Before being able to enter the United States, you’ll be screened first at the port of entry (POE). Here, the POE Officers conduct identity verification by checking the documents you bring and performing an interview to know why you want to visit the country.
The inspection will begin once you arrive at the port of entry—wherever you land, either at an airport, seaport, or land border. And this is quite a long process until you can get out of POE and be allowed to travel across the United States.
Read also: How to get POE Letter for entering to Canada
Okay, let’s discover the process of arriving at POE and accepting foreign visitors in the U.S.!
What to Do Before Flying to the United States?
Flying to the U.S. requires a few travel documents, which should be completed before going to the airport. Well, the following are the two main required documents you have to meet:
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- An unexpired passport for at least 6 months beyond the date of your travel.
- A valid U.S. visa that depends on your purpose of travel, such as:
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- A U.S. visa stamp in a passport
- A U.S. Green Card
- A passport from Visa Waiver Countries for the ESTA process.
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It’s important to note that your visa is in your old expired passport, but it’s still valid; you can still use it as long as your visa is not damaged.
Before landing in the United States, the airline may ask you to complete the US Customs Declaration Form. But it is not required for individuals who travel with a B1/B2 or D visa, using ESTA, or a Canadian citizen, since they need to fill it out digitally at the Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosk that can be found at major international airports in the United States.
For those who travel via land or sea route, the immigration officers will provide you with a CF-6059 at the port of entry.
In addition, there are a few supporting documents you must bring, including:
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- Supporting documents related to the U.S. visa you obtain.
The documents themselves vary depending on your intention to enter the United States. For example, if you wish to enter the U.S. with an H1B visa, you may complete it with an offer letter, LCA, USCIS H1B approval notice, and any additional supporting documents for the H1B petition.
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- A copy of your return flight ticket if you’re a temporary visitor.
- A copy of your hotel details or details of the address where you will stay.
- A copy of your business purpose details if you’re on a business trip.
What Happens When You Arrive at the U.S. POE?
Before you get off the plane or ship, make sure to prepare the documents mentioned above. Never store them in your luggage. If it is lost or delayed, you cannot show it to the immigration officer, so you may end up not being able to enter the United States.
Once you arrive at the US port of entry, you will continue walking until you find the immigration section. Once there, you must choose the path according to your visa type.
There will be separate lanes for U.S. citizens, foreign visitors, Green Card holders, people from visa-exempt countries, etc.
Before going for an interview, some of you should take arrival confirmation through the Automated Passport Control (APC) process if you are flying to the U.S. with your Green Card, ESTA (Visa Waiver Program), B1, B2, or D visa.
When you are at the APC kiosk, you should scan your visa. And the system will automatically bring up several questions and customs forms that you must fill out. Once complete, the system takes a picture and gives you a receipt to take to POE officers.
If you don’t qualify for APC kiosks due to your visa category, you can skip it.
When is an Interview Taken While You’re at U.S. POE?
POE officers, also known as CBP officers, will conduct the interview at any U.S. POE. And there will be two types of interviews performed, including:
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To visitors with APC kiosk arrival confirmation
After using the APC kiosk and receiving a printed receipt, you must hand it over to POE officers. They will check your visa, passport, and receipt.
During the interview, the officers will ask you several questions about the purpose of your trip, where you will stay, what you are doing, etc. Actually, this is a short interview to validate your intentions.
Then, they will put a stamp in your passport with your date of entry and visa class. Once everything is verified and they’re sure, they will let you go to collect your baggage.
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To visitors without APC kiosk arrival confirmation
If you’re not eligible for the APC kiosk process, the POE verification process will take longer with much more details since the officers must carefully check all documents, not only your passport and visa.
Assuming you enter the U.S. with a H1B or L1, the officers will ask you to provide some visa-supporting documents, such as a USCIS approval notice, LCA, employer letter, etc. And they need extra time to review them.
After that, the interview will be conducted, and you’ll be asked several questions about the reason for your trip, what you’ll do, either study, work, or just vacation, and how long you want to stay.
If the officers are sure, you’ll be required to do a biometric scan on both your hands. They’ll also take your photo and stamp your passport. On your stamped passport, it contains the POE code, the date you entered the US, the class of your US visa, and the validity period.
If the process runs smoothly, you’ll be allowed to get your luggage and be ready for your US trip.
Otherwise, if you’re not eligible to enter the US or there’s something wrong with your identity verification, they may take you to a separate area for a secondary inspection. There, a more detailed interview will be conducted.
But if they remain unsure for any good reason, you may not be denied entry to the United States, and they will send you back to your home country.
What’s Next After the POE Interview?
Upon the interview, an inspection of the items you bring will be done for customs clearance. The customer service officers will scan your luggage and check it manually. They can determine either allowing or denying you to bring these.
During inspection, you must declare everything you bring as what you provide on the US Customs form. If you’re caught carrying prohibited items that you didn’t declare, it will be a serious problem for you.
If you pass the customs inspection, you must then undergo a medical examination, particularly if you exhibit any health problem signs or if you come from certain countries that have current public health risks, like COVID-19. Usually, there will be a public health physician who will perform visual checks on passengers.
Congratulations! You’re free to exit the POE and start to travel across the United States after all the processes of arriving in the U.S. have been completed. Keep in mind that everything goes well, as long as you follow the instructions given, prepare anything well, and do it procedurally. Good Luck!!!
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