Need help with my B-1 visa!

[EvJe 0]

If everything works out well with my visa appliance, I'll go the the US at the end of February for 6 months, together with my boyfriend. We're both Dutch and bots students. My boyfriend will be registered as guest-researcher at the Berkeley University, he'll be writing his thesis. The application for his J-1 visa is almost completed and should be no problem. After being in Berkeley for 4 months, we'll go traveling for 2 months.

My situation is a bit more complicates. As said, I'm also a student, but I won't be studying for the period in the US. I want to join my boyfriend to volunteer for an NGO in my field of studie, animal sciences. I want to volunteer for 4 months, after this the traveling part of 2 months should start.

I know that I need a B-1 visa in order to be allowed to volunteer. However, during a search on the internet on how to get this visa, the chances of getting one are not that large as I inspected. If I understand well, the most important thing is to prove that I'm not a potential immigrant, in other words prove that I have strong ties to my home country. Another thing I think I need is a good motivation for why I need to stay 6 months instead of 90 days, since I can also get a Visa Waiver Program.

At the moment, I'm gathering as much information as possible in order to increase my chance of succeeding. It would be a great pity if my application fails, in that way my boyfriend would be in the US for 6 months whilst I'll be here in the Netherlands.. I've thought of the following things to increase my chances:

Proof of ties with the Netherlands:
- My study isn't finished yet, I'll take care of a letter from my study-advisor which states that I've invested 2,5 years of college-fee and time already and that I intend to return in September in order to finish the last bit of my study.

- My boyfriend will return to the Netherlands when is visa ends, so that's not a tie in the US but in the Netherlands

-I do have strong family ties, but how can I prove this?

- My room will be subrented during my stay in the US, so I'll bring my rent contract

- There will be enough money on my bank-account. Does anybody have an idea what would kind of amount they would like to see?

Why do I need to stay 6 months instead of 90 days?

-Volunteering withint my study field

-Making a large road trip (San Francisco - New York)

-Being together with my boyfriend

Does anybody knows more ways to make my case stronger? Are there other documents which I should bring to the interview? And are there things that I should nót mention?

How large do you think the chance of succeeding would be? In another forum, I got the advice for not taking the risk of getting rejected, and go for 90 days on a visa waiver program. However, I really do want to go the full 6 months and I want to everything that might help to make my case stronger.

All help is more than welcome, thanks in advance!!!

[Ning 619]

If everything works out well with my visa appliance, I'll go the the US at the end of February for 6 months, together with my boyfriend. We're both Dutch and bots students. My boyfriend will be registered as guest-researcher at the Berkeley University, he'll be writing his thesis. The application for his J-1 visa is almost completed and should be no problem. After being in Berkeley for 4 months, we'll go traveling for 2 months.

My situation is a bit more complicates. As said, I'm also a student, but I won't be studying for the period in the US. I want to join my boyfriend to volunteer for an NGO in my field of studie, animal sciences. I want to volunteer for 4 months, after this the traveling part of 2 months should start.

I know that I need a B-1 visa in order to be allowed to volunteer. However, during a search on the internet on how to get this visa, the chances of getting one are not that large as I inspected. If I understand well, the most important thing is to prove that I'm not a potential immigrant, in other words prove that I have strong ties to my home country. Another thing I think I need is a good motivation for why I need to stay 6 months instead of 90 days, since I can also get a Visa Waiver Program.

At the moment, I'm gathering as much information as possible in order to increase my chance of succeeding. It would be a great pity if my application fails, in that way my boyfriend would be in the US for 6 months whilst I'll be here in the Netherlands.. I've thought of the following things to increase my chances:

Proof of ties with the Netherlands:

- My study isn't finished yet, I'll take care of a letter from my study-advisor which states that I've invested 2,5 years of college-fee and time already and that I intend to return in September in order to finish the last bit of my study.

- My boyfriend will return to the Netherlands when is visa ends, so that's not a tie in the US but in the Netherlands

-I do have strong family ties, but how can I prove this?

- My room will be subrented during my stay in the US, so I'll bring my rent contract

- There will be enough money on my bank-account. Does anybody have an idea what would kind of amount they would like to see?

Why do I need to stay 6 months instead of 90 days?

-Volunteering withint my study field

-Making a large road trip (San Francisco - New York)

-Being together with my boyfriend

Does anybody knows more ways to make my case stronger? Are there other documents which I should bring to the interview? And are there things that I should nót mention?

How large do you think the chance of succeeding would be? In another forum, I got the advice for not taking the risk of getting rejected, and go for 90 days on a visa waiver program. However, I really do want to go the full 6 months and I want to everything that might help to make my case stronger.

All help is more than welcome, thanks in advance!!!

Your chances are not good. Take the advise you have been given.

[Boiler 45,972]

Ditto

[christeen 966]

If you get denied the visa... You can no longer use VWP .... Something to think of... Personally I would not risk...

[Boiler 45,972]

​Not quite, that would depend how ESTA came back.

[christeen 966]

​Not quite, that would depend how ESTA came back.

If you immediately reapply after the B2 denial, it will come back ESTA denied ... Then she would have to "give it time" to see if it would possibly reverse itself (I saw you gave this advice to other posters in past threads, I saw you say 6 months or so and try ESTA again) ... However, since the boyfriend will only be there for 6 months, this would not help the OP since her reason for applying is to travel with him... Waiting 6 months to reapply for an ESTA would defeat the purpose. I say don't risk it or the OP might not have a chance to visit at all. There are still many others in which their ESTA has never "reset" after a b2 denial.

[ManCharsey 254]

I was on a B1 visa for almost 3 years and did about 5 trips to the US for business related reasons and I can tell you that telling the consulate you are going to volunteer will get your application denied. B1 is for business meetings, business training etc.. You can't volunteer. Technically you won't be accepting employment nor be paid but immigration will see it as a form of employment. I personally volunteered for a church in making free food for homeless people anytime I was here but that was not the primary reason why I was on the B1 visa. So if you can, structure it in such a way that you will probably be having business training with the NGO. The business training can then be in the form of volunteering but that will be based on the NGO. But again, never tell them you are volunteering. You will be denied

[RhettVoe 282]

In other words, lie......great advice.

[ManCharsey 254]

No I didn't advice her to lie. My advice was not to use the volunteer strategy since that was sure to get her a denial. It is perfectly okay if she is here for business training but the training is in the form of the same duties she would have been doing if she was volunteering. That is what I meant by 'it could be in the form of volunteering''..but again that is entirely up to the NGO to accept those terms. My business training periods varied. In two instances I was here for long term training schedules - 6 months each. Another time I was here for 3 months and one time I was here for only 2 weeks. So as long as you are NOT taking payments then it is perfectly within the confines of the immigration and visa requirements to state it as business training.

[Boiler 45,972]

If you immediately reapply after the B2 denial, it will come back ESTA denied ... Then she would have to "give it time" to see if it would possibly reverse itself (I saw you gave this advice to other posters in past threads, I saw you say 6 months or so and try ESTA again) ... However, since the boyfriend will only be there for 6 months, this would not help the OP since her reason for applying is to travel with him... Waiting 6 months to reapply for an ESTA would defeat the purpose. I say don't risk it or the OP might not have a chance to visit at all. There are still many others in which their ESTA has never "reset" after a b2 denial.

Then why did you say you can no longer use the VWP?

I have seen people update ESTA and be OK, I have seen more cases where it was declined, but I have no idea what the overall numbers are. I know it is not a given, nor is 6 months for it to clear.

[christeen 966]

Then why did you say you can no longer use the VWP?

I have seen people update ESTA and be OK, I have seen more cases where it was declined, but I have no idea what the overall numbers are. I know it is not a given, nor is 6 months for it to clear.

Without an ESTA you cannot enter using the VWP

[RhettVoe 282]

But calling her visit "training" when it isn't is really just lying..you and your gf know the truth...now you want to try and disguise the truth..because you know that the truth won't succeed, so...do what other visa cheats do...lie...then whine when the visa application is denied...sounds like you should consider becoming an immigration attorney...hiding the truth is their specialty. I guess the word 'ethics' does not exist in your culture...