Bringing wife's sister to America, for a visit

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

1 hour ago, Kor2USA said:

Is that for the embassy or for nationals of Thailand and how to you find those stats?

 

 

By nationality. They are released annually, the latest is for the FY2020 https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Non-Immigrant-Statistics/RefusalRates/FY20.pdf

There is rarely much movement from one year to the next. 

[Chancy 6,241]

2 hours ago, Kor2USA said:

ESTA allows someone to visit for up to 3 months, B1/B2 allows someone to visit for up to 6 months. If the States really thought 3 months was an issue they would issue visas with smaller time frames.

 

It's CBP that determines allowed length of stay for every entry.  On my first trip to the US with my B1/B2 visa, I told the CBP officer that I plan to stay for 30 days.  He asked me, "Why are you staying for so long?!"  Thankfully, I had my sightseeing itinerary planned out and the officer let me through after I briefly described it.  I was given the default 6 months (I only stayed 30 days as planned), but there are reports here on VJ of people who were given much shorter durations (I remember one who was given only 2 weeks).

 

Edited November 1, 2021 by Chancy
clarification

[boy2aman 89]

7 hours ago, medic5678 said:

That makes it sound almost impossible, if not impossible for her to come visit with us.  Only goes to show that those who obey the laws are at the biggest disadvantage.

She just has to go through the application process and show that she has no intent of staying in America beyond her time allowed on her I-94. 

 

I have had multiple tourist visas in the past and I didn't own any property, I was single, I had a regular job earning an average wage in my home country. 

 

I have been traveling to the US since I was 12 years old. Lost my passport once, reapplied for my passport initially but didn't re-apply for a US tourist visa and when that passport expired I then reapplied for a new one and decided to reapply for the tourist visa as well and got it. 

 

So it's just up to her to apply for it and hope that she is approved. I have personally witnessed people with way stronger ties than I had, who had no criminal background, being turned down. In my honest opinion, even though there are stipulations, it's still just a gamble at the end of the day to acquire a tourist visa.

[medic5678 12]

32 minutes ago, boy2aman said:

She just has to go through the application process and show that she has no intent of staying in America beyond her time allowed on her I-94. 

 

I have had multiple tourist visas in the past and I didn't own any property, I was single, I had a regular job earning an average wage in my home country. 

 

I have been traveling to the US since I was 12 years old. Lost my passport once, reapplied for my passport initially but didn't re-apply for a US tourist visa and when that passport expired I then reapplied for a new one and decided to reapply for the tourist visa as well and got it. 

 

So it's just up to her to apply for it and hope that she is approved. I have personally witnessed people with way stronger ties than I had, who had no criminal background, being turned down. In my honest opinion, even though there are stipulations, it's still just a gamble at the end of the day to acquire a tourist visa.

Basically, that's the case.  I'm just beginning to explore this.  Probably going to wait until my wife has her citizenship and her mother has passed.  And if she can't get a visa, she can't get a visa.   We're going to go to Thailand a couple of months a year anyway.

[Rocio0010 5,579]

22 minutes ago, medic5678 said:

Basically, that's the case.  I'm just beginning to explore this.  Probably going to wait until my wife has her citizenship and her mother has passed.  And if she can't get a visa, she can't get a visa.   We're going to go to Thailand a couple of months a year anyway.

Again, am I missing something? Why do you keep bringing up your wife’s immigration status? That has nothing to do with her sister’s visa application. Same as the money you want to send.

[Dashinka 24,495]

1 hour ago, medic5678 said:

Basically, that's the case.  I'm just beginning to explore this.  Probably going to wait until my wife has her citizenship and her mother has passed.  And if she can't get a visa, she can't get a visa.   We're going to go to Thailand a couple of months a year anyway.

As others have suggested, all she can do is fill out the DS160, pay the application fee and try.  Keep in mind, most B2 applications are decided even before the interview based on the DS160, so research that as much as possible and make sure the ties she does have are included.  Also, don't do other mistakes we often see where people claim to be married when they are not (some high fraud countries there are visa services that will fill out the DS160 for others, and there seems to be a practice of these services ticking the box for married for their single clients in hopes of adding another tie).  Hopefully her application will be successful in the end.

 

Good Luck!

[Verrou 1,962]

1 hour ago, boy2aman said:

She just has to go through the application process and show that she has no intent of staying in America beyond her time allowed on her I-94. 

 

I have had multiple tourist visas in the past and I didn't own any property, I was single, I had a regular job earning an average wage in my home country. 

 

I have been traveling to the US since I was 12 years old. Lost my passport once, reapplied for my passport initially but didn't re-apply for a US tourist visa and when that passport expired I then reapplied for a new one and decided to reapply for the tourist visa as well and got it. 

 

So it's just up to her to apply for it and hope that she is approved. I have personally witnessed people with way stronger ties than I had, who had no criminal background, being turned down. In my honest opinion, even though there are stipulations, it's still just a gamble at the end of the day to acquire a tourist visa.

i second this. almost similar stories, came to the states when i was 13 for vacation with my much older sister for couple weeks.  and then every 5-6 years i apply for B1/B2 visa if i want to go to US ( Indonesia passport holder normally got 5 years tourist visa from US embassy ) . never have property, single, but fortunately i always worked in well known companies in indonesia even though my title is the bottom of the totem pole in the company and i think that's why they have to give tourist visa everytime i applied. 

 

there were one period of time i didnt use the visa until it expired and when i applied again, the office brought that subject up and i was telling the officer, i couldnt go at that time because of my work, and thats it, i got the new tourist visa.

 

bottom line :i learned that to obtain tourist visa,  that person show strong ties to the home country, work or family or even properties. when i visited US couple years ago, i put my cousin's address since i dont live in hotel and i still got the visa but my cousin's didnt do anything as in send me invitation or all. its 100% i applied the visa myself 

 

and also like other has mention...your wife imigration status has nothing to do with your sister in law wanting to apply tourist visa

Edited November 1, 2021 by Misscloud

[boy2aman 89]

1 hour ago, ra0010 said:

Again, am I missing something? Why do you keep bringing up your wife’s immigration status? That has nothing to do with her sister’s visa application. Same as the money you want to send.

True. That has absolutely nothing to do with her sister obtaining a tourist visa. 

[SalishSea 17,829]

9 hours ago, medic5678 said:

Her situation is that she's caretaker for my wife's family.  She lives in an extremely nice house that my wife owns (wish I could afford a house like that here in the states).  She's 40, 2 children of her own aged 14 and 12.  Speaks very little English.  I think she has a degree in Thailand as an accountant but job prospects are poor for Thai women of her generation.  No husband.  We send $1000 a month back to Thailand to take care of my wife's family and she basically runs the show.  We'd like to bring her over for a 3 month visit on a tourist visa.

 

I think the tourist visa from Thailand is extremely difficult to obtain.

 

The consulate would want to know how and why she is able to leave for 3 months if she is a "caretaker" for the family there.

 

I'm sure you can see things from their perspective - she's a high risk for overstay/AOS for many reasons.

[SalishSea 17,829]

2 hours ago, medic5678 said:

Probably going to wait until my wife has her citizenship

This really makes it sound like her intention is more than a vacation.  Again, not saying it is, but try to see it from the perspective of DOS.

[Illiria 980]

5 hours ago, medic5678 said:

I think leaving her 12 and 14 year old children there will pretty well guarantee her return.

Sadly we have seen some leave as young as 5 week olds in order to come.
 

Once you see several mention leaving very young kids with extended family it tends to colour your view of children left behind as being a solid tie. 
 

We have seen people who don’t have a job but look after family be asked ‘so how can you leave them for an extended amount of time’. ‘so if they can do this for that long why not continue once you have a job in the states’ 
 

Which is why we try and prepare you for the officers questions which can sometimes be meaner than anything that has been said in this thread. She needs to know that they may be harsh in their questions and to not take it personally or get upset by it.

 

Wishing her the best in getting to visit - sounds like she has taken a lot of responsibility for your family and this trip would be a nice thing to give her. 

[medic5678 12]

4 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

This really makes it sound like her intention is more than a vacation.  Again, not saying it is, but try to see it from the perspective of DOS.

Ok, let's say I wait until my wife has her citizenship settled.  My sister in law has to wait until her mother dies and she might hang on for another year or two anyway.  Are they going to say "Hey, his wife is a Citizen so his sister will overstay"?   The reality is she'll some here for 3 months, that's it.  I did all of our immigration paperwork and adoption paperwork all by myself.  I've heard a slew of negative Nancy Jr. sleuth detectives telling me how I couldn't do this or that.  I have never cared what any of the bureaucrats think or how suspicious they are.   I got it all done.   My prediction is we'll end up having her here for a few months when we decide to move on this.   

 

Immigration is so incompetently managed that it's a joke.  That's why we have illegal immigrants galore sucking from the system.  Stopping a girl from visiting her sister can't be that much of a priority when you can't  even enforce your own border.

 

[Boiler 45,510]

It is not a we, this is a tourist visa, she applies, she wants to visit, keep it simple, not a complicated process and normally just a few questions.

[Rocio0010 5,579]

34 minutes ago, medic5678 said:

let's say I wait until my wife has her citizenship settled

But again, HOW IS THIS RELEVANT TO HER SISTER’S VISA APPLICATION?

[Rocio0010 5,579]

36 minutes ago, Boiler said:

It is not a we, this is a tourist visa, she applies, she wants to visit, keep it simple, not a complicated process and normally just a few questions.

Yet op can’t answer why his wife’s citizenship is relevant in this circumstance.