Originally Posted by
quintic
The border control told her that they let her pass through GUM as transit because her original flight is from US, (or destination is to US). The border control guy is stating that F1 visa is only for studying or OPT training. (implying not good for transit at Guam, if origination or destination is not US)
This is entirely consistent with the terms of the visa.
Originally Posted by
quintic
The next leg of the flight is the problem, YAP-GUM-ROR, there is no direct flight from YAP-ROR. I have read IATA's database, it only points to valid US visa. (no mention of F1 or other visa).
Is this 1) Guam specific thing? 2) the border control making up things? I don't think this would be an issue in mainland US.
Your friend does not have a valid transit visa, so IATA’s database isn’t at fault. I don’t think border control is making things up, and I doubt it’s a Guam-specific thing; if anything, they’re more lenient there, as they have their own immigration rules with waivers for the CNMI and (I think) some other nearby Micronesian countries. It seems harsh, sure, since an F1 visa has to be more difficult to get than a transit visa, but I understand the officer’s point.
Originally Posted by
quintic
Any solutions? One thing I can think about is to book a full fare Y for flight GUM-HNL and cancel it after border control. But I think it is ridiculous.
Your friend needs to contact the appropriate US embassy or consulate ASAP and try to get it straightened out. What you’ve suggested is an awful idea, as your friend would be risking the F1 visa and any future admittance into the US. (In addition to risking having UA cancel their itinerary for having two conflicting reservations). It is never a good idea to try to defraud border control.