U.S. Immigration at PHL?

[Mark in CA]

Am entering the U.S. via PHL (Philadelphia) for the first time next month. Am a U.S. citizen, but will be traveling with a Hungarian national who has a visa (and has visited the U.S. many times before).

Anything I should know about what to expect there, especially in terms of delays or other hassles?

Thanks.

[MathFox]

The new immigration hall in PHL is roomy and queues generally moves quickly (my best time was 2 minutes; a 15 minute wait is pretty long for Philly). Coming from a "waiver" country, I don't know how long visa processing takes. I guess the two of you should take separate queues.

I don't recall specific hassles... Good thing about PHL is the food court.

[G-ARZG]

Late October was around 25-30 minutes queueing.
Several transatlantics all disgorged at same time (around 4pm),
LH, BA, bunch of USAirways..

Wasn't the best I've experienced (step forward Tampa)
but certainly not the worst by a long stretch (yes, LAX, I mean you !)

[WHBM]

Originally Posted by MathFox

Coming from a "waiver" country, I don't know how long visa processing takes. I guess the two of you should take separate queues.

I don't recall separate queues at any US airport for those with visas, waivers, ESTAs or any other document type, only two queues, one for "Americans" (well staffed) and one for "Everybody Else" (guess what ....).

[L'aviateur]

Visa Waiver/ESTA and Visa Holders use the same queues, and processing time is marginally quicker for a Visa Holder.

[Mark in CA]

Thanks for the info on the new hall. Yes, we'll take separate queues.

Looks like we may be part of the 4 pm gathering. Arriving on LH from FRA at 4:10 p.m. Looks like a US Air arrives from FRA about 15 minutes earlier.

[lucavigg]

Wasn't the best I've experienced (step forward Tampa)
but certainly not the worst by a long stretch (yes, LAX, I mean you !)

Thanks for that. I'm returning to LA in March after an abscence of 23 years.
In the early eighties before they modernised for the Olympics, the International Arriivals hall was very large tent!

Is is really that bad?

[lakerman]

Arrived at PHL from MAN on US, flight was 20 minutes early. Got thru immigration, picked up baggage, thru customs, picked up car and was on the I95 heading south before we were due on chocks. I have been to the US loads over the years, and this was the best I had anywhere. JFK, LAX & IAD the worst with ATL very close behind.

[Dairyground]

In the last year or so I've sampled several US airports. The worst by far was LAX, with queues so long and slow that I only just caught a connecting flight, which was due to depart 2 hours 20 minutes after we arrived. Someone making the same trip a few days later got a 23 hour holiday in LA, courtesy of AA. Part of the problem was the arrival of several flights close together, but a possibly greater factor was that this rush appeared to coincide with a shift change for the immigration officers.

I don't recall JFK, SFO or IAD being anything like as bad, but by far my quickest experience was a SAN. it may have helped that I was travelling with someone who was using a wheelchair and we got taken to the shortest US Citizens line, even with UK passports, but other people semed to get through almost as fast.

[mike_denia]

Which line to choose ?

I'll be arriving at Philly airport at the end of the month as an immigrant to the USA. I have visited the USA probably 50+ times before but this time I wont be using an ESTA (Visa Waiver) as I now have my immigrants visa in my UK passport. I have been told I cant use the passport scanner / booths that they have at Atlanta, JFK, Chicago etc and perhaps Philly doesn't have them anyway. I have to hand my new immigration papers to immigration and get my passport stamped as a permanent resident but is there a special line I can go in like perhaps the US line that my American wife uses ?

This is my first time at this airport and it looks pretty small compared to other major hubs and I looked at the map and it looks as though international arrivals for US Airways dock at terminal A West and my connecting flight to Tampa probably leaves from Terminal A east and between the two is immigration, the baggage hall and customs.

Could anyone confirm this ?

Thanks

Mike

[Mark in CA]

If you are traveling with your US citizen wife, you should be able to go through passport control in the US with her in the US citizens line regardless of your passport status. My wife also has a (10-year) visa in her Hungarian passport, but does not have a green card as we live most of the time in Hungary. It's unclear from your post whether you have a green card or not. Permanent residents (green card holders) can go through the US citizens line, even if traveling alone.

[7of9]

I have passed through PHL 10 times in the last 13 years.
Longest wait was 2 hours, that was because of the extra aircraft laid on for cancelled flights earlier in the week from the Iceland volcano clouds.
Shortest wait 30 mins, landing in from MAN on USAir 735 now AA735. Landing time 13.45 local.