I'm an Indian married to a US citizen and live in the US. But my parents are not aware of this. How will this affect their visa application?

[Sparkle Sparkle 914]

10 hours ago, johannl said:

Long story short, my parents are from a very traditional Hindu background and would be very hurt if they learned that I married someone from outside our caste, let alone an atheist foreigner. I thus decided to never tell them. They’re very old in their seventies and I just don’t want to them discover this fact and lose their tranquility in the twilight of their lives. For the sake of this question, please assume this decision as given. I’m still in touch with my parents and we talk once or twice every month.

The problem is, they may want to visit the US. I wouldn’t have to invite them; they have the financial means to apply for a visitor’s visa and come here by themselves. In this case, they would have to provide information about their son which includes my marital status. They will be putting it as “single”, and I’m guessing the immigration officer will most likely catch the inconsistency and reject their application.

Do I need to worry about this? If yes, will the officer let them know exactly why it was rejected, thus revealing my true marital status to them?

 

I have asked this question on other forums and received varied answers. Some points of concern :

 

The DS-160 visa application does not ask for marital status. It does ask however, my status in the US (US citizen, permanent resident, etc). They will be putting in 'temporary worker' since they're not aware of my permanent status. Even if in some way I communicate to them to put in "PR holder" without revealing my marriage, it might cause inconsistencies in the interview process since I will be the main stated reason for the visit, and they will be unknowingly answering wrongly to questions about me. Tourist interviews are short and if the Officer believes parents are concealing facts it won't go well and may get denied.

 

Now, this is fine even if it does jeopardize their chances of getting the visa, what I'm *more* concerned about is the immigration office letting them know the exact reasons for rejection, and my details to them. Elsewhere I have received varied suggestions, but the consensus seems to be that even if the visa is denied they will give my parents a paper with the section under which their visa was rejected, not a particular reason. Is this accurate? and what about inconsistent answers *during* the interview process? is it a possibility that the officer crosschecks the info there itself and informs them?

 

Lastly, is it a bad idea or a valid option to write to the embassy (after the submission of the DS-160 form) informing them of my situation ? will they be cooperative ?

 

Thanks

 

Its worrisome that your marriage is a secret....You an adult and can chose what you want in life. Its unfair that you risk them being denied for what they dont know...but then again they might just qualify for a visa themselves. The question that then comes to mind is when they visit you in the US do you plan to hide your Wife too?....Does she know about all of this?

[Marieke H 2,522]

So is this a real issue, or a hypothetical question? Have they ever expressed an interest in visiting you?

[cd37 229]

13 hours ago, johannl said:

Long story short, my parents are from a very traditional Hindu background and would be very hurt if they learned that I married someone from outside our caste, let alone an atheist foreigner. I thus decided to never tell them. They’re very old in their seventies and I just don’t want to them discover this fact and lose their tranquility in the twilight of their lives. For the sake of this question, please assume this decision as given. I’m still in touch with my parents and we talk once or twice every month.

The problem is, they may want to visit the US. I wouldn’t have to invite them; they have the financial means to apply for a visitor’s visa and come here by themselves. In this case, they would have to provide information about their son which includes my marital status. They will be putting it as “single”, and I’m guessing the immigration officer will most likely catch the inconsistency and reject their application.

Do I need to worry about this? If yes, will the officer let them know exactly why it was rejected, thus revealing my true marital status to them?

 

I have asked this question on other forums and received varied answers. Some points of concern :

 

The DS-160 visa application does not ask for marital status. It does ask however, my status in the US (US citizen, permanent resident, etc). They will be putting in 'temporary worker' since they're not aware of my permanent status. Even if in some way I communicate to them to put in "PR holder" without revealing my marriage, it might cause inconsistencies in the interview process since I will be the main stated reason for the visit, and they will be unknowingly answering wrongly to questions about me. Tourist interviews are short and if the Officer believes parents are concealing facts it won't go well and may get denied.

 

Now, this is fine even if it does jeopardize their chances of getting the visa, what I'm *more* concerned about is the immigration office letting them know the exact reasons for rejection, and my details to them. Elsewhere I have received varied suggestions, but the consensus seems to be that even if the visa is denied they will give my parents a paper with the section under which their visa was rejected, not a particular reason. Is this accurate? and what about inconsistent answers *during* the interview process? is it a possibility that the officer crosschecks the info there itself and informs them?

 

Lastly, is it a bad idea or a valid option to write to the embassy (after the submission of the DS-160 form) informing them of my situation ? will they be cooperative ?

 

Thanks

 

When my parents went to Mumbai embassy for visitor visa, they asked everything about me including name, status in US, what I do here and how I entered US and where do I live. So dont think that this info wont be revealed during their interview. They basically know everything about you, they will just confirm all the details during interview. Doesnt matter if you write to embassy about your situation. If the info dont match, they will think your parents are lying or they are not your parents at all. 

[TBoneTX 45,863]

11 hours ago, johannl said:

thanks for the replies.

I've made up my mind.

The OP has indicated that the matter is closed.

Regardless, some people kept replying.

Three posts have been removed for noncontributory language or quoting/commenting.

Thread is now locked to further comment.