b-2 tourist visa

[Crazy Cat 41,814]

1 minute ago, kman198 said:

Well I appreciate it. Kind of my only option right now. I am not made of money. I understand what you're saying, that the process is actually far easier and cheaper, and probably takes less time now, that's not what I was inittially told. So that's why we have started the K-1 route and we're about elbows deep in it. Just waiting to get her daughter's passport and I was going to file. Simple citizen has been pretty good so far. 

Yeah I just found this website and sent it to her. You guys are pretty awesome so far and has actually given me a little hope back. Why the does this site not come up on any search engines? got this from a reddit post since I wasn't having any luck on facebook groups, youtube and searches. Forgive me, I'm not the best on forums, I actually hate them lol. Thank you guys again for your fast replies. I have had a horrible morning.

 

The immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and money.  A failure in any of those areas can cause delays, additional agony, and heartbreak.  There are significant difference between a K-1 and a CR-1.  Good luck on your journey.  You have found the very best source for accurate immigration information.

[Daphne . 1,852]

1 hour ago, kman198 said:

Kind of where we're at right now. no other option. We're actually using simple citizen to go over everything for us. We have so many question on the k-1 process it's not even funny. Basically I understand I have to file my i-29F, but after that I'm completely lost. We don't know anyone that has been through this to ask any questions too, so here I am. 

Here is the step-by-step guide: 

And also from the USCIS page: https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-of-us-citizens/visas-for-fiancees-of-us-citizens

[top_secret 2,409]

Having gone down the same road I would first very much recommend marrying and going the CR-1 visa route.  Do a Utah online marriage and make a quick trip to the Philippines.  Everyone always gets caught up in planning some fantastic month long vacation. If you don't have time, then hop on a plane and spend just a few days there.  Jets are amazing.

 

Forget the B2.  My wife was twice denied B2 visas at US Embassy Manila before even when she already had multiple entry tourist visas with good travel history for Schengen/most of Europe, Japan, Korea, owned a business, a condo, a car money in the bank.  0.0% chance chance someone supported by an American with plans to marry and immigrate to the US will ever get a B2 visa in Manila.  It's throwing away $160 and setting your fiance up a heartbreaking experience because they will shoot her down hard, face to face at the interview.

[Cathi 5,746]

The spouse visa (CR1) is the superior visa and it will cost you far less in the long run than a K-1.

[SalishSea 17,803]

9 hours ago, kman198 said:

I'm sure this has been posted before and beaten to death, but here's the situtation. I met my fiance and went and visited her in Manila last year. We really enjoyed each other. We are wanting to do the k-1 but doubt we have enough evidence to successfully get it. I want to be sure. We were thinking about doing the b-2 tourist visa so she can come and stay with me for a few weeks and return home for the k-1 process once we file. However, you can't sponsor a "friend" and from what i've read they won't approve her. I am her only source of income at the moment, she does have ties back to the country, she has an 8 year old daughter. Is that enough evidence to show that she wants to return home? Are we just waisting our money trying to get the b-2? We're fine with being open with the process and don't want to lie about it, and we honestly don't want to skip the line and want to do everything correct. any advice? please.
We really want to be together and our immigration system is absolute trash.

What was she doing for income before she found you?  Very odd to be financially supporting someone (and her child) you've met once.  For many, that would send up red flags.

[Sarah&Facundo 595]

I totally understand the struggle of being a small business owner. I am one as well. When we aren't there, we don't make money. I had to make a LOT of sacrifices during that time, especially when taking a hit to my income. I traveled back and forth to my now-husband's country several times before he received his K1. Sometimes we just have to do what we have to do. But I can say we are now happily married and with my husband living in the US with a permanent green card. It's all worth it, but it just takes a lot of time and patience. Good luck!

 

Also, getting a B2 doesn't mean you are rich. My now-husband-then-fiance got a B2, but it is about the person showing ties to their country and their willingness to return home. If someone doesn't have a job and they are being supported by someone else (especially a USC), it really doesn't look likely that they will return to their home country. You just have to see it from the officer's angle. They do not know you and they do not know your intentions. Many people have lied to their faces before and unfortunately, the current applicants pay the price.

 

 

[SalishSea 17,803]

7 hours ago, kman198 said:

so there's no chance of seeing her for a visit here unless she's rich, i'm rich, or we're married and want to wait two years.

Even if you were married it would be highly unlikely that she would get a B2 visa.  

 

 

[Redro 4,611]

3 hours ago, kman198 said:

Well I appreciate it. Kind of my only option right now. I am not made of money. I understand what you're saying, that the process is actually far easier and cheaper, and probably takes less time now, that's not what I was inittially told. So that's why we have started the K-1 route and we're about elbows deep in it. Just waiting to get her daughter's passport and I was going to file. Simple citizen has been pretty good so far. 

Yeah I just found this website and sent it to her. You guys are pretty awesome so far and has actually given me a little hope back. Why the does this site not come up on any search engines? got this from a reddit post since I wasn't having any luck on facebook groups, youtube and searches. Forgive me, I'm not the best on forums, I actually hate them lol. Thank you guys again for your fast replies. I have had a horrible morning.

 

If you are not made of money you should consider the TOTAL cost of staying with your GF and petitioning her for the K1 and then the TOTAL COST of marrying her before she comes to the US. 

So many times people are short sighted thinking K1 is cheaper and then discover they cannot afford to support two people on one income and pay for adjustment of status. 
K1 is more expensive in the long run. Think of going to see her one more time and marrying (via Utah) as an investment in your future happiness and financial well being…

I would like to add… timelines for K1 and CR1 are about 2 years. So, one assumes you’ll want to see your partner at least once or two more times before she moves to the US. 

Travel is one of the costs you definitely have to factor in when entering into an international relationship. 

[SalishSea 17,803]

3 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

The immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and money.  A failure in any of those areas can cause delays, additional agony, and heartbreak.  There are significant difference between a K-1 and a CR-1.  Good luck on your journey.  You have found the very best source for accurate immigration information.

So true.  OP,  please for the love of Pete spend some significant time reading and becoming educated on the process.

 

Doing so could save you so much money and lost time.  Hiring a service to help you is fine, but it will not make the process faster, cheaper (quite the opposite) or easier. 

 

Either option you take (CR-1 or K-1) will cost thousands of dollars (excluding travel), and will take two years.  There is no way around that.

[kman198 5]

39 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

What was she doing for income before she found you?  Very odd to be financially supporting someone (and her child) you've met once.  For many, that would send up red flags.

Well not everyone has an easy life. Since you asked politely, her family is very poor. She was working in Manila and lost her job as a nanny, then she found a job a few days later with some distant family relatives. They basically worked her like a slave, and she's the breadwinner of her immediate family making $120 a month. We got along great, we just never had any time because she worked 6 am until 9pm with no breaks. A side street sari sari store in Makati. Anyways, I wanted to meet her and had never been so I asked her to quit her job, since she would have had to anyways to meet me. Her boss wasn't going to let her take time off to see me, no way. We spent three weeks in Manila and haven't looked back. You know when you get those feelings about certain things? Those gut feelings, like you shouldn't be there, well you rarely get one for the opposite, something that feels right. that's about the only way I can explain it, we just work, we have the same goals, we want the same amount of kids, type of life, both come from very poor rural farming households that grew up in the middle of literal nowhere. We can communicate, aren't afraid to talk about things, and love each other. So I agreed that I would support her until we saved up enough money for her to have her own sari sari store near her home, so she would have income until she came here, then it would help support her family afterwards, since she comes from a big family. But yeah, we've met, done all the things people in a relationship do, if you catch my meaning, so it's not like I picked up a random chick off of facebook, we've been at this for a while. It is just how the situation developed, it wasn't her idea, it was mine, I wanted the relationship. 
I appreciate your concern for your fellow man though, thank you. Yeah I have a few buddies that have asked me lots of questions about that, and my brother of course. 

[Adventine 3,196]

9 hours ago, Rocio0010 said:

Yes, you can’t sponsor a friend. But the very first thing you need to learn is not to say that she’s “a friend” if she’s your fiancée. I understand it might be customary in the Philippines, but I’m just stating it how immigration might perceive it. 

 

 

That's not a customary thing to do in the Philippines. The only Filipinos who say that their fiance is a "friend" are people with something to hide.

 

I agree that there is a very slim chance of the tourist visa being approved. Better just to save up for another trip to the Philippines.

 

 

 

 

[Rocio0010 5,579]

34 minutes ago, Adventine said:

 

That's not a customary thing to do in the Philippines. The only Filipinos who say that their fiance is a "friend" are people with something to hide.

 

I agree that there is a very slim chance of the tourist visa being approved. Better just to save up for another trip to the Philippines.

 

 

 

 

I’m glad you said that. The other day someone called their Philipino soon to be wife their “friend”, I called them out and some users told me I didn’t understand what was customary in the Philippines 

[Rocio0010 5,579]

2 hours ago, kman198 said:

So I agreed that I would support her until we saved up enough money for her to have her own sari sari store near her home, so she would have income until she came here, then it would help support her family afterwards, since she comes from a big family.

It sounds to me that you’re a young person. Wanting to help is really cool and nice, but please, please make sure you talk about how she’s going to support her family. This could hurt your relationship in the long run. It sounds good and selfless, but….. 

 

Anyways, her chances are slim. Better off to spend some time together, marry, and file for a CR1

[SalishSea 17,803]

1 hour ago, Rocio0010 said:

It sounds to me that you’re a young person. Wanting to help is really cool and nice, but please, please make sure you talk about how she’s going to support her family. This could hurt your relationship in the long run. It sounds good and selfless, but….. 

 

Anyways, her chances are slim. Better off to spend some time together, marry, and file for a CR1

Agreed.   I have also seen many American men here on VJ bemoan the fact that after bringing their Filipina wife over, they found out that the expectation was that they would support her family back home.

 

Not saying that will happen to you OP, but it is something to consider discussing before making a commitment to someone.

[kman198 5]

8 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

Agreed.   I have also seen many American men here on VJ bemoan the fact that after bringing their Filipina wife over, they found out that the expectation was that they would support her family back home.

 

Not saying that will happen to you OP, but it is something to consider discussing before making a commitment to someone.

No, they support themselves, yeah i've heard this argument before and we have discussed it. I'm not young. 

 

11 hours ago, Adventine said:

 

That's not a customary thing to do in the Philippines. The only Filipinos who say that their fiance is a "friend" are people with something to hide.

 

I agree that there is a very slim chance of the tourist visa being approved. Better just to save up for another trip to the Philippines.

 

 

 

 

She doesn't hide the relationship, I only said "friend" because technically that's all we are, we are not married yet nor are we related and that's how I thought they would perceive it. Reading way too much into this. Just trying to see my girl, not get relationship advice guys.