Yes, you can visit!

[Xereon 17]

13 minutes ago, Boiler said:

So you do not have a visa, you do not qualify to use the VWP or you are not Canadian.

 

Not a situation being discussed in this thread.

I do not see the title being "Yes, you can visit if you qualify for VWP or are Canadian". My bad. 

[Boiler 45,434]

I can think of no end of reasons someone can not visit, can not afford the airfare, do not have enough holiday, obviously not having a visa when one is needed is a bit of a deal breaker.

[SalishSea 17,791]

10 hours ago, Xereon said:

Does it really matter though? You can be on the 5,000th page but this is a real experience. Hence, why I underline. Situation depends on the country you are applying from. 

In some countries, regardless of your situation or position, they see people from that country not wanting to return to their home country once permitted to enter the USA. Hope that clarifies it a bit more. 

And yet so many of us had the very real experience of traveling on ESTA/B2 after the filing and before the approval of the petition, with absolutely no issues.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Jorgedig

[SalishSea 17,791]

10 hours ago, Xereon said:

I do not see the title being "Yes, you can visit if you qualify for VWP or are Canadian". My bad. 

But have you read through the thread at all?   If so, you’ll find that the question of whether you can visit has primarily been responded to by people with existing ESTA/B2, including the person you responded to!

[Lemonslice 4,828]

10 hours ago, Xereon said:

I do not see the title being "Yes, you can visit if you qualify for VWP or are Canadian". My bad. 

You are partially right, it is harder if you do not already have a visa.

To get the visa it goes from easy, to impossible-unless-a-miracle; that varies by country, and individual circumstances.  However, it is possible to get a visa, and then visit.  Thousands have done it.  

I wish you the best of luck in reuniting with your love one quickly.  

Edited March 24, 2023 by Lemonslice

[W199 331]

1 hour ago, Lemonslice said:

You are partially right, it is harder if you do not already have a visa.

To get the visa it goes from easy, to impossible-unless-a-miracle; that varies by country, and individual circumstances.  However, it is possible to get a visa, and then visit.  Thousands have done it.  

I wish you the best of luck in reuniting with your love one quickly.  

I totally agree with you. My fiancée is from the Philippines.  There is literally zero chance they would give her a B1/B2 visa to visit me while the K-1 in pending.

Before we were engaged, they would not even let her come on a student visa to get her Master's degree because she had a bf in the USA. They didn't want

to see any proof of employment or ties. 

 

Therefore, some time later, after we got engaged, she got a Canadian tourist visa. Rented a airbnb in Montreal for the summer, and I'll just visit her in Montreal, since its just a 5 hour drive. 

 

 

 

 

[frustratedcitizen 0]

Fiancée was rejected for a tourist visa despite:

• Letter from my prestigious USG civilian/military contractor employer stating I can't work abroad and can't leave without impact to $1B in business
• Letters from Pres. Obama & former ambassador to fiancée's father thanking him personally & photos of her father with various heads of state (to demonstrate she's from a good, law-abiding family)
• Wedding invite in the US addressed to both of us
• Statutory declaration from me committing to buying round trip tickets, not getting married, her not working/studying
• Job offer in her country

All submitted in advance via congressperson's office.

 

They just asked "is your dad a US citizen" and rejected her.  She had tried to explain about the letter from my employer and was cut off.

 

Truly awful people sit on the other side of the window. It's a major impact to my life and it's hard to see this as anything but a violation of due process.

 

Unfortunately she'll probably be going in for an F-1 visa interview later this summer as her starting her education a year late will set our entire lives back a year, including her first US job, having kids. State Dept is just out to ruin American lives without accommodating for how long these wait times are.

 

If she was born ~50 miles away, she'd qualify for ESTA and could just visit for a few months and save us so much grief.

Edited April 25, 2023 by frustratedcitizen

[Boiler 45,434]

5 minutes ago, frustratedcitizen said:

Fiancée was rejected for a tourist visa despite:

• Letter from my prestigious USG civilian/military contractor employer stating I can't work abroad and can't leave without impact to $1B in business
• Letters from Pres. Obama & former ambassador to fiancée's father thanking him personally & photos of her father with various heads of state (to demonstrate she's from a good, law-abiding family)
• Wedding invite in the US addressed to both of us
• Statutory declaration from me committing to buying round trip tickets, not getting married, her not working/studying
• Job offer in her country

All submitted in advance via congressperson's office.

 

They just asked "is your dad a US citizen" and rejected her.  She had tried to explain about the letter from my employer and was cut off.

 

Truly awful people sit on the other side of the window. It's a major impact to my life and it's hard to see this as anything but a violation of due process.

 

Unfortunately she'll probably be going in for an F-1 visa interview later this summer as her starting her education a year late will set our entire lives back a year, including her first US job, having kids. State Dept is just out to ruin American lives without accommodating for how long these wait times are.

It is difficult to get a tourist visa with a K1 in process.

 

Not sure I understand why her inability to visit has such a dramatic effect, it should not delay the K1.

[frustratedcitizen 0]

17 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Not sure I understand why her inability to visit has such a dramatic effect, it should not delay the K1.

Just being vague for anonymity. I can't visit her without significant impact to my work. Whenever I visit her, I can't work. I'm not around to manage teams, resolve issues before they happen and it risks projects and business. I was able to visit often last year, before we got engaged, but it was during a lull in my responsibilities.

 

Managers & colleagues at my job were pretty shocked the letter, which took a few months of bureaucracy on its own, didn't even get considered in the adjudication. Everyone is supportive but I'm still in a spot where I have to choose between career and family.

Edited April 25, 2023 by frustratedcitizen

[Boiler 45,434]

2 minutes ago, frustratedcitizen said:

Just being vague for anonymity. I can't visit her without significant impact to my work. Whenever I visit her, I can't work. I'm not around to manage teams, resolve issues before they happen and it risks projects and business.

 

Managers & colleagues at my job were pretty shocked the letter, which took a few months of bureaucracy on its own, didn't even get considered in the adjudication. Everyone is supportive but I'm still in a spot where I have to choose between career and family.

They interview people not documents, certainly not normal to consider documents.

 

You are just waiting for the K1 like everybody else, in the meantime life goes on.

[frustratedcitizen 0]

Well, they didn't really even interview her. No questions about the travel or intent IIRC. Just her where she lives, why she submitted photos of her dad, and her father's citizenship. They were just looking for something to latch on for a rejection, which I hear is pretty common.

 

Either way, just posting our experience in case it's useful to anyone else.

Edited April 25, 2023 by frustratedcitizen

[Mike E 11,739]

1 hour ago, frustratedcitizen said:

Unfortunately she'll probably be going in for an F-1 visa interview later this summer as her

If you mean a student visa, that is likely to be denied.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Mike E

[RandomGirl0509 5]

Hello everyone! I have a pending I-130 form from my USC husband. My student visa has been approved, and I have applied for a fully funded doctoral program. I will be flying on May 22, and my port of entry will be Houston airport. I am concerned about the CBP process. I have all the necessary paperwork, including an offer letter, a letter from my advisor, acceptance letter, etc., which explains that my intention is solely for study and research. Could you please provide me with some advice or share your experience if you have been through the same airport?

 

Thank you very much!

[SalishSea 17,791]

5 minutes ago, RandomGirl0509 said:

Hello everyone! I have a pending I-130 form from my USC husband. My student visa has been approved, and I have applied for a fully funded doctoral program. I will be flying on May 22, and my port of entry will be Houston airport. I am concerned about the CBP process. I have all the necessary paperwork, including an offer letter, a letter from my advisor, acceptance letter, etc., which explains that my intention is solely for study and research. Could you please provide me with some advice or share your experience if you have been through the same airport?

 

Thank you very much!

Your student visa was approved before your funding was?

[RandomGirl0509 5]

4 minutes ago, SalishSea said:

Your student visa was approved before your funding was?

no, sorry if I explained wrong. My full funding was approved before I applied for my student visa.