Spouse visit usa without immigrating

[a.reece 0]

Hello,

 

I am an American citizen with a foreign spouse. We would like to visit my family in the United States this summer, but we do not wish to immigrate to the United States. Is a tourist visa the only visa we can apply for? Is there an option for multiple entries over a multiple-year period, in the event we wanted to visit twice per year?

 

Thank you for your guidance.

[millefleur 5,046]

Unfortunately the tourist visa is pretty much the only option.

 

The duration of a tourist visa depends. Most people here usually get one for three years but this is specific to Russia. The duration of stay will be determined by the customs office at the port of entry.

 

Just a warning, since your spouse is married to you, a US citizen, the visa may end up being rejected. This happened to me and apparently it's common for spouses of USC's to have tourist visas rejected.

[purplepretzel 35]

28 minutes ago, a.reece said:

Hello,

 

I am an American citizen with a foreign spouse. We would like to visit my family in the United States this summer, but we do not wish to immigrate to the United States. Is a tourist visa the only visa we can apply for? Is there an option for multiple entries over a multiple-year period, in the event we wanted to visit twice per year?

 

Thank you for your guidance.

Submitting the application with flight information (especially return date) might increase your chance of being approved because it shows intent to visit as tourists. And include as much documents as you can in your application/interview to prove your ties to your current country of residence (employment papers, properties, etc). 

[jan22 3,056]

1 hour ago, purplepretzel said:

Submitting the application with flight information (especially return date) might increase your chance of being approved because it shows intent to visit as tourists. And include as much documents as you can in your application/interview to prove your ties to your current country of residence (employment papers, properties, etc). 

Sorry, but flight information really means nothing at the interview.  Flight plans can always be changed.  Even a ticket (which should not be purchased until visa is in hand) is irrelevant, as everyone knows that round trip tickets are almost always cheaper than one-way, so even if there is an intent to stay in the US, a traveller is likely to have a return ticket.  Best advice is the last sentence -- you need to show strong reasons to return to your current home instead of staying in the US.

Edited May 18, 2017 by jan22

[Boiler 45,533]

The norm for a tourist visa is 10 years multiple entry, most B2's are admitted for a max of 6 months.