Stayed in the US on B1/b2 visa for 5 months, visiting again after 9 months

[braxtonMI 12]

My friend doesn't have an account here, so I'm asking on her behalf. She went to the US last September on a B1/B2 visa, stayed for 5 months, and then came home last February. She's planning to go back on November only for 2 weeks. Is she going to have a problem going through immigration? Thanks in advance for your help!

[aaron2020 11,651]

Her last visit shouldn't be a problem as long as she followed all the rules.

[iree 0]

I dont think so as long as she didn't overstayed nor commited a crime. Otherwise, she'll be fine.

[sweet cakes 326]

My friend doesn't have an account here, so I'm asking on her behalf. She went to the US last September on a B1/B2 visa, stayed for 5 months, and then came home last February. She's planning to go back on November only for 2 weeks. Is she going to have a problem going through immigration? Thanks in advance for your help!

I don't think there's any issue as long as her visa states "Multiple entry", and date of next desired travel is still within the validity of the B1/B2 visa. That's all she needs to check.

[braxtonMI 12]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that she met her boyfriend during her last visit, and she's planning to visit him when she goes back in November.

[sweet cakes 326]

Will she be applying for a new visa? Or was the last visa she used says "Multiple entry"?

Edited September 26, 2013 by sweet_cheeks

[braxtonMI 12]

No, she has a multiple entry visa that is valid til 2022. She is just worried that they might not let her enter the US because she has a boyfriend and she returned after just 9 months.

[sweet cakes 326]

It is highly unlikely that they would ask about such personal questions. A return ticket might come in handy at the immigration in case they ask when your friend plans to go back to Philippines.

[inlovesalem 17]

It is highly unlikely that they would ask about such personal questions. A return ticket might come in handy at the immigration in case they ask when your friend plans to go back to Philippines.

Actually it's VERY likely they would ask such personal questions.

Each and every time I have entered I was asked WHO I was visiting, for how long, address of where I was staying, and REASON I was going.

She may get lucky this time, but trust me, after a few long stays and more and more often with less time in between, they ask A LOT of questions and want ties to your homeland.

Edited September 26, 2013 by inlovesalem

[ryna 132]

Actually it's VERY likely they would ask such personal questions.

Each and every time I have entered I was asked WHO I was visiting, for how long, address of where I was staying, and REASON I was going.

She may get lucky this time, but trust me, after a few long stays and more and more often with less time in between, they ask A LOT of questions and want ties to your homeland.

I agree, especially someone visiting from other side of the planet. It's one thing for a person who lives fairly close to make a couple of trips within a 1 year period, but a visit of 5 months followed by another 2 week visit within a 9-month period might raise a few eyebrows.

I'm a USC and I even get the occasional "Where are you staying/going?" question when I come back to the U.S. Of course, in my case, it doesn't really matter but they still ask me sometimes.

Maybe it would be better if her boyfriend visited her in her country this time around. Coming back so soon, she runs the risk of being sent back and having her tourist visa cancelled.

[braxtonMI 12]

Wow. Yeah, I think that was what she was worried about. If she still goes through with it though, what documents should she bring to show her ties to the Philippines? Bank statements? Letter from employer? I do know she's going to Hongkong or China in December or January, would her tickets and hotel booking for that trip help?

Thanks again for all your info!

[sweet cakes 326]

Wow. Yeah, I think that was what she was worried about. If she still goes through with it though, what documents should she bring to show her ties to the Philippines? Bank statements? Letter from employer? I do know she's going to Hongkong or China in December or January, would her tickets and hotel booking for that trip help?

Thanks again for all your info!

She will be asked if the visit is for business or for pleasure, which is actually already indicated in her arrival card. But the officer will ask anyway to check for consistency. Is her visa for "business" or "Tourist"?

What I meant earlier about not being asked about personal stuff is if she has a boyfriend in US. She can tell the immigration officer that her visit this time is to meet some friends and for tourism. She will then be asked how many days she will stay and when she's coming back. She has to be consistent with what's indicated on her return ticket. Because she will be asked to show this too. If she also has an itinerary of her travel plans, it can also help.Then, normally, she will also be asked how much USD she has with her. Showing about 2k USD upfront should suffice for a 2-week vacation, and she can probably mention then show she has a credit card too. If she brought less than 1k USD, this will probably raise the immigration officer's eyebrow, and she might be thought of trying to potentially and illegally stay in US and then work.

Maybe she can clarify this by calling up the Bureau of Immigrations? By the way, what was her purpose in her first 5-month stay in US?

[braxtonMI 12]

She will be asked if the visit is for business or for pleasure, which is actually already indicated in her arrival card. But the officer will ask anyway to check for consistency. Is her visa for "business" or "Tourist"?

What I meant earlier about not being asked about personal stuff is if she has a boyfriend in US. She can tell the immigration officer that her visit this time is to meet some friends and for tourism. She will then be asked how many days she will stay and when she's coming back. She has to be consistent with what's indicated on her return ticket. Because she will be asked to show this too. If she also has an itinerary of her travel plans, it can also help.Then, normally, she will also be asked how much USD she has with her. Showing about 2k USD upfront should suffice for a 2-week vacation, and she can probably mention then show she has a credit card too. If she brought less than 1k USD, this will probably raise the immigration officer's eyebrow, and she might be thought of trying to potentially and illegally stay in US and then work.

Maybe she can clarify this by calling up the Bureau of Immigrations? By the way, what was her purpose in her first 5-month stay in US?

Hi sweet_cheeks, my name is Kat and I'm the friend Samron is talking about. Thanks for your responses, I read every one. Here's my story: I went to the US last September for a cousin's wedding, and that's what I told the immigration officer. I was also traveling with my mom and uncle. I was only gonna stay for 3 weeks but then my relatives wanted me to stay longer and I was really enjoying my time there, so I decided to rebook my ticket. I was working for my family's business, so my parents agreed to letting me stay for 5 months because I've never had any time off ever since I started working after college. During my stay in the states, I met my boyfriend, and we're still together until now. I'm gonna visit him this November, and also, my cousin who got married last year is having her baby, and her due date is also in November. She has already made baptism plans and has set a date and booked a venue and etc. So my real dilemma is really just getting through immigration and making sure they don't suspect that I'm gonna stay to find work or get married. I'm scared they won't let me through and send me back home.

Question, if they don't ask about my boyfriend, should I tell them anyway? I'm going to be staying at my cousin's place in Chicago, and my boyfriend is in Michigan. We still haven't decided if he's gonna come to Chicago or if I'm just gonna go straight to Michigan. And, aside from cash, my credit card, travel itinerary, is there anything else that I should be ready with? I know it just depends on the officer who's gonna see me, but I just don't wanna take my chances.

Thank you, really, for your replies. They've been so helpful to me.

[sweet cakes 326]

Hi sweet_cheeks, my name is Kat and I'm the friend Samron is talking about. Thanks for your responses, I read every one. Here's my story: I went to the US last September for a cousin's wedding, and that's what I told the immigration officer. I was also traveling with my mom and uncle. I was only gonna stay for 3 weeks but then my relatives wanted me to stay longer and I was really enjoying my time there, so I decided to rebook my ticket. I was working for my family's business, so my parents agreed to letting me stay for 5 months because I've never had any time off ever since I started working after college. During my stay in the states, I met my boyfriend, and we're still together until now. I'm gonna visit him this November, and also, my cousin who got married last year is having her baby, and her due date is also in November. She has already made baptism plans and has set a date and booked a venue and etc. So my real dilemma is really just getting through immigration and making sure they don't suspect that I'm gonna stay to find work or get married. I'm scared they won't let me through and send me back home.

Question, if they don't ask about my boyfriend, should I tell them anyway? I'm going to be staying at my cousin's place in Chicago, and my boyfriend is in Michigan. We still haven't decided if he's gonna come to Chicago or if I'm just gonna go straight to Michigan. And, aside from cash, my credit card, travel itinerary, is there anything else that I should be ready with? I know it just depends on the officer who's gonna see me, but I just don't wanna take my chances.

Thank you, really, for your replies. They've been so helpful to me.

Hi Kat! Just speaking from experience. Personally speaking, I think you don't need to tell anything about your boyfriend. If they ask you about your purpose, you can just say, visiting family relatives (say which state) and tourism (probably you can pop in that you want to visit the Grand Canyon this time, etc because you haven't gone there). But never ever say more than what is being asked of you, like mentioning about seeing your American / US citizen boyfriend. You have to appear and sound confident (not arrogant) and also, consistent. I think it's safer also if your port of entry (arrival) should be the same as port of exit (departure). It will raise more questions if you arrive in one state and plan to leave from another.

Don't forget the fact that the US embassy granted you a multiple entry, meaning they have already done a financial and social background check on you. But you just have to come in prepared for any potential questions, because they're just doing their jobs. Important documents at the immigration: Return ticket, itinerary, cash ( >2k USD should be good), credit card and maybe if you have an ID that you're working for your family business in Philippines. These are all just suggestions. As you said, different immigration officers might have different moods. Maybe it would help if you call up and inquire through the US embassy hotline about any required documents for your 2nd visit?

Here's their number:

Call Center – for general inquiries and scheduling appointments: (02) 982-5555 // (02 902-8930). The call center is accessible from Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Manila time, except US and Philippine holidays.

Edited September 27, 2013 by sweet_cheeks