Friend Refused B-2 Visa

[Sixx 0]

Really? Just friends but you talk about marriage and touching her face just once?

Don't buy it, and neither would a POE officer

Now, she doesn't need to offer any more than what is being asked. If she is being asked where she is staying then obviously she needs to give the address (and not simply say 'oh a hotel' if that is not the case). Being honest is imperative, plus, did she talk about you during her interview for the visa? If she did, they probably already know about you.

Being American has nothing to do with this. You were ill informed and made some mistakes. That doesn't mean your relationship is doomed, it just means you'll have to work harder.

Good luck

The marriage comment on the first page was a joke. I was basically stating that it seemed to be the only route. If you'd refer to a few posts up, I stated that marriage was out of the question.

We are just friends. You cannot date someone you've never met. You cannot know how you feel about that person until you've met that properly. I'm just stating that it'd be nice to see what could happen between us. Dating is an option in the future, if and only if we're together physically.

She had mentioned in her interview that she was staying with a friend. He assumed she was staying with a boyfriend, which she instantly replied "No, just a friend." We have no intentions to lie, nor has she given any misinformation.

Of course I feel as if I want to touch her. I'm attracted to her and we want to move forward in our relationship. But we can't do that 4000 miles away from each other.

[Kaoticor 5]

Welcome to U.S. immigration!!! So much about your own country that you never knew right?

P.S. sorry to hear about your problem, my fiancee will never qualify for a visa either. When we get married it will be the first time she has ever come to see me.

[AmyWrites 593]

Unfortunately to bring someone to the US to live with you you pretty much HAVE to marry them. There's no visa for bringing your GF over.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Plenty of students travel on the VWP all of the time with little ties to home - only social ones. I have a hard time believing that a UK citizen, who mistakenly applies for a visa when not needed, is somehow banned for life from visiting. See what ESTA says.

[katiemanny 64]

Unfortunately to bring someone to the US to live with you you pretty much HAVE to marry them. There's no visa for bringing your GF over.

That was a mislead information, there is K1 visa route he can go to bring his GF to the US and marry her here.

[Barbara J 115]

That was a mislead information, there is K1 visa route he can go to bring his GF to the US and marry her here.

If you read this properly he does not want to marry her they just want to meet in person and see where things go.

[YOMIFASH 0]

Here's the rundown:

A friend of mine is from the UK. We met over the internet about six months ago, and we hit it off really well. After some discussion, we finally decided it would be in best interest to take our relationship to the next level. We arranged for her to come to the US for a few months so we could finally meet and she could travel around while I finish my studies. We would take a trip around the US for a few weeks during the Winter holiday and return to my place of residence to unwind and get to know each other a bit more until she left.

She applied for a B-2 Visa because we were ignorant of the VWP and what it was and exactly how it worked. We thought that in order to come over, the B-2 was the only way to do it. We were brought down to reality yesterday when her interviewing officer was a complete ####### and told her that she could not support herself and 'would never be allowed in the US so don't bother trying again'. He refused to look at any of her letters from her employer, her family, her voluntary work, or any of her bank statements which proved that she had the funds to support her trip. He belittled her current occupation because it was not in accordance with her education degree and handed her a paper stating she had been denied under Section 214(b).

After phone calls with the Operator Assisted Visa Information line, the Operator asked if they asked for any of her paperwork when her fingerprints were taken. They had not. She was told to file a complaint and to instead apply for the ESTA.

I called the Customs and Border Protection, here on the States side and they said that any refused Visa automatically makes her ineligible for VWP and said she'll have to try to get a visa instead. This clashes with information that the people she has spoken to and the people that I have spoken to who said that a denied Visa does not mean she's ineligible. I've spoken to the Department of State and have read around the internet, including this forum.

I guess my question is:

Is she screwed because of the denied B-2 Visa? What are some of the steps that we must take to ensure our relationship can expand off of the internet. We don't want to be confined to this. She doesn't plan on living here, nor do I plan on staying in the States as soon as I'm finished with my Bachelor's Degree.

What can we do? Is there anything we can do?

I'd appreciate any input at all.

Thanks.

[YOMIFASH 0]

Hi,

First and foremost, do you know if your friend has got IND (Indefinite Leave to Remain in UK) or British Passport ? To give the best advice, I need to know the background of the situation in order to give a conclusive advice. I have live in UK for years and I know how things work in London consulate.

I will be glad if you could give more information in order to be of assistance to you.

Regards.

[mark101 2]

buddy sorry to say but you two should have done your homework before going to request a visa....like you said she could have entered on the vwp and stayed here for 3 months with no problem. The only other way is for you to visit her in the country of her residence and see if the relationship goes to a higher level.. If you two fall in love you can petition to bring her as your finace - which would give her an immediate immigrant visa. But again its only if you two fall in love and marry because of that reason and not for the purpose of evading the USA immigration laws. Remember that the Embassy / Consulate has the final say as to who is eligable for a visa and who is not - that is the law!!!

[Boiler 45,498]

She has nothing to lose applying for ESTA apart from the fee.

If she does not get it, leave it a few months and try again.

There are no guarantees of entry, you to the UK or her to the US or you two anywhere else.

[katiemanny 64]

If you read this properly he does not want to marry her they just want to meet in person and see where things go.

If you read this I didn't post for the OP's original question, I was clarifying the mislead information.

[Sixx 0]

Plenty of students travel on the VWP all of the time with little ties to home - only social ones. I have a hard time believing that a UK citizen, who mistakenly applies for a visa when not needed, is somehow banned for life from visiting. See what ESTA says.

I would think it'd be kind of strict if a mistaken application for the B-2 because of ignorance were to ban her from the U.S. She is going to wait a week, apply for the ESTA and go from there.

Hi,

First and foremost, do you know if your friend has got IND (Indefinite Leave to Remain in UK) or British Passport ? To give the best advice, I need to know the background of the situation in order to give a conclusive advice. I have live in UK for years and I know how things work in London consulate.

I will be glad if you could give more information in order to be of assistance to you.

Regards.

She is a British Citizen and has a British passport.

buddy sorry to say but you two should have done your homework before going to request a visa....like you said she could have entered on the vwp and stayed here for 3 months with no problem. The only other way is for you to visit her in the country of her residence and see if the relationship goes to a higher level.. If you two fall in love you can petition to bring her as your finace - which would give her an immediate immigrant visa. But again its only if you two fall in love and marry because of that reason and not for the purpose of evading the USA immigration laws. Remember that the Embassy / Consulate has the final say as to who is eligable for a visa and who is not - that is the law!!!

Would've, should've, could've. If I could go back in time, I'd change it all. But I can't. We have to lick our wounds and move on. There's no use dwelling on the things we should have done, but didn't. K-1, K-3, any type of marriage visa, again, is out of the question. Neither of us believe in marriage, neither of us want to ever get married, neither of us are even talking about marriage. We're not dating, we're not even in a relationship. We're friends who happen to be attracted to each other and want to see what could happen.

And yes, I know that the Embassy / Consulate has the final say - but that doesn't mean I have to LIKE their decision.

She has nothing to lose applying for ESTA apart from the fee.

If she does not get it, leave it a few months and try again.

There are no guarantees of entry, you to the UK or her to the US or you two anywhere else.

Yea, she's going to wait a week and apply for the ESTA. It seems to be the only thing she can do at this point, other than wait until Summer until I go over there.

[mrsz. R 1]

That's the way this seems to be going, I'm afraid. It appears the world is against international relationships, or at least the United States. And they are especially biased against anyone under the age of 30, it seems. I appreciate your help thus far.

A few problems:

She does not own a car nor has a driver's license.

She lives with her mother, paying rent monthly

She's currently unemployed - leaving her job due to an unworkable environment

She's not in a University because she obtained her bachelor's

This all works against us, in terms of having strong ties. Though, she does do voluntary work, which she is in training to be made into a full-paying job, though it does not match her degree.

Is there anything that I can do? Or is there anything she can do to improve her chances?

She says she's willing to try again, but she's afraid because the IO had said that his decision is final and that everybody would agree with him. She's afraid of getting another decline on her record, hindering her chances even more. Wasting more time, more money, and gaining only more heartache.

I will look into the BUNAC, definitely. I'm highly interested in studying abroad, if not to meet her, then for my huge interest in traveling.

you can always have her mother state she is required back to pay rent or the employer state she needs to return to work by etc, also i know some schools require that the USC has enough funds in their bank if the school requires it

[SapphireDreams 71]

Why not go visit her during thanksgiving break? Or ask your professors to take a few days off to go visit her?

I know she wants to travel and it would be much more convenient for her to do the travelling, but if your intention is to meet and touch and spend some time together, better for a few days then not at all.

And in the future, if you do end up together, with the need to live in the US, then marriage will likely be your only option. Just wanted to mention that.

Good luck!

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

It is possible that the recent denial of the B2 is not in the system yet. She applies for ESTA to use the VWP, for which she is not eligible anymore, flies to the U.S. and is denied entry. Is that what you guys suggest her to do?

The rules are pretty clear on this: if she's ever been denied a visa petition, she's not eligible to use the VWP anymore. Even later in life an attempt to trick the system can be held against her for misrepresentation, so I would advise against this.