Student or Tourist Visa (from Thailand)

[Rocio0010 5,579]

6 hours ago, Adventine said:

 

Oh, I'm sure the thought has crossed certain participants' minds. 🤣 Too bad, that friend of mine never needed an invitation or affidavit of support for the tourist visa. And neither did I, nor anyone else I know who successfully obtained US tourist visas in the PH. Everyone applied based on their own merits, and were approved based on their personal circumstances, as is usually recommended on this site.

Can relate. I had a J1, an F1 and a B2 and never, ever needed an affidavit. And every time I went to the Embassy for an interview I was done in five minutes.

Going back to OP’s post, it seems that the person is just shopping around for a way to get to the US. A visa is a document that explains why you are here, and is thus closely connected to the purpose of your visit. Thus, if you want to just visit, you apply for a B1/B2. If you want to study, you apply for an F1, and so on and so forth. 
Also for OP: please tell your friend that if he applies for either of those visas with the purpose of staying in the US, that is fraud and can lead to a ban.

[Joe Kano 327]

21 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

Have you ever heard the saying anecdotes are not data? No.. I guess not. If it was just my family and friends that I based experiences on, then I would claim that a tourist visa is super easy guaranteed because literally no one I know who applied ever got denied for a US tourist visa regardless age, occupation or even having a USC boyfriend in one case (that person did only get a one year visa rather than the usual ten year). However I am also aware enough that the limited experience of people I know does not translate into truths across the entire experience.

 

 

So the answer in none?

[Joe Kano 327]

18 hours ago, ra0010 said:

If we are using personal anecdotes, then I can counterbalance your argument by telling you the ties I had to show to my home country when I applies for my F1: a deed to my apartment, a letter from my employer, bills under my name, etc.

So your wife is only a sample of all the students that are coming here. Just because she had it easy it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy for everyone, just like my experience doesn’t mean that everybody is going to have it hard.

Back to OP, your friend seems to be fishing for a way to get here. The visa depends on the purpose of the person coming here. If they want to study, it’s an F1; if they want to visit, it’s a B2. Period.

My wife cousin was in USA on a student visa for a long before I even courted my wife, and she was in the USA for a pretty long time I would say close to 5 years, she has went back to Philippines a few years ago.

 

I am just an outsider looking in on the other two student visa.  We have a fairly large Fil Am group in North Dallas and we get together for major holiday like July 4th, Christmas and Thanksgiving it  about 20 pinay who all have US Citizens husbands.  So I get a fairly good feel of what is happening.

 

I was there for 4th of July and one guy had just entered the USA and he looked to be around 18 or 19,  and then last week another cousin arrived around same age bracket.  I am fairly good friends with the sponsors, from my talking to him about student visa at least from Philippines it seems like a pretty good deal and rather quick way to visa to study in the USA.

 

 After getting the requirements I was told it was about 5 weeks from initial application of student visa until they had a interview at the US Embassy in Manila, which is smoking fast and also taking into consideration the US Embassy in Manila has had a skeleton crew for over a year at the Immigration consular visa interview section.  

 

 

[Joe Kano 327]

13 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

Now we wait for one of the participants on this thread to suggest your friend's tourist visa was not revoked because she had an invitation and affidavit of support from someone in the US......

IF you want to get the thread off topic we can keep going.  Actually I heard a Consular officer in US Embassy say it was illegal for them to take in consideration support recently in my research.

 

The person I know who gave support letters wasn't in the USA he lived in the Philippines, and is fairly wealthy 

[Rocio0010 5,579]

30 minutes ago, Joe Kano said:

sponsors

Do please show me where in the F1 visa application do they require for a US sponsor.

 

31 minutes ago, Joe Kano said:

quick way to visa to study in the USA.

Again, what exactly is the “quick way” to study in the  US?

To study in the US, the applicant has to show that they have enough funds to pay for their studies. Note, though, that these funds do not need to come from a US source.

[Joe Kano 327]

16 minutes ago, ra0010 said:

Do please show me where in the F1 visa application do they require for a US sponsor.

 

Again, what exactly is the “quick way” to study in the  US?

To study in the US, the applicant has to show that they have enough funds to pay for their studies. Note, though, that these funds do not need to come from a US source.

I have never done a F1

 

My buddy who has 2 F1 students living in his house told me he had to show 25k in his bank account for each student. I asked him does that 25k include both, and I was told each student he had to show 25K for each one.

 

Was this incorrect information he told me?  Did I misunderstand him?   

[Joe Kano 327]

50 minutes ago, ra0010 said:

Do please show me where in the F1 visa application do they require for a US sponsor.

 

Again, what exactly is the “quick way” to study in the  US?

To study in the US, the applicant has to show that they have enough funds to pay for their studies. Note, though, that these funds do not need to come from a US source.

Also I remember him telling part of the requirements was they had to some type of English Proficiency test before the interview, this was a student visa from Philippines.  

[Joe Kano 327]

17 hours ago, Adventine said:

Well, since we're already on the subject of anecdata, I also know someone from the Philippines, with a valid US tourist visa and who had a good travel history and significant assets, had travelled to the US many times. This person then applied for a student visa and was denied by the Embassy because they didn't think the applicant needed to go to a US school, and could get the same education in the PH. The tourist visa was NOT revoked and the person travelled to the US for tourism again after the student visa denial.

 

So the ease or difficulty of getting a student or tourist visa seems subjective and dependent on the totality of the applicant's circumstances, as well as how convincing their case is for either type of application.

 

I can easily see this scenario at the US Embassy in Manila.

 

I spent about 3 hours eaves dropping on about 8 tourist visa interviews last time I was at the US Embassy, I was on the front row and listened and watch many tourist visa interviews.

[arken 4,197]

47 minutes ago, Joe Kano said:

I have never done a F1

 

My buddy who has 2 F1 students living in his house told me he had to show 25k in his bank account for each student. I asked him does that 25k include both, and I was told each student he had to show 25K for each one.

 

Was this incorrect information he told me?  Did I misunderstand him?   

Are those 2 F1 students even remotely related to your buddy? It seems some sort of scam gaming the system.

[Rocio0010 5,579]

2 hours ago, Joe Kano said:

My buddy who has 2 F1 students living in his house told me he had to show 25k in his bank account for each student. I asked him does that 25k include both, and I was told each student he had to show 25K for each one.

You do realize that this is not the same as a sponsor, do you?

[Rocio0010 5,579]

1 hour ago, Joe Kano said:

Also I remember him telling part of the requirements was they had to some type of English Proficiency test before the interview, this was a student visa from Philippines.

That’s not part of the visa process whatsoever. That’s part of the application process for the university. 

[Joe Kano 327]

1 hour ago, arken said:

Are those 2 F1 students even remotely related to your buddy? It seems some sort of scam gaming the system.

They are both related to his wife. 

[Joe Kano 327]

13 minutes ago, ra0010 said:

You do realize that this is not the same as a sponsor, do you?

No, We didn't get that deep into the conversation, it was a party and I was chatting with him while he grilled.

 

What is the 25K per person?  Is that specific embassy requirements?

[Rocio0010 5,579]

15 minutes ago, Joe Kano said:

No, We didn't get that deep into the conversation, it was a party and I was chatting with him while he grilled.

 

What is the 25K per person?  Is that specific embassy requirements?

No, it’s a requirement by the US government, to make sure that you don’t become a public charge

[Boiler 45,525]

Non immigrant visas do not have sponsors 

 

Consulate will certainly want to know how your studies are being funded