How long may a tourist stay and when decided?

[Snake&Dog 0]

I am a citizen and my wife is a resident of the US. Her parents in China are applying for a tourist visa to visit us. They will interview at the US Consulate in Guangzhou shortly. We are wondering, if successful, how long they will be allowed to stay in the US. Who decides, when is it decided, and what are the possible periods allowed. It will be their first here. Is there some standard 6 month Visa given? Is multiple entry an option? Is multiple entry something that must be asked for?

Someone told us that the allowed visit length is not determined until they reach the immigration portal at the US arrival airport, and it is arbitrary as to what time period an officer choses to put on their passports. But this sound illogical to me. So we are wondering..... Thanks for any help. Dog&Snake

[Pinkranger 0]

The duration of the stay is indeed arbitrary depending on how the immigration officer sees the outcome of the short interview that they conduct at the airport. Based on my own and my family and friends' experiences, we were all given a maximum stay of 6 months.

[Eric & Jin 10]

I am a citizen and my wife is a resident of the US. Her parents in China are applying for a tourist visa to visit us. They will interview at the US Consulate in Guangzhou shortly. We are wondering, if successful, how long they will be allowed to stay in the US. Who decides, when is it decided, and what are the possible periods allowed. It will be their first here. Is there some standard 6 month Visa given? Is multiple entry an option? Is multiple entry something that must be asked for?

Someone told us that the allowed visit length is not determined until they reach the immigration portal at the US arrival airport, and it is arbitrary as to what time period an officer choses to put on their passports. But this sound illogical to me. So we are wondering..... Thanks for any help. Dog&Snake

The B-2 tourist visas issued in China are multi-entry visas with a validity of 1 year and with a maximum stay of up to 6 months. The duration of each stay is not guaranteed however and is decided upon by the immigration officer at POE. For what it is worth - my Chinese in-laws were given the maximum 6 month stay at POE with no questions asked.

[Harsh_77 718]

Consulate in China just stamps the visa on your in-laws passport and it can be multiple or single that depends on the CO who interviews them.

Based on the documentation provided during the interview CO decides multiple / single entry.

Whtever the visa they get, when they enter the CBP officer at POE will determine how long they can stay in country.

Max allowable is 6 months but that’s not a guaranteed.