Limited Stay on a Tourist Visa?

[IgorT 1]

Helli everyone,

I ran into a little issue.

My father in law has a B1/B2 visa with multiple entries. It was his second time entering the US. I got a call in the middle of the night from an Immigration officer asking me for imformation. At that time he was being serviced at the US border in Chicago international airport. They called me because he does not speak english.

The call quality was real bad and I could barrely hear her (the officer).

She asked me how long is he going to stay, I said we are not sure because he is visiting but it might be as long as May. She also asked what he is going to do here, I said he will stay with us because our family is close and I live with my wife alone so we wanted him to be with us. She the. Asked where I worked and I told her, and asked how am I going to support them, I said that He was here before and I supported him no problem with the same budget. She was very rude the whole time. She said I cant let him stay that long, I will give him a month.

She the hung up without saying anything.

When he arrived, next to the entry stamp it was somthing written by hand, with a horrible hand writing, all I could make out was "stay limited" and the required return date. Didnt realize passport was a notebook.

Is there anyway to get his stay extended, I really feel that tha officer was very rude and was excercising her authority, she would not listen to me. I understand they are Border control, but we did not do anything wrong, and they really screwed up our plans. I need to do all I can to extend his stay, because a month isnt enough for what we have planned.

Any ideas?

Thank you,

Igor

[canadian_wife 1,827]

Troublesome that when asked how long he would stay your initial response was "I don't know"

When did he last visit? How long did he stay last time?

What country is he from?

Good luck

[Transborderwife 4,666]

In a month? Nope. Tourist visa extensions take a long time.

[az2014 381]

If you had plans then why did you not know how long he wants to stay? Did he not have a return ticket booked...with a return date?

Your replies to the questions sound very suspicious, seems he was lucky to get a month instead of being refused entry.

[JFH 12,191]

They can refuse entry to whomever they want. Harsh, but true. Only us citizens have the right to enter the United States freely. Everyone else must ask for permission. And CBP have control over whether permission is granted and for how long.

I think because you said you didn't know how long he would be staying you attracted suspicion. Surely everyone who visits has a ticket booked for a certain date? It would suggest he has no strong ties to home if he doesn't have a timescale that he needs to be back by.

[KierenHby 899]

The call quality was real bad and I could barrely hear her (the officer).

She asked me how long is he going to stay, I said we are not sure because he is visiting but it might be as long as May. She also asked what he is going to do here, I said he will stay with us because our family is close and I live with my wife alone so we wanted him to be with us. She the. Asked where I worked and I told her, and asked how am I going to support them, I said that He was here before and I supported him no problem with the same budget. She was very rude the whole time. She said I cant let him stay that long, I will give him a month.

She the hung up without saying anything.

**The CBP has complete discretion to allow as long, or short, a stay. Could be they had concerns about his previous stay, or the length of time between visits.

When he arrived, next to the entry stamp it was somthing written by hand, with a horrible hand writing, all I could make out was "stay limited" and the required return date. Didnt realize passport was a notebook.

**Officers can make notations on a passport, perhaps the passenger's poor english too was a factor behind the hand writing.

Is there anyway to get his stay extended, I really feel that tha officer was very rude and was excercising her authority, she would not listen to me. I understand they are Border control, but we did not do anything wrong, and they really screwed up our plans. I need to do all I can to extend his stay, because a month isnt enough for what we have planned.

**You could try, but I wouldn't disregard the CBP's instructions. The entire visa could be at risk if an extension is denied.

[HFM181818 750]

CBP decides on the length of stay....you can weep, whine, complain, but the fact of the matter remains...and if you try an extension request and it fails, he (FIL) will face unimaginable scrutiny the next time, or might even be turned around since CPB will presume he has no respect for their decisions, and they will then make one that will be nearly impossible to change (cancelling his visa)....have him visit for a month...he does not "need' to stay longer unless he will be............working in some capacity????

[Boiler 45,949]

I agree your pot is confusing, you did not long how long he is staying?

What is it that will take longer than a month?

[Anh map 2,098]

You could not give direct answers to the questions. You could have told the CBP officer of your plans. Based on what you posted the CBP had reason to believe that your FIL was coming to stay, not visit. The CBP officer gave him a one month visit. Overstaying could lead to the visa being revoked. Visit for one month and then do a better job of planning (and explaining) in the future.

[NikLR 13,232]

She doesn't have to be nice. She's an officer in charge of allowing people into the USA. It's a very serious job.

[newacct 688]

If you can't read what it says on the passport you can look up the I-94 (which is a good idea to do anyway even if you can read it because there are sometimes discrepancies). If he wants to stay longer than the Admit Until date he can try to apply for Extension of Status (note that it is costs several hundred dollars).

[Transborderwife 4,666]

If you can't read what it says on the passport you can look up the I-94 (which is a good idea to do anyway even if you can read it because there are sometimes discrepancies). If he wants to stay longer than the Admit Until date he can try to apply for Extension of Status (note that it is costs several hundred dollars).

Useless to do this for somebody only admitted a short period of time

[newacct 688]

Useless to do this for somebody only admitted a short period of time

Why do you think it is "useless"?

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

I agree with the others- have him stay for a month, go home, stay home a significant amount of time, and then try again. If he respects their decision now, and has firm plans and a return ticket next time, he is more likely to be given the full 6 months next time.

[Avery Cates 1,141]

I'm surprised he was let in at all. I would have turned him around given all the non-answers.

You say she was rude, but she really gave away the farm. You should write a sincere letter of thanks.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Avery Cates