to the US from Ukraine with a K1 visa could have serious problems entering the US with round trip tickets.  I need to resolve this within 24hrs in order to cancel the tickets without a fee.  In addition, one way tickets cost as much as round trip tickets.   I am paying for her kid as well. If she decides not to marry me it will cost 2x a round trip ticket. My lawyer takes two days to answer my questions.  So, maybe someone who has done this can better inform me.  I called US Customs and Border Protection and talked to a couple agents who said they hardly look at the tickets and it should not be a problem.  Seems kind of subjective though since it is at the discretion of each agent.

[ECOCKS]

Did your lawyer have any reasoning behind this pearl of wisdom? I cannot for the life of me imagine why that would be a concern and doubt that officers would particularly notice it on entry.

[GQBlues]

If anything, K-1 is a non-immigrant visa. A RT ticket is likely more appropriate. I bought a RT ticket for my wife for the same cause (K-1).

[Faux Pas]

I can't imagine it having any bearing. If she has her valid visa it doesn't really matter, she's in.  You are on the hook for getting her home if it somehow doesn't work out. I'm with GQ, a return ticket would only resolve their concerns if there was one anyway. Who's your lawyer?

[Chicagoguy]

Never heard of this and no one ever asked us. Try Visa Journey.com

[kievstar]

Time to drop your immigration lawyer.  He / she will probably screw something up later for you.

[jbowen28]

Thanks all the above for your input.  Especially helpful was the referral to www.visajourney.com.  My lawyer is very hard to communicate with.  I emailed her telling her that my fiance was granted the K1.  Then 2 days later she tells me not to get round trip tickets or my fiance could have serious problems entering the US ( no reason given ).  Just after I bought round trip tickets.  Name of law practice is  Suburban Law Group ( Cal Knickerbocker ) in Tigard, OR.  Her name is Jessica Molligan.  They do a lot of online practice but I liked them because they are local.  Unfortunately, still not very responsive.  Maybe I will go knock on their door tomorrow.  All the comments I have seen on this site and at www.visajourney.com say it does not matter.  One major problem could happen if you do not cancel or use the return flight and it is given to someone else on standby.  The airlines frequently forget to change the name on the manifest and then you are on record as having left the country illegally.  Not good.  So, how they could stop my fiance from initially entering the US, I have no clue.

[ECOCKS]

Tigard? I'm in Meridian, ID. Shout if you get over this way sometime. We can always stand some coffee.

[Faux Pas]

After she arrives call the airline and cancel the return. You should be able to get some credit on your next flight after the penalty.

[Rutherford]

I am sure it does matter  , she needs a round trip ticket or maybe she will not be let in to U.S. of A.
I am sure this is mandatory , I am pretty sure   this is  mandatory , pretty darn sure .

The reasoning  , if things don't work out ,,what's her escape plan  to get back home ?

[camachinist]

What kind of documents should the visitor bring to show intent to return to their home country?

Recommended documents to show intent to return to home country include (but are not limited to):

    * Return ticket.
    * Copy of lease/rental agreement or mortgage payments for housing.
    * Letter of employment indicating expected date of return.
    * Copy of class schedule or other pertinent documents if in school.
    * If arriving on an extended stay, copy of bank statement showing sufficient funds to support yourself.
    * If you do not appear to have the means to support yourself while in the U.S. a letter from whomever you will be staying with stating that they will be financially responsible for you during your stay.
    * If you are leaving a child behind in the care of someone, a letter from them stating when you are expected to return.
    * Copy of the K-1 application and any NOA(s) received.

As suggested, time to get another lawyer. Proof of a return ticket is necessary for entering many countries. Just try getting onward boarding passes to New Zealand at the airside transit desk in Sydney without proof of return, and New Zealand doesn't even require a visa for US citizens.

If things work out and she stays, and the ticket is non-refundable, just call and cancel and the residual value in most cases will exist, less a change fee, for a year after original ticket issuance.

BTW, the manifest comes off the gate computer from data from the scanned boarding passes and people who hold tickets but do not board are offloaded from the flight before the manifest prints. I've flown standby enough and followed the manifest onto the plane to know. They may tell me to take any empty seat but my name is on there and the person who didn't show up isn't. This is pretty consistent on the domestic US legacy carriers I've flown.

If you have any doubts right now, and your airline offers the 24 hour cancel with refund in full to original payment method, cancel the purchase after you've held another itinerary. I often do this, using rolling holds, while I figure out logistics.

Good luck and I hope the process goes well for you. Exciting and nerve-wracking times....

[GoodOlBoy]

Sorry, getting in on this topic a "little" late.
I don't know what your lawyer is talking about.
Definitely purchase R/T tickets for your fiancee and her child.
Have a happy life together!

GOB

PS...I am curious, if your lawyer ever does supply an explanation please post it (if you don't mind).

[viking]

I was with my wife ( then fiancee) when she first entered the country. They never looked at her tickets. They could care less. Just her passport and the brown envelope. Their concerns are valid visa, paperwork, etc..

[Faux Pas]

When my wife came and entered on the K-1, she had no return ticket. I actually, thought all along that I would buy her one and at the last minute decided not to. It was during peak season high prices and it turned out, it was a good choice. I didn't wish to buy a return ticket at season high prices.

No where along the way during the visa process was a return ticket ever mentioned. In any event, she came over without a return ticket, was never checked or queried about one. She has since returned to Russia to visit and still never heard of this requirement. I think you got bad information, from an immigration lawyer no less is surprising.

[tfcrew]

I was told by my immigration lawyer that my fiance who is coming to the US from Ukraine with a K1 visa could have serious problems entering the US with round trip tickets.  

Fire that lawyer now. Not the first idiot attorney I've heard of.
...... What if she wants to return? The one way  ticket costs almost as much as the RT. If it all doesn't work out...fine you are covered.
If it does work out ..then wonderful!

[Sailor291]

My question is, why are you talking to a lawyer anyway?  There is nothing hard about filing this paperwork, unless you anticipate that your fiance has something in her background that can potentially cause a problem, why pay a lawyer to complete paperwork that you can easily do yourself?  Admittedly I did this almost 12 years ago, I did it all myself and had absolutely no problems.  I did call an immigration lawyer when I started and he asked me if I thought my future wife had something in her background that could be a problem.  I said no, he then said then why pay me to complete the paperwork?  I don't regret not hiring a lawyer, it was easy. 
Maybe it has changed now, I am just giving my 2 cents worth.

[Faux Pas]

My question is, why are you talking to a lawyer anyway?  There is nothing hard about filing this paperwork, unless you anticipate that your fiance has something in her background that can potentially cause a problem, why pay a lawyer to complete paperwork that you can easily do yourself?  Admittedly I did this almost 12 years ago, I did it all myself and had absolutely no problems.  I did call an immigration lawyer when I started and he asked me if I thought my future wife had something in her background that could be a problem.  I said no, he then said then why pay me to complete the paperwork?  I don't regret not hiring a lawyer, it was easy. 
Maybe it has changed now, I am just giving my 2 cents worth.

It's no different. It's not difficult but, some do not understand it as easily as others. Some would just prefer to pay others to handle it. Not good, not bad. Please stick to the topic rather than chastise over a triviality. He didn't ask about filing the K-1, he asked about the return ticket.

[Wayne]

Check out the round trip versus one way ticket prices with Aerosvit Airlines. Also, if you price a round trip from NYC to Kyiv and back to NYC and compare that with a round trip Kyiv to NYC and back to Kyiv, you should find that the trip starting from Kyiv is cheaper that the trip starting from NYC.  The same plane flys back and forth. Why the difference.

Most airlines based in USA charge extremely high prices for one way tickets, but not in other countries.

[Sailor291]

Just trying to help the guy save money instead of paying a lawyer.  Not chastising, just friendly advise.  Take it or leave it. 

[jbowen28]

My lawyer told me that immigration officials could have reason for a fraud case if they thought that the K1 visa was being used by my fiance to make a short visit to the US.  A round trip ticket would be one indication.  Also, she said that a RT ticket would give my fiance the wrong impression that I was not serious about our relationship, and it would give her an easy out of the relationship.  I can understand her reasoning but it is all purely speculative. Seems like it would not hold up in a court of law but the law is neither unbiased nor totally rational.  And the Customs and Border Protection officials have the final word when it comes to entering the US.  If they ask about the round trip ticket, I will have my fiance just explain that it was cheaper than 2 one way tickets and if she decides to stay, she can always use the return ticket later.  Like most tickets, these are non-refundable, so canceling the ticket after 24 hours is not an option.

[jbowen28]

As to why I hired a lawyer, things are not as cut and dried these days as they may have been many years ago.   I assume that 9/11 made things a lot more difficult: more rules, more restrictions, more procedures.  Plus, I was have a hard time finding one single source for all the information.   I thought a lawyer would solve these problems but obviously it has not.   Its rather difficult to find a good immigration lawyer unless you are a good one yourself.

[Faux Pas]

Your lawyer may have the best of intentions but, that information really doesn't jive with USCIS. If they have issued her a K-1 visa, they are not suspecting fraud. The fraud detection steps are prior to issuing her the visa. In fact, once she enters and you marry, you are for all intent and purposes out of the equation and going forward her immigration is between her and USCIS. Round trip or one way isn't relevant.

I believe you have a mentioned you've been to visajourney.com. It is the most comprehensive place available for this type information. It was my source of information along with the USCIS website. I too, filed her application myself. The thing with hiring lawyers is you end up doing most of the work anyway as, you have to provide everything which in essence is just personal information.

[camachinist]

The quote I provided in my prior post is from visajourney.com. It appeared to relate to the K1 process within the context of the web site so I thought it relevant and it matched up pretty well with the research I conducted a decade ago wrt travel to the US on a K1. Perhaps some things have changed and the web site isn't current. IDK. The reasons the lawyer gave for not having a round trip ticket seem counter-intuitive to what immigration would normally want to see for any foreigner traveling to the US. The items listed, including the return ticket, would indicate strong ties to the home country and a lesser likelihood of visa fraud.

[viking]

To try and make things simple. A K-1 visa, is a VISA or authorization, to enter the US. By plane, boat, train, canoe or spaceship. No body cares, gives a hoot, or can be bothered if you have a one way, round trip, or a three way. They do not look at tickets. Just the visa and the embassy paperwork. To draw any type of conclusion as to intentions due to a type of ticket is just stupid.

Further, this visa is for marriage. If either of you are not serious then don't apply for the visa. If you are serious you don't need a return ticket. If you are not married by day 89, then buy another one way on day 90.

[camachinist]

Wow, stupid, OK. Won't bother with you, for sure. Try telling that to an immigration officer. Yep, had to do that in Ukraine a few times.