Duration of Stay

[John and Nora 0]

Hi all, I am headed to Argentina to marry on the 28th of April and we have the blessings of the church to marry on the 12th of May...

My questions:

Can my wife come here on a visitors visa as long as she has a round trip ticket?

and

What is the Duration of Stay option?

Thanks for all the help John and Nora

[garyandkris 0]

Hi all, I am headed to Argentina to marry on the 28th of April and we have the blessings of the church to marry on the 12th of May...

My questions:

Can my wife come here on a visitors visa as long as she has a round trip ticket?

and

What is the Duration of Stay option?

Thanks for all the help John and Nora

She should be able to come on a visitor's visa as long as she has proof that she is not intending to immigrate. However, her intention is determined at POE, and even with a return ticket and proof of ties to her home country, she may still be denied entry if they suspect immigration intent. Many people in similar circumstances, including my husband, have had no problems getting in on a tourist visa without having to produce proof of ties, while others have been grilled at POE or denied entry. Ties to her home country could include such things as a mortgage/lease, letter from an employer, bank account statements, etc.

I doubt she'd be eligible for D/S as she would be traveling on a tourist visa and D/S is normally given to students and diplomats. Duration of Stay: Upon entering the U.S., an immigration officer of the Department of Homeland Security''s, Border and Transportation Security, at the port of entry, places a small white card, Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record in your passport. On this card, the U.S. immigration inspector records either a date or "D/S" (duration of status). In most cases, a specific date will be indicated on the Form I-94 (in the lower right-hand corner). If your I-94 contains a specific date, that is the date by which you must leave the United States. Some students, exchange program participants, and certain temporary workers (e.g., foreign diplomats) will be admitted for “duration of status.” If you have "duration of status" or “D/S” on your Form I-94, you may remain in the U.S. as long as you continue your course of studies or remain in your exchange program or qualifying employment. http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_1298.html

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I hope you have a wonderful trip.

[JVKn'CVO 11]

Hi John and Nora!

First of all congratulation on your upcoming wedding! wish you all the happiness in the world!

From my own experience with the BA embassy, a round trip ticket is not proof enough that Nora will return to Argentina, which is what you have to prove when appling for a tourist visa. If you are married or engaged, then they would tend to think that she would use that tourist visa to enter the US and stay without going through the inmigration process...and proving that you will return to Argentina becomes very difficult.

What can help your case for a tourist visa is having property listed to Nora's name, and close family living in Argentina. I also asked for a letter from my employer to prove that I have a steady job...this all worked out for me, but Justin and I were not engaged yet at the time.

Try to think of anything that proves Nora has ties in Argentina that would justify her return.

Something good to know is that the BA embassy offers councel to people applying for an inmigrant visa on Mondays at 2:00pm and Wednesdays at 9:00am (be sure to be there 15 min before that, otherwise they don't let you in! the US embassy doesn't understand that argentinians like to be fashionably late...or is that just me? )

Best of luck!!!

[John and Nora 0]

Thanks for the replies There really isn't much that she could present as ties to Argentina. She has sold her house and really doesn't need a job as I am supporting her needs. I was hoping that there would be some way (as many others do also) she could come here to ease the pains of separation. Thanks again... John