Bringing sister to help with baby

[randolady 1]

Hi! My husband and I are finally pregnant! Baby is due at the end of May. We are seriously considering having Ombeni's sister come stay with us afterwards to help with the baby (and to show her the glory of Wisconsin ). I guess she would come on a tourist visa and maybe be here 6 months?

A quick search on Google shows that there are health insurance policies you can purchase if you are visiting the US. And because Verizon is weird, we already have an extra cell phone she can use. And I work 1st shift, my husband works 2nd, so she'd really only be alone maybe 4-5 hours a day, so she won't get too lonely or bored.

Has anyone else brought a relative over for similar circumstances? How did it go? What did you wish you had considered before?

Thanks in advance!

[scotty2009 13]

Hi! My husband and I are finally pregnant! Baby is due at the end of May. We are seriously considering having Ombeni's sister come stay with us afterwards to help with the baby (and to show her the glory of Wisconsin ). I guess she would come on a tourist visa and maybe be here 6 months?

A quick search on Google shows that there are health insurance policies you can purchase if you are visiting the US. And because Verizon is weird, we already have an extra cell phone she can use. And I work 1st shift, my husband works 2nd, so she'd really only be alone maybe 4-5 hours a day, so she won't get too lonely or bored.

Has anyone else brought a relative over for similar circumstances? How did it go? What did you wish you had considered before?

Thanks in advance!

Not much help here, but I'd like to commend you for considering getting a health insurance for your sister-in-law. There are quite a number of tourists who come here, mask their health status (pregnant, sick etc) and seek medical help here in the USA. And yep, they ultimately end up getting these services for free. Thank you for being ethical.

[Ning 619]

Hi! My husband and I are finally pregnant! Baby is due at the end of May. We are seriously considering having Ombeni's sister come stay with us afterwards to help with the baby (and to show her the glory of Wisconsin ). I guess she would come on a tourist visa and maybe be here 6 months?

A quick search on Google shows that there are health insurance policies you can purchase if you are visiting the US. And because Verizon is weird, we already have an extra cell phone she can use. And I work 1st shift, my husband works 2nd, so she'd really only be alone maybe 4-5 hours a day, so she won't get too lonely or bored.

Has anyone else brought a relative over for similar circumstances? How did it go? What did you wish you had considered before?

Thanks in advance!

Best to study the rules for getting tourist visas. This subject is under constant debate here on V J.

Keep in mind she will apply for her tourist visa on her own. She will be subject to the strongest ties rule. This means she must prove beyond a doubt why she must return to her country.

The DOS doesnt care about her wanting to come to assist with a baby. Possibly better to say she would be visiting family. The length of stay is determined at the POE after some question about the reasoning for the visit.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

It's illegal to bring her here to work for you on a tourist visa. Providing childcare is considered working.

[jkelly07 120]

b/2 visa, you can not work,she will need strong ties to come here to visit,job, schooling, house, business, money in bank,and if she doe's apply for a b/2 vist don't say you want to help your sister with her baby. thats a deniel.

[Boiler 45,500]

She would need a work authorised visa, not a visitor visa.

[randolady 1]

Thanks everyone for your replies. A work visa was also something I had considered but don't know much about. How hard is it to become an employer who can sponsor an immigrant?

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

You will not be able to bring her on a work Visa to be your nanny.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

Since lots of Americans hire people to provide childcare, this activity is considered work. Your sister can come visit her nephew/niece, but she cannot obtain a visitor visa to care for her nephew/niece because this would be considered work and a violation of the terms of a visitor visa.

A work visa is not appropriate in this situation. As the prospective employer, you must apply for the work visa on your sister's behalf. To apply for a work visa, you need a Labor Certification that no US resident is available or qualify to do the work and that is why you need to bring in a foreign worker. This will be impossible for you to do since lots of people can provide child care.

What you want is normal. Family to care for family. However, the desire for people to bring family members to the US and childcare being work that non-family members often do in the US, your sister will need to avoid the "taking care of her nephew/niece" when applying for a visitor visa. A visitor visa is her only choice to visit you.

[Noah Lot 391]

Hi! My husband and I are finally pregnant! Baby is due at the end of May. We are seriously considering having Ombeni's sister come stay with us afterwards to help with the baby (and to show her the glory of Wisconsin ). I guess she would come on a tourist visa and maybe be here 6 months?

A quick search on Google shows that there are health insurance policies you can purchase if you are visiting the US. And because Verizon is weird, we already have an extra cell phone she can use. And I work 1st shift, my husband works 2nd, so she'd really only be alone maybe 4-5 hours a day, so she won't get too lonely or bored.

Has anyone else brought a relative over for similar circumstances? How did it go? What did you wish you had considered before?

Thanks in advance!

One CANNOT WORK on a B2 visa...it does not matter if one is going to "help out" family members by babysitting, even if the family does not pay an hourly wage....the (simple) way to look at this situation is this: if the 'sister' comes to 'visit' and instead, provides full time child care, well, if she was NOT in the US, these parents would have to hire somebody to carry out the same tasks, so, that is considered work...there are NO exceptions...'helping' family is NOT ALLOWED by visitors for pleasure....under ANY circumstances...now....encouraging this sister to lie and say..."oh, I just want to visit for.....hmmm.....six months (!!)...." is baloney...no one gets 6 months paid vacation...and if she has this time, then she has ZERO ties to her country....and when (or if) she gets caught lying, well.....you can guess...

it's sad to read postings in which people want to break our laws merely to save a few dollars...as if they are the exceptions to the rule....

[Zee Bee 61]

One CANNOT WORK on a B2 visa...it does not matter if one is going to "help out" family members by babysitting, even if the family does not pay an hourly wage....the (simple) way to look at this situation is this: if the 'sister' comes to 'visit' and instead, provides full time child care, well, if she was NOT in the US, these parents would have to hire somebody to carry out the same tasks, so, that is considered work...there are NO exceptions...'helping' family is NOT ALLOWED by visitors for pleasure....under ANY circumstances...now....encouraging this sister to lie and say..."oh, I just want to visit for.....hmmm.....six months (!!)...." is baloney...no one gets 6 months paid vacation...and if she has this time, then she has ZERO ties to her country....and when (or if) she gets caught lying, well.....you can guess...

it's sad to read postings in which people want to break our laws merely to save a few dollars...as if they are the exceptions to the rule....

Geez....calm down!!!

It is completely unnecessary to berate the OP about this. She obviously didn't know that this was something that was frowned upon. I think she gets it. As someone who understands what the OP wants to do, she is not bringing her SIL here merely to avoid day care costs.

Believe it or not, in some cultures it is customary for a member of the family to travel and help a couple who has just had a baby. Its not unusual for a sister, aunt, cousin, what have you to take time off from whatever they are doing to help out with a new addition to the family (and yes, some can take off months at a time). It is how we keep a sense of community. When my SIL had her baby 2 years ago in MD I took off work to go and be with her to 10 days. She didn't ask, I offered. The same offers came when I had my son in August.

Its a lot more than someone coming here to defer the costs of taking care of a child.

[Noah Lot 391]

Geez....calm down!!!

It is completely unnecessary to berate the OP about this. She obviously didn't know that this was something that was frowned upon. I think she gets it. As someone who understands what the OP wants to do, she is not bringing her SIL here merely to avoid day care costs.

Believe it or not, in some cultures it is customary for a member of the family to travel and help a couple who has just had a baby. Its not unusual for a sister, aunt, cousin, what have you to take time off from whatever they are doing to help out with a new addition to the family (and yes, some can take off months at a time). It is how we keep a sense of community. When my SIL had her baby 2 years ago in MD I took off work to go and be with her to 10 days. She didn't ask, I offered. The same offers came when I had my son in August.

Its a lot more than someone coming here to defer the costs of taking care of a child.

I suggest you re read the OP's original post...in which she wants her sister to come for 6 months (NO ONE on planet earth gets six months paid vacation) AND take care of the newborn....pure and simple...and yet there have been suggestions that the future visa applicant lie about her true intentions...something that I do not condone...perhaps you do...but that's your issue....I know what my ethical standards are...I don't need to 'chill out' I smell something fishy....while it may be normal in many cultures for relatives to change diapers, etc, that does NOT apply to those seeking tourist visas in order to provide (nearly) full time child care...the US of A has something called 'au pair' visas (J1) but they have certain restrictions....as do H2Bs....but many people don't believe that they are subject to our laws, encourage their relatives to lie during their interview, then act outraged when said relative is denied....no doubt many people believe that our COs are naive.....they are not.

[Zee Bee 61]

I suggest you re read the OP's original post...in which she wants her sister to come for 6 months (NO ONE on planet earth gets six months paid vacation) AND take care of the newborn....pure and simple...and yet there have been suggestions that the future visa applicant lie about her true intentions...something that I do not condone...perhaps you do...but that's your issue....I know what my ethical standards are...I don't need to 'chill out' I smell something fishy....while it may be normal in many cultures for relatives to change diapers, etc, that does NOT apply to those seeking tourist visas in order to provide (nearly) full time child care...the US of A has something called 'au pair' visas (J1) but they have certain restrictions....as do H2Bs....but many people don't believe that they are subject to our laws, encourage their relatives to lie during their interview, then act outraged when said relative is denied....no doubt many people believe that our COs are naive.....they are not.

I read what the OP posted. Did you read what I posted???

Maybe I was not clear in my post before, but, what the OP is asking for, while not common here, may be common in the culture of her husband. It may not even have occurred to her that having her SIL come here to help them take care of their baby is considered "working". I know that I did not know this until someone (not on VJ and a few years ago) told me this. Like she said in her post, they want her SIL to some here and help.

I don't appreciate you insinuating that I condone someone lying to get their visa. Going through AP does a number on you. I am the first to cry foul for those trying to scam the system. I've been on here a long time and helped many people when they have had visa issues, all legally; my reputation speaks for itself.

I never posted on here that the OP should or should not go along with the visa. I was just trying to give you the point of view that the OP was coming from. I understand how she could look at her SIL coming here as help rather than work and THAT is what I was trying to explain. The OP and I went through the visa process at the same time and I remember her. I believe it was a completely innocent question. Now she knows what she needs to do. No need to be rude about it.

[Noah Lot 391]

I read what the OP posted. Did you read what I posted???

Maybe I was not clear in my post before, but, what the OP is asking for, while not common here, may be common in the culture of her husband. It may not even have occurred to her that having her SIL come here to help them take care of their baby is considered "working". I know that I did not know this until someone (not on VJ and a few years ago) told me this. Like she said in her post, they want her SIL to some here and help.

I don't appreciate you insinuating that I condone someone lying to get their visa. Going through AP does a number on you. I am the first to cry foul for those trying to scam the system. I've been on here a long time and helped many people when they have had visa issues, all legally; my reputation speaks for itself.

I never posted on here that the OP should or should not go along with the visa. I was just trying to give you the point of view that the OP was coming from. I understand how she could look at her SIL coming here as help rather than work and THAT is what I was trying to explain. The OP and I went through the visa process at the same time and I remember her. I believe it was a completely innocent question. Now she knows what she needs to do. No need to be rude about it.

"help" is the euphism for "work"...and other posters suggested she tell the CO she is coming to visit...thus, hide the truth....AP so what? No one knows your reputation....but what I do know are our immigration laws...from page 1 onward.

[Zee Bee 61]

"help" is the euphism for "work"...and other posters suggested she tell the CO she is coming to visit...thus, hide the truth....AP so what? No one knows your reputation....but what I do know are our immigration laws...from page 1 onward.

Not worth my time