Getting Filipina gf a tourist visa

[Clay24 1]

I am in a bit of a quagmire on how to get my filipina gf a tourist visa to USA to visit my parents. They are retirees and not fit to travel over 24 hours flight to meet her. I would like for them to meet her before we get engaged. It would feel weird otherwise. We are both qualified teachers in Thailand. We don't want to live in the US, just visit and meet my parents. We are hoping to marry in the USA (on holiday), but it is not necessary. It takes us 7 months on avg to get an embassy interview just to be turned down. I actually have plenty of other coworkers that are in the same predicaments with their husbands, wives, and fiances.  The visa officer says my gf doesn't prove she will leave the USA. We don't have assets in Thailand since neither of us are citizens there. We just have money in bank accounts. 

 

Does anyone have a recommendation how we can get the tourist visa?

Plan B is getting a fiance visa. Would it be ok if I file this from Thailand, then we travel to and marry in USA and return to Thailand?

Option C, which is inconvenient, is she gets a teaching visa to usa. Filipinas can get those since USA has teacher shortages, but then we need to live and work in the USA, which we don't want to do. 

 

I would appreciate constructive help. The whole goal is for her to visit the USA and meet my parents. It would be a blessing if they live past 5 years, so speed is a bit important.

[Boiler 45,525]

Has she applied for a Tourist Visa, it is a pretty simple process.

 

You could certainly apply for a K1, it does require you to show US Domicile and I assume a joint sponsor.

 

There are work visa's, no such thing as a teaching visa and cannot tell how realistic that would be to find a school to sponsor her.

 

K1 is likely to be 18 months or so.

[Clay24 1]

Thank you for your response. She has applied for the visa and has been turned down. In Thailand, it is a 7 month wait to get a tourist visa interview, but it takes another 1-2 months of trying to get that interview. Can we get a K1 visa if I sponsor her and we use my parents' residence? There is a organization (Teach USA) that does get foreign teachers into the country to teach because of lack of teachers, but that isn't our plan. 

[SalishSea 17,834]

She won’t get a tourist visa.

 

And a K-1 is not for visiting, or deciding if you want to live in the US.

 

In any case, you can petition her for a K-1.   It will take around two years.  
 

You should probably do a deep dive into researching the US immigration process.   It is not cheap, easy or fast.  Using your parents address is the least of your concern.

[Lil bear 4,217]

1 hour ago, Clay24 said:

I am in a bit of a quagmire on how to get my filipina gf a tourist visa to USA to visit my parents. They are retirees and not fit to travel over 24 hours flight to meet her. I would like for them to meet her before we get engaged. It would feel weird otherwise. We are both qualified teachers in Thailand. We don't want to live in the US, just visit and meet my parents. We are hoping to marry in the USA (on holiday), but it is not necessary. It takes us 7 months on avg to get an embassy interview just to be turned down. I actually have plenty of other coworkers that are in the same predicaments with their husbands, wives, and fiances.  The visa officer says my gf doesn't prove she will leave the USA. We don't have assets in Thailand since neither of us are citizens there. We just have money in bank accounts. 

 

Does anyone have a recommendation how we can get the tourist visa?

Plan B is getting a fiance visa. Would it be ok if I file this from Thailand, then we travel to and marry in USA and return to Thailand?

Option C, which is inconvenient, is she gets a teaching visa to usa. Filipinas can get those since USA has teacher shortages, but then we need to live and work in the USA, which we don't want to do. 

 

I would appreciate constructive help. The whole goal is for her to visit the USA and meet my parents. It would be a blessing if they live past 5 years, so speed is a bit important.

Find a 3rd country closer to the US where  she can meet your parents.  

[Boiler 45,525]

Zoom?

 

 

[Mike E 11,739]

Mexico

[Just Paul 4,595]

If she doesn't have a good job and travel history getting a US visa as a young woman is very very hard to do.  Once she has a US boyfriend it is harder.

 

Other VISA options might be Canada, Caribbean, Central America and Mexico.   She can travel to Cuba but transit visa can be hard to get.

 

Even the consulates in PH are hard to deal with.  We didn't initially immigrate to the US.  The Mexican consulate in Makati couldn't figure out how to do her residency visa. We flew to Hong Kong and 3 hours and $36 later Mary had a Permanent Resident Visa for Mexico.

[Clay24 1]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Flying to a closer country looks like the best option.  I don't have hope she will get a visa for Canada and Cuba isn't on her visa exempt list for filipinos. It looks like our best option is flying to Costa Rica (visa exempt for her) and meet the family there. Haiti is on the exempt list but way too dangerous right now. Its great to know that it is easy to get a permanent resident visa to Mexico

[top_secret 2,421]

3 hours ago, Clay24 said:

It looks like our best option is flying to Costa Rica (visa exempt for her) and meet the family there.

 

Costa Rica is great for Filipino travelers.  We got married there.  For visa free transit she can go the long way through Europe, on mideast airlines, or the ANA or AeroMexico flight NRT-MEX connecting to SJO.  Though visa free transit of Mexico is possible for Filipinos but a little more complicated than visa free transit in Europe.  My wife flew Turkish Airlines Manila-Istanbul-Panama connecting to Copa airlines Panama to Costa Rica.

 

I know first hand one situation somewhat similar to yours with a unmarried Filipina-American couple trying to get a B2 visa just to visit the parents and go sightseeing in the US but they were both quite permanently settled in the Philippines.   In their case the woman was twice denied but approved on a third attempt where rather she very directly highlighted her American partner's permanent ties to the Philippines.  He had a permanent residence visa for the Philippines and other factors which apparently convinced the counsel he was staying put in the Philippines and that she was inclined to stick with him.  It's a long shot but and maybe she just got lucky and caught the counsel on a good day but they are one couple I know of where it worked.

[Clay24 1]

Thank you top flight. This is helpful and encouraging about the permanent residence. Maybe Costa Rica would be a good wedding destination, too