British Expatriate Network

Hi,
After the longest wait (almost twenty one months!) I finally have my immigrant visa.
I will be flying in on 24th November at Newark, there I have two and half hours to connect with my flight to Charleston.
Can anyone tell me how long the immigration take to process the paperwork?, and do I have enough time to make the connection?. I am a little concerned because I have stood in line for over 90 minutes just on a visa waiver on a previous occasion and only just made my connection.
Also, it was not made clear to me when the S.S. Number will be issued. As money is tight and I need to start job hunting almost as soon as I touch down, does anyone know when I will get my number?.
Any info would be appreciated.
Marty and Jucal

Congratulations on getting your Visa - sorry you had to wait so long for it though.

I think that the immigration process at Newark will depend on how busy they are. As I recall, when I came over on mine, they took me to one side and looked at the paperwork, ignored the X-Ray, explained to me that my visa gave me the right to work etc and sent me on my way. Just a few minutes.

As you have a connecting flight to make though, I would advise you to allow a good hour or so to be on the safe side - I have never had to wait in line for immigration for as long as 90 minutes - perhaps you were just unlucky that time!

As far as getting a Social Security number is concerned, they don't actually issue you with one automatically - you have to physically go and apply for one. This website might help you to find out the procedures. Or this one. You probably already know that you can't even open a bank account until you have one so that should be your first priority.

Good luck and enjoy your new life here in the US :smile:

Re SS# You apply in person and it is sent to you which can take an age, but they usually give you a telephone number which you can called the next day or so and they will tell you what your number is going to be so you can start filling in forms.

We took an age to go through immigration at Newark on a visa waiver and would have missed our connection, but they knew we were coming and in the airport (it was the same airline) and held the plane for us. Make sure your connection knows what flight you are coming in on and that you have to go through immigration, then they may be able to wait for you if they have a good idea of how long you'll be/can track you down.

When we had our visas we decided to avoid Newark like the plague and went through Detroit. The queue was almost as long, but we were just nodded through when we got there -I guess if you have a visa, they feel that all the investigation has been does -which it has, so I reckon you're only looking at queuing time. Do you already have permanent resident status? Sometimes they open lines for permanent residents to speed them through, so keep your eyes peeled. Good luck.

It's hit and miss at Newark whether or not you will clear Immigration quickly. It basically depends on how many international flights land at around the same time your plane does.

My longest wait there has been an hour, but last Saturday when I flew in from London (on American Airlines on a half-empty flight) it was much quicker - I was out of the airport within 40 minutes and that included collecting my suitcases. This was despite the pilot originally saying that the plane should arrive 45 minutes before schedule, but then we were in a queue of 25 other incoming arrivals....luckily they must have all been domestic ones as our plane seemed to be the only one arriving at the international arrival terminal.

Things are slowed down if you're on a Jumbo Jet - or another airline with a 747 lands at around the same time - as obviously they carry more passengers. Try to get seats as far to the front of the plane as possible and rush like mad once you're off the plane to get to the arrival hall!

You might want to check with your airline if your cases will be checked through to your final destination; if they don't have a customs facility if the airport only normally has incoming domestic arrivals. If not then you will have to collect your cases at Newark and re-check them sad (I'm pretty certain I heard this being announced by the steward as our flight was coming in to land).

Also you can check which terminal your international flight will arrive at and domestic flight will depart from at Newark here; (there is the monorail train to take you from one terminal to another, but if you're with Continental it should be Terminal C for both)

http//www.panynj.com/aviation/ewrframe/HTM.

Oops, typo!

The Newark airport info is

http//www.panynj.gov/aviation/ewrframe/HTM.

I think that you will have to collect and recheck your baggage as you are arriving internationally then changing to a domestic transfer, even if your final destination has a customs facility. We were told that you must clear customs and immigration at the same airport, the one which is your port of entry to the US.

That would be right then Monster - that's definitely what the cabin steward was saying, although I was only half-listening.

So yes, you will have to clear Immigration then go downstairs to collect your suitcases..and at Newark this can be pretty slow. I was extrememly fortunate last week to have my cases within a couple of minutes of the carousel coming into action (although one case had a "Priority" label for another airline on it!). Once you've cleared Customs you go through the exit doors and veer to the left, where there is a special area for re-checking cases for domestic transfers.

Maybe when you're checking in in the UK, explain the tightness of the departure time of your connecting flight and if they're very nice they will hopefully put "First Class" or "Priority" tags on your cases which should hopefully mean that you can retrieve them quickly at Newark.

Hope this helps.... smile

Well I may be wrong but they don't just give you a SS number; you have to apply for work authorisation first unless you already have a job lined up here. Work authorisation takes up to 3 months.

And I have to add here, I HATE Newark very deeply. If you're moving to Carolina(?) if you fly again you should try and transit Pittsburgh, lurvley airport. smile

The longest I've ever waited at Newark is about 25 minutes. When arriving in the evening, sometimes I've hurried past the dawdlers on the plane and then been the first in line for immigration.

As for ss numbers, my bank let me open an account without one, I just had to call and give it to them asap. I think it took about 2 weeks to get the thing.

I think that 2 1/2 hours will be enough for you. Perhaps it would help if you ask the cabin attendants if they have any tips on how you can get through fast enough to make your connection, maybe they can get you hustled through..

Good luck, and congratulations on finally getting your visa. Best of luck to you and Jucal.

Stel.

Doesn't a spouse visa automatically give you the right to work? Kentgirl's seems to have done :???:

i went to the social security office in New London Ct .. 2 days after i got maried . I was never issued a temporary work permit at JFK even though I asked as they said they had no forms (blatent lie they just couldn't be bothered) I recall i didn't even apply rot the temporary work permit as i believe its oinly for a short time and you have to apply for another work permit after you are married.
The social security office kept telling me i needed a work vis before they would issue a SS number but i kept telling them they were wrong and to check there admentment books. Finnaly the realised that i was correct and they issued me a ss number .. before my work permit arrived. I also got a job even without my dam work permit as the ss number was a good indication to my company that i would be getting the work permit.

Good Luck.. and persevere..