I'd love my parents come visit me and my husband from Russia

[VNL 4]

Hello Everyone!

I am a permanent resident of the US and I would like my parents to come visit my husband and I next year from Russia. I have already looked up the documents they would have to present in the US embassy (pay stubs, title of assets, etc.) The list mentioned that they would need a copy of my green card and some kind of letter from friend(s), which confused me. Do i or my citizen husband need to write a letter of invitation?

I heard that it's tough to get a tourist visa when you have relatives in the US. Is that true? My parents have a family business back home and they have no intentions to stay in the US. Do you have any advice on how to make this process as smooth as possible?

Thanks!

[HFM181818 750]

Invitation letters only demonstrate why the applicant wishes to GO to the US; they do not explain nor prove why that same individual would LEAVE the US after visiting.

One of the items that a CO might examine is how did you get to the US? A B2 -> a mind change -> to marriage -> green card? Or K-1 -> marriage -> to green card? The first way will or might cast doubt on their credibility, since a CO might well presume that if you skipped out on a B2, while your parents were OK with breaking the trust given to you....the second way is the preferred way....

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

Where did you see this list of required documents? Normally, copy of greencard, paystubs, list of assets etc is needed for an immigrant visa, not a tourist visa.

What they need is ties to home. What has also been known to help is if they had other visas, used them and returned home- such as getting a Schengen Visa and spending a long weekend in some European cit.

[HFM181818 750]

Documents do little to improve the outcome of an interview; they can, however, do a lot to ruin one's chances....title deeds, job letters, bank documents, etc....none of these prove with a 100% certainty that the B2 applicant will (a) depart the US when it's time and (b) not seek unauthorized employment while in the US....they are mostly window dressing....nothing more...that's why there are personal interviews, so that the COs can (hopefully) gain some idea of the credibility of the applicant, which cannot be accomplished by a pile of papers....

[HFM181818 750]

Penguin is mostly right.....yes, many people, especially older folks, might not have traveled to other distant countries, but are now hoping to go to the US...they face additional hurdles, because lacking a travel history, they will need to present themselves as a more credible risk.....and no paper on this planet can demonstrate their intentions....it will be up to them to do so, during the interview....

[VNL 4]

Thanks so much for your replies!

@HFM181818,

I got to the US on J1 then I changed my status to F1 and 2 years later I got married. So definitely it wasn't the best way to establish the residency. I really hope it won't ruin my parent's chances to come visit us . My dad had travelled a lot in Europe on business (awhile back). However my mom never left the country! They have assets and a small business. They do have jobs though they are of retirement age (early 60s). Does the age play any difference?

Here's what US embassy says about visiting a relative:

"Visiting a relative

Bring photocopies of your relative's proof of status (e.g. Green Card, naturalization certificate, valid visa, etc) and a letter (or scanned/faxed copy) from friends or relatives in the United States describing your relationship and details of your proposed trip. The letter does not need to be notarized."

That's why I am thinking weather it would be better if I write a letter or my husband.

Also it says to bring the "travel itinerary and/or other explanation about your planned trip". Should they purchase their plain tickets before the interview?

Thanks again,

Lisa

[HFM181818 750]

Some COs take a dim view of such actions....after all, you had offered reasons why you would be returning to Russia after your J1, and yet.....at the very least, you have made it harder for others from your country to obtain J1s, because many of those future applicants will offer similar reasons, but now, the COs will begin to doubt the veracity of those reasons (by now experienced COs already know this)...was the J1 an au pair assignment or summer work and travel ? ( if the former, that will negatively impact future applicants....which when I was still working, was one of the things we explored in depth....the more COS, the fewer summer work and travel visas we issued...a simple solution to mind changing...disallow the opportunity for such mind changes, since they seem to be so frequent from developing countries.

Anyway, letters and such are mostly fodder for trash bins....again, all such letters do is explain why someone wants to GO to the US, but much like the reasons you gave for returning, no letter can explain nor guarantee that the visa applicant will RETURN to their country....

[VNL 4]

Some COs take a dim view of such actions....after all, you had offered reasons why you would be returning to Russia after your J1, and yet.....at the very least, you have made it harder for others from your country to obtain J1s, because many of those future applicants will offer similar reasons, but now, the COs will begin to doubt the veracity of those reasons (by now experienced COs already know this)...was the J1 an au pair assignment or summer work and travel ? ( if the former, that will negatively impact future applicants....which when I was still working, was one of the things we explored in depth....the more COS, the fewer summer work and travel visas we issued...a simple solution to mind changing...disallow the opportunity for such mind changes, since they seem to be so frequent from developing countries.

Anyway, letters and such are mostly fodder for trash bins....again, all such letters do is explain why someone wants to GO to the US, but much like the reasons you gave for returning, no letter can explain nor guarantee that the visa applicant will RETURN to their country....

It's the latter (summer exchange work and travel program). I see where you are coming from. I guess we'll have to wait and see. It's very heartbreaking to even think that they might not be able to come over and see us. I never meant to make things harder for other J1s. I never did anything wrong. I got my BS and CPA license, I fell in love and I got married. And I hope for the best!

I'll keep all of your advice in mind and I'll keep you posted!

Edited November 22, 2015 by VNL

[HFM181818 750]

all well and good...except....sounds like you were doing what we used to call the 'summer, work and stay' program (aka summer work and travel)...you gave the reasons for returning as 'having to return to finish my education...' which turned out not to be a strong reason.,...and that will (and likely has) affected others from Russia who offered the same reasons...if returning meant little to you, why would it mean more to the next applicant? Answer (from the CO's perspective): it won't, thus, a denial, a lot of whining or crying, but no change of the decision.

Future applicants will be puzzled or unhappy when they don't get the opportunity for a mind change like you did....but put yourself in a CO's seat....let's say you granted 50 J1s for SWT, and 48 changed their minds....out of the next batch of 50 applicants, you will likely issue 2. That's how it goes...COs have long memories....and do not like to be taken advantage of...and thus, the bar for being approved will be raised higher and higher and higher, until only a handful of applicants out of hundreds or thousands will be allowed to participate in that program.

When I worked in an eastern European country years ago, my colleagues and I did some research on previous J1s issued from that country, and found, much to our dismay, that the non-return rate was a mere 100%...(and that was for the two previous years, before we arrived!)....you might guess what the refusal rate was for new J1 applicants hoping to participate in the SWT program....so yes, actions of others can affect the outcomes of the next group of applicants...you might think, 'gee, that's not fair...'...my response would be..'what is it that's not fair?' We were being told and/or promised about why applicants would return, which turned out not to be true...if their predecessors offered the same or similar reasons for returning which turned out not to have any real meaning, why should we believe the next batch? Might there have been someone who might have returned? Possibly...not our concern....the SWT program was being abused in this country severely....participants using it to stay, work illegally or shop for a USC spouse....our job was to grant visas to bona fide applicants, of which there seemed to be paltry few while we were there.

[VNL 4]

all well and good...except....sounds like you were doing what we used to call the 'summer, work and stay' program (aka summer work and travel)...you gave the reasons for returning as 'having to return to finish my education...' which turned out not to be a strong reason.,...and that will (and likely has) affected others from Russia who offered the same reasons...if returning meant little to you, why would it mean more to the next applicant? Answer (from the CO's perspective): it won't,

I see your point. I travelled to the US before I stayed here and I got back on time. The second time I toured a local school and I got an opportunity to finish my degree here by paying my russian rubles for it. I did not abuse the system by staying here illegally, I have no idea if embassy in Russia keeps track of people who stayed in the states and their status. If adjustment of status is wrong, why is it allowed? I know ppl who left their countries with intentions to stay in the US for good. I wasn't one of them. The decision to stay here for school wasn't easy, because i did have to give up a lot.

I see how me changing the status made it harder for others to obtain the visa but I also see how me staying here made a difference for my husband. I contribute to the local economy and I set example for my stepdaughter who wants to be an account too now I'll be praying for my mom and dad come see our lives here and I will never think that what I did was wrong.

[HFM181818 750]

I never said that you abused the 'system' (though I believe that NO AOS should be allowed except from the K1, just to put an end to all changes of mind)..the main point is that while you offered reasons to return that were believed, those reasons turned out to not have been strong enough....which sets the bar higher for the next group of applicants offering similar reasons....

Yes, there is a lot of information available to conscientious COs who choose to sift through it regarding overstays, COS, etc...(AOS and COS notifications are sent to the embassies...guess what is discussed on Fridays in the consular sections?)

If touring a school once was all it took to change your mind, how will the next Russian applicant be able to point to his or her continuing education in Russia (if it is ongoing at the time of applying for a visa) as a strong motivator to do so? These are the sorts of things often discussed in larger consular sections on Fridays, after all of the applicants are gone...in many of my assignments overseas, that's exactly what we would do...to discuss the applicant pool, the things we learned or were made aware of..that could and did affect our approach the week following, etc.

[arken 4,197]

How you came to US and how you became a US resident are now a past and even if that affects your parents during visa decision, you cannot do anything about it. So just prepare for providing as many documents from your parents side to prove their ties to their home country and to convince the CO that they will return back.

Whatever you provide from your side like a letter of invitation from you (or combined from both of you and your husband), copies of you status and/or any affidavit of support will have minimal effect on visa approval, they are just for formality

What your parents submit as supporting documents plays a major role in visa approval.

Such documents bolstering the ties to home country could be....

- proof of owning the business along with the value of the business and the income from the business,

- proof of owning the property and their valuation

- any other financial documents

- family documents (if your parents are living with their close/immediate relative at home)

For travel itinerary, DO NOT buy the ticket before getting visa approval. You can just book the tickets without purchasing and provide the travel itinerary during the interview.

[HFM181818 750]

Documents cannot and have never proved why a person would depart the US....imagine the documents given by the OP during her J1 interview....how did those work bringing her back?

Her transition from J1 to F1 to finding a USC husband may or may not impact her parents' chances of getting a B2; they will, however, have a significant impact on how the next wave of SWT applicants from Russia succeed in getting the same opportunity for the not surprising mind change...

[VNL 4]

Documents cannot and have never proved why a person would depart the US....imagine the documents given by the OP during her J1 interview....how did those work bringing her back?

Her transition from J1 to F1 to finding a USC husband may or may not impact her parents' chances of getting a B2; they will, however, have a significant impact on how the next wave of SWT applicants from Russia succeed in getting the same opportunity for the not surprising mind change...

The question of this thread is not about the next wave of J1s. Thank you for all your responses HFM181818.

[Ksenia_O 696]

HFM181818 is right - one of the items that a CO might examine is how did you get to the US. It is also true that Invitation letters along with your docs (green card and etc. ) don't help much. But on my opinion it doesn't hurt either. Anyway your name will be printed on the DS160 as a contact person in the US, along with relationship.

My parents brought a "book" of proofs of their strong ties with Ukraine for their B1/B2 interview - pay stubs, title of assets (apartment, country house, land), letters from their employers and so on. They also had invitation letter, signed by my husband and me, copy of my Green card and copy of my husband's US passport. But nothing was taken into account - the CO did not even look at all those docs, along with a "book" He asked two questions, and both were about me: when I left Ukraine for US and what visa I used to enter the country. The answer was "K1 visa", and their interview was over with B1/B2 visas approval.

Is it tough to get a tourist visa when you have relatives in the US? Sure. It's not only about the strong ties with the home country - the process is getting more complicated and depends on a lot of items. I believe there is something more the Embassy is looking for when you apply for B1/B2 visa, having relative in the US.

I wish you all the best and hope your mom and dad will get their B1/B2 approval, so they'll be able to see your life here. When my parents arrived, I couldn't be any happier...

Good luck!!!!

Edited November 24, 2015 by Ksenia_O