Brazilian Aunt to get tourist visa to watch baby

[Marina-Del 10]

Hello all!

My husband and I are having a baby in February and wanted his aunt (from Brazil) to come and stay with us for a couple months starting in July to take care of the baby.

Of course we would love for her to stay for 6 months, but understand that she may only be able to stay for 3 months. The plan would be for her to stay at home and care for our baby so that it doesn't have to go to daycare until it's a bit older.

I looked for actual work visas because we figured if she had a work visa she could stay longer (we will NOT pay her, but we would be paying for her trip, food, and expenses here). There doesn't appear to be a work visa that fits our situation. So, we need to get her a tourist visa. As we won't be paying her at all, she really will be a tourist here, so that's not an issue.

We're just looking for some first hand experience of people who have gotten (or tried to get) tourist visas for family members in Brazil. She owns an apartment there, but is retired and has no children. She gets retirement from the government once a month, but other than that has no income in Brazil. What kind of evidence should she bring with her to the consulate for the tourist visa interview process? Should we write a letter about her watching our child for us? Would this help or hurt?

Any advice would be helpful!

marina

[Merrytooth 5,748]

"Should we write a letter about her watching our child for us? Would this help or hurt?"

A person with a tourist visa is not eligible to work - this includes babysitting for a relative.

So don't ever mention it during the visa interview.

Your Aunt must apply on her own, show sufficient ties to her home country and overcome the presumption that she would become an illegal immigrant.

[Marina-Del 10]

Okay, I get that. But would it help for us to write a letter (or for her to state) that her nephew just had a baby and she's coming to visit? Would this help or hurt?

Again, she WILL NOT be staying over the time given to her and we will not be paying her, so we really aren't doing anything wrong!

[christeen 966]

My vote is that would hurt the process as it might appear she is coming to work for you or as a nanny and thus lessen the chance of returning home after the visa is expired... I say she should apply for the visa as a tourist and to visit family and see the new baby... She can then just have to overcome the burden of proving she has sufficient ties to brazil for her to return (house lease, job, family, husband back in brazil etc...) without the extra burden of suspicion of working thrown on top... Because technically she will not be working, just helping family out since ther is no wages involved.

[Umka36 781]

Baby sitting (whether it be paid or not) is considered work. It hurts the OP, because his posting and the title he used is all about watching their baby when it's born. I would have been different if he said, can my aunt visit my family.

Edited August 19, 2013 by Umka36

[Merrytooth 5,748]

You could send her the invitation letter, stating that she is coming to visit her nephew just had a baby plus sightseeing and you will be covering her travel expenses.

You aunt could provide bank statements, apartment title deed, pension from the government every month to show proof of home ties.

Sometimes these documents may not even be looked at by the interviewing officer.

Give it a try. Good luck.

Congratulations on your upcoming bundle of joy

[Marina-Del 10]

Thanks for the help Merrytooth. Hopefully her ties will be enough! She's never been married and doesn't have kids, so that's no help and she's retired so she has no job! But she does own her apartment and get her retirement monthly.

I don't agree Umka36 with your comment though. Sure, agree not to phrase it that way to the interview guys in Brazil, but her coming to stay with us for a couple months IS visiting the family. She'll stay with the baby while we work and while I agree with you that the US government might see that as "her working", she is really NOT working for wages, so I don't see anything wrong with that. The way you phrase it is like we are actually doing something wrong! She's not coming to work for us, but coming to visit and help us out after we have the new baby!

For other Brazilians: What ties did your family members bring to the consulate when applying for tourist visas and did they get approved or not?

[ricnally 258]

Thanks for the help Merrytooth. Hopefully her ties will be enough! She's never been married and doesn't have kids, so that's no help and she's retired so she has no job! But she does own her apartment and get her retirement monthly.

I don't agree Umka36 with your comment though. Sure, agree not to phrase it that way to the interview guys in Brazil, but her coming to stay with us for a couple months IS visiting the family. She'll stay with the baby while we work and while I agree with you that the US government might see that as "her working", she is really NOT working for wages, so I don't see anything wrong with that. The way you phrase it is like we are actually doing something wrong! She's not coming to work for us, but coming to visit and help us out after we have the new baby!

For other Brazilians: What ties did your family members bring to the consulate when applying for tourist visas and did they get approved or not?

None of us here sees anything wrong with that either, but, unfortunately US Immigration DOES. Even if working for nothing, she can't legally do anything that an American or legal alien COULD be paid to do.

[Umka36 781]

Hello all!

My husband and I are having a baby in February and wanted his aunt (from Brazil) to come and stay with us for a couple months starting in July to take care of the baby.

Of course we would love for her to stay for 6 months, but understand that she may only be able to stay for 3 months. The plan would be for her to stay at home and care for our baby so that it doesn't have to go to daycare until it's a bit older.

I looked for actual work visas because we figured if she had a work visa she could stay longer (we will NOT pay her, but we would be paying for her trip, food, and expenses here). There doesn't appear to be a work visa that fits our situation. So, we need to get her a tourist visa. As we won't be paying her at all, she really will be a tourist here, so that's not an issue.

We're just looking for some first hand experience of people who have gotten (or tried to get) tourist visas for family members in Brazil. She owns an apartment there, but is retired and has no children. She gets retirement from the government once a month, but other than that has no income in Brazil. What kind of evidence should she bring with her to the consulate for the tourist visa interview process? Should we write a letter about her watching our child for us? Would this help or hurt?

Any advice would be helpful!

marina

I underlined the section related about work, and we can agree to disagree.

http://www.**.com/visitor-visa/daughter-in-law-sister-pregnancy-help.html

Edited October 15, 2013 by Captain Ewok

[Marina-Del 10]

Thank you for sharing that link, it was helpful. Regardless, I see your point totally, but simply don't see the need for the way you have presented it to me (pointing out how I should or shouldn't have written my post). This is not the visa interview. I won't be at the visa interview at all and was looking for honest opinions of others who had been in similar positions. How I phrase my post is not a concern, but rather getting answers to the question (should we mention that she might care for the baby? -NO!). Thank you for the information.

Now the question remains: for BRAZILIANS who have had relatives apply for tourist visas: What ties did they show to Brazil and did they get approved or denied?

[Tricia599 2]

Congratulations on the baby!

As far as the Consulate, I don't know how much help this will be, but here's my experience - not one person who I know that has gone for an interview had any additional info looked at by the interviewer.

My neice (who was 15 at the time) came in early 2011 to spend a month with us and we gave her a letter of invitiation to bring to her interview. Her dad was with her and apparently it wasn't a straightforward approval, so her dad offered up our invite letter. The response back was that anyone could print out any letter they wanted on their home computer. So based on that and the other anecdotal evidence I have heard from people, it won't hurt to send it and have her bring it to the interview, but there is very little chance that they will take it into consideration if they do look at it.

For my husband's visa interview (after we were married, but before we decided to move to the US), I had the typical 3" binder of extra stuff. No one ever asked to look at it. If it weren't for me and the interviewer having a common background (we were both exchange students back in the day), he would've been denied too. We were very lucky. I think we were the rare exception in getting a toursit visa, as I could show more concrete ties to Brasil than my husband who was born there.

I am pretty much convinced that they make their decision based on the application sent in ahead of time. I don't remember what the form looks like offhand, but she'll need to get as much info on there as possible to convince them she'd go back.

Good luck!!