I'm sure it will all be fine it's just so scary to face the chance someone could feasibly not let you in when you are planning a wedding and sorting a visa. Currently trying not to let the visa prep ruin the wedding joy but until I'm in his arms and through the border I don't think I'll be able to relax!
But the thing is that they can't feasibly not let you in, because you are following their own rules, which explicitly tell you to do exactly what you are doing.
You are doing nothing wrong, but if you start thinking and acting like you are, that's only going to make you look nervous and suspicious at the border. You just need to stay calm and be confident in yourself that you are in the right... which you are.
The only reason they might question it is if the immigration officer isn't familiar with their own rules, in which case, you just show them the page from the US Embassy website to prove that you are allowed to do it.
If you think entering the US to do something you're supposed to is nervewracking, try doing it with a criminal record! I have a DUI from 2007 and have been told by the US Embassy in London that I will need a visa to enter the US for the rest of my life (because there's no such thing as a 'spent' conviction in the US). I got the DUI just before I was due to apply for a student visa to move there and I was so scared that the visa would be refused and that I had just ruined my entire future because of one stupid decision that it was the worst few months of my life.
Turns out I didn't need to worry at all. Since then, I have been successfully granted 3 US visas, I've lived in the US for 8 months and I have been allowed in as a visitor 7 times with no hassle. A couple of times I was asked why I had a visa and had to explain the situation, but other than that, it's been fine. In fact, one US immigration officer was convinced I didn't need a visa at all, since a DUI is not a CIMT (Crime Involving Moral Turpitude)... and that is a valid question (one I have wondered about myself), but since US immigration already know my history and have granted me visas before, I'd rather be safe and continue to apply for visitor visas.
If I can be allowed into the US 9 times, with no issues, even with a criminal record, you will have no issues coming into the US to do something that visitors do every day and that US immigration specifically tells you to do.
As an aside. We are hoping to do the online application together whilst I'm there. Ideally we want him to get his biometrics done too and then I can bring everything including his passport back with me and post from the UK as I will need my Feb payslip and bank statement before I can submit (these will be issued whilst I'm in the US) How long do we actually have to get docs in to Sheffield post biometrics? I have read one that said 5 days and one that said 14?!
It used to be 14 days, but it was reduced to 5 days from September 2015. They must be POSTED within 5 days of the biometrics appointment.
See here for more information about this:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usaIs it easy enough to get a return waybill to him
In the states if I'm
Posting from the UK??
He will need to sort out the waybill himself before you leave the US, and include the information in the package.
He can either:
1) Purchase pre-paid UPS return shipping ($134) through the VFS Global website and include the label with the package (
http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/usa/user_pay_services.html#3)
or
2) Set up an online account with either DHL or UPS and include his online account number with the package... the online account will then be charged for the shipping when Sheffield have made a decision
Just be aware that someone last year posted the application from the UK and then had it rejected and returned to them. I think it was just a mistake, but the person who was sorting their application seemed to think they had applied for the wrong visa... because it had been mailed from inside the UK, they assumed the US citizen was living in the UK and was supposed to be applying for FLR(M) instead... which was incorrect.
The UK spouse had to mail the application back to Sheffield again with a letter of explanation that it was the correct visa and that the US citizen was in the US... it didn't affect the visa outcome, but it added a few weeks onto the whole process because of the faffing around with it.
So, it may actually be more straightforward for him to just mail it from the US using DHL or UPS (or the pre-paid service through VFS Global) instead of you taking back to the UK first.