non US citizen on cruise from Puerto Rico

Hi All:

Question for the experienced cruiser, hopefully, there is a non US
citizen somewhere here.

My Fiance (soon to be wife) and I are going on a cruise in March, The
Adventurer of the Seas from Puerto Rico for 7 nights, we are quite
excited as it is our first cruise.

Her passport and student Visa (she is a student currently and will be
graduating in May of 2005) do not expire for about 9 months after the
cruise completes so we are ok there.

We also know, that even though we will be married, she will not apply
for her green card until after the cruise as it prevents her from
being able to leave the country. My only question is, as long as we do
not divulge that we are married, will she have any problems going
through immigration on the ship provided that she tells the the truth,
which is, she is a student and is on spring break? I mean to ask this
because I have heard about 10 different things. Her documents are all
in order, but someone said that if immigration finds out that she is
married, they will determine that her intentions are not solely on
school and send her back to Brazil. Is the immigration check point at
the ship and at the airport? or since it is PR, there is no
immigration check because it is a US territory? Do ship immigration
people generally just check the validity of documents or do the drill
the poor person like they do at JFK?

Thanks for any answers, this has gotten me quite nervous...I,
unfortunately, already dropped the money for the down payment and
airfare.

Thanks!
Scott

In article ,
(Scott) wrote:
Hi All:

Question for the experienced cruiser, hopefully, there is a non US
citizen somewhere here.

Personally, this is looks way beyond the expertise that I would
trust around here. I would probably go the yellow pages and look for
an attorney that is skilled in immigration law. This is also a good
idea to make sure the i s are dotted and the t s crossed for after
the marriage.

--
Don't worry boys. We'll weather this storm of
approval and come out as hated as ever.
Saul Alinski

In article ,
(Scott) wrote:
Hi All:

Question for the experienced cruiser, hopefully, there is a non US
citizen somewhere here.

Personally, this is looks way beyond the expertise that I would
trust around here. I would probably go the yellow pages and look for
an attorney that is skilled in immigration law. This is also a good
idea to make sure the i s are dotted and the t s crossed for after
the marriage.

--
Don't worry boys. We'll weather this storm of
approval and come out as hated as ever.
Saul Alinski

Not being an attorney nevertheless, I acted as a quick interpreter for a
non-US senior passport holder in a cruise ship for immigration clearing. I
was also in another Carib cruise where a foreign passport holder in our
group had to clear immigration in the ship himself. There were not any
slight glitches at all in both cases.

Upon reentering US territories or at the point of departing the ship into a
US port, foreign passport holders have to get in line to see the immigration
on board. US citizens are cleared of immigration typically as a group by
the ship. What happens is foreign passports will have to be turned over to
the ship for custody at check-in. This I think is partly to make sure the
foreigners will have passports for the immigration lines as passports are
only returned shortly before they see immigration.

As for the process, immigration officials with their laptops and readers do
the same things at many a typical border control point. Only that I guess
the process can be much swifter because only face has to be matched to the
passport. There will still be quick interview questions though.

I am still not sure at the immigration interview in your cruise if you guys
are legally married or not. If you are you better tell the truth because
apart from quick questioning there are computer processing of the foreign
passports - no different than ones are flying in via gateway airports. If
incorrect statements have been made such as marital status (notes can be
made in the computer), that will always be serious potential grounds for any
future proceedings.

If you have to be married before the time your wife goes thru immigration to
reenter the US again, it's something you have to be sure of any relevant
legal ramifications - although I believe the officials in a cruise ship
clearing setting tend to be swiftly and routinely clearing people, they can
always take issue to challenge the student not having the right to enter the
country now because she shows she was not in the US to study but to get
married. Hope this helps.

"Scott" wrote in message
m...
Hi All:

Question for the experienced cruiser, hopefully, there is a non US
citizen somewhere here.

My Fiance (soon to be wife) and I are going on a cruise in March, The
Adventurer of the Seas from Puerto Rico for 7 nights, we are quite
excited as it is our first cruise.

Her passport and student Visa (she is a student currently and will be
graduating in May of 2005) do not expire for about 9 months after the
cruise completes so we are ok there.

We also know, that even though we will be married, she will not apply
for her green card until after the cruise as it prevents her from
being able to leave the country. My only question is, as long as we do
not divulge that we are married, will she have any problems going
through immigration on the ship provided that she tells the the truth,
which is, she is a student and is on spring break? I mean to ask this
because I have heard about 10 different things. Her documents are all
in order, but someone said that if immigration finds out that she is
married, they will determine that her intentions are not solely on
school and send her back to Brazil. Is the immigration check point at
the ship and at the airport? or since it is PR, there is no
immigration check because it is a US territory? Do ship immigration
people generally just check the validity of documents or do the drill
the poor person like they do at JFK?

Thanks for any answers, this has gotten me quite nervous...I,
unfortunately, already dropped the money for the down payment and
airfare.

Thanks!
Scott

Thank you for your reply. Yeah, we definitely know not to lie...we are
planning on relaying on the facts for this one. She will have a valid
passport with a valid student visa, she will be on spring break and we will
not have begun any document changes/green card application once we are
married until just after the cruise. Utilizing this strategy, one would
think that she would be ok getting through. Now, will she have to go through
this both getting on the ship and off?

Thanks again!
Scott
"Robert Lindon" wrote in message
news:0ltWc.1954$1M3.1731@trndny01...
Not being an attorney nevertheless, I acted as a quick interpreter for a
non-US senior passport holder in a cruise ship for immigration clearing.
I
was also in another Carib cruise where a foreign passport holder in our
group had to clear immigration in the ship himself. There were not any
slight glitches at all in both cases.

Upon reentering US territories or at the point of departing the ship into
a
US port, foreign passport holders have to get in line to see the
immigration
on board. US citizens are cleared of immigration typically as a group by
the ship. What happens is foreign passports will have to be turned over
to
the ship for custody at check-in. This I think is partly to make sure the
foreigners will have passports for the immigration lines as passports are
only returned shortly before they see immigration.

As for the process, immigration officials with their laptops and readers
do
the same things at many a typical border control point. Only that I guess
the process can be much swifter because only face has to be matched to the
passport. There will still be quick interview questions though.

I am still not sure at the immigration interview in your cruise if you
guys
are legally married or not. If you are you better tell the truth because
apart from quick questioning there are computer processing of the foreign
passports - no different than ones are flying in via gateway airports. If
incorrect statements have been made such as marital status (notes can be
made in the computer), that will always be serious potential grounds for
any
future proceedings.

If you have to be married before the time your wife goes thru immigration
to
reenter the US again, it's something you have to be sure of any relevant
legal ramifications - although I believe the officials in a cruise ship
clearing setting tend to be swiftly and routinely clearing people, they
can
always take issue to challenge the student not having the right to enter
the
country now because she shows she was not in the US to study but to get
married. Hope this helps.

"Scott" wrote in message
m...
Hi All:

Question for the experienced cruiser, hopefully, there is a non US
citizen somewhere here.

My Fiance (soon to be wife) and I are going on a cruise in March, The
Adventurer of the Seas from Puerto Rico for 7 nights, we are quite
excited as it is our first cruise.

Her passport and student Visa (she is a student currently and will be
graduating in May of 2005) do not expire for about 9 months after the
cruise completes so we are ok there.

We also know, that even though we will be married, she will not apply
for her green card until after the cruise as it prevents her from
being able to leave the country. My only question is, as long as we do
not divulge that we are married, will she have any problems going
through immigration on the ship provided that she tells the the truth,
which is, she is a student and is on spring break? I mean to ask this
because I have heard about 10 different things. Her documents are all
in order, but someone said that if immigration finds out that she is
married, they will determine that her intentions are not solely on
school and send her back to Brazil. Is the immigration check point at
the ship and at the airport? or since it is PR, there is no
immigration check because it is a US territory? Do ship immigration
people generally just check the validity of documents or do the drill
the poor person like they do at JFK?

Thanks for any answers, this has gotten me quite nervous...I,
unfortunately, already dropped the money for the down payment and
airfare.

Thanks!
Scott

Just make SURE you know the law and policy before you leave. One
wrong move and you could find your girl friend/wife in INS custody
and/or deported. Neither would be a pleasent place to be, IMO.

INS is not known for its customer friendly, relaxed approach to
immagration these days

-D

"Scott" wrote in message .net...
Thank you for your reply. Yeah, we definitely know not to lie...we are
planning on relaying on the facts for this one. She will have a valid
passport with a valid student visa, she will be on spring break and we will
not have begun any document changes/green card application once we are
married until just after the cruise. Utilizing this strategy, one would
think that she would be ok getting through.

Just make SURE you know the law and policy before you leave. One
wrong move and you could find your girl friend/wife in INS custody
and/or deported. Neither would be a pleasent place to be, IMO.

INS is not known for its customer friendly, relaxed approach to
immagration these days

-D

"Scott" wrote in message .net...
Thank you for your reply. Yeah, we definitely know not to lie...we are
planning on relaying on the facts for this one. She will have a valid
passport with a valid student visa, she will be on spring break and we will
not have begun any document changes/green card application once we are
married until just after the cruise. Utilizing this strategy, one would
think that she would be ok getting through.

"Scott" wrote in
. net:


Is the immigration check point at the ship and at the
airport? or since it is PR, there is no immigration check because
it is a US territory? Do ship immigration people generally just
check the validity of documents or do the drill the poor person
like they do at JFK?

Thanks for any answers, this has gotten me quite nervous...I,
unfortunately, already dropped the money for the down payment and
airfare.

You will not need to worry about customs in the US or PR airports. Your
only contact will be on the ship.