Travel requirements for tourist from Philippines to US

[xwind 10]

My 82 yr old mother-in-law was approved a 10 yr Tourist Visa and her flight is next week. We didn't know how long she was allowed to stay and if a return ticket is required or not, so we only got a one way ticket for her at the time.

1. I just learned that there is a 6 month / 180 day limit on B2 visa's per stay. Can someone give me a link to an official source page that says this? I can't seem to find any specifics on US or Philippine embassy sites.
2. What are the Philippines exit requirements / US entry requirements?
   • Is a return ticket required at the airport?
   • Is travel insurance required?

 

I understand that the requirements / rules apply to any tourist visa, but I was hoping it would be different for the elderly. My in-law's visa interview was really easy.. they literally asked only two questions: Who is she staying with in the US and where do they live. They never asked for any documents. Given her age, they apparently didn't seem to care much about ties to her home country or how long she intended to visit the US given that she's old and not in good physical shape.

 

Any advice? Thanks in advance!

[A&W0714 27]

Hi,

 

From my experience, the maximum length of stay that the Customs Border Patrol (CBP) at the Port of Entry (POE) grants is 6 months. Please note that this is not guaranteed and may depend on the assessment of the CBP still, as they may grant shorter depending on the purpose of the visit of the traveler.

 

The PH immigration normally asks for the airline ticket which is ideally should be roundtrip for visitors, if not, your Mother in law should be prepared to respond to the inquiry why the single trip. For the travel insurance requirement, I cant seem to find an official source. It may be worth buying one just in case.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visitor.html

https://ph.usembassy.gov/covid-19-and-travel-information/

[powerpuff 6,509]

45 minutes ago, xwind said:

I just learned that there is a 6 month / 180 day limit on B2 visa's per stay. Can someone give me a link to an official source page that says this? I can't seem to find any specifics on US or Philippine embassy sites.

It could easily be less that 6 months if so determined by CBP at entry. 6 months is what they generally allow, but this is determined at the discretion of a CBP officer. They can give her 2 month limit if they wanted to. That could explain why you can’t really find “official source” on this since it is discretionary. 

 

How long did you think she could stay in the US? I hope you didn’t think that if she got a 10 year tourist visa it means she can stay in the US for years.
 

45 minutes ago, xwind said:

What are the Philippines exit requirements / US entry requirements?

• Is a return ticket required at the airport?
• Is travel insurance required?

 

It’s not required but often asked for. It will be problematic if she can’t present a return ticket and can signal to the officer she’s planning to live in the US which is not what the tourist visa is for. 
 

travel insurance is not required.
 

45 minutes ago, xwind said:

understand that the requirements / rules apply to any tourist visa, but I was hoping it would be different for the elderly. My in-law's visa interview was really easy.. they literally asked only two questions: Who is she staying with in the US and where do they live. They never asked for any documents. Given her age, they apparently didn't seem to care much about ties to her home country or how long she intended to visit the US given that she's old and not in good physical shape.

US consular officers are not CPB - CBP operates differently and are the final authority to determine entry. A Visa does not guarantee entry to the U.S. She might not have ties but the very least she can have is a return ticket to present if asked.

I don’t see how age is related here… I haven’t heard of special treatment based on age.

Edited April 14, 2023 by powerpuff

[Sammy_2496 116]

The maximum stay a B2 holder can be granted is 6 months, but it doesn’t mean they will actually get that. They could give you only a month or for example. It’s also risky not going with a return flight, they might believe she is coming to the USA to stay without the correct visa.

[xwind 10]

Thanks for the quick responses!

 

I was going to buy her a return ticket (hopefully 2 one-way tickets counts as a roundtrip even though they're not the same itinerary), but if we don't know how long CBP will grant her, then how long should we plan on her staying in the US? If I buy her a ticket a couple weeks from the 6 month mark and they only grant her a 2 month limit then we'd have wasted our money.

We would like to maximize her stay within the limits, but it's hard to do that if we won't know the limits until she arrives at CBP.

[powerpuff 6,509]

Buy a flexible ticket that can be changed without a fee.