Questions about C1, B2 Visas

[Atreides096 0]

Hi all. I hope I am posting in the right place! I have a few questions regarding C1 and B2 Visas. I have tried looking online and through the forums for several hours, on this and other websites. While I see the topics I have questions about discussed, I have not found a "clear" answer yet. So I do apologize if this topic has been discussed previously, I just remain a litle confused.

 

So first a little background. I'm an American citizen living in Rosarito, Mexico. I run a California based nonprofit organization that helps people with addictions, and I pay both California and Federal taxes. My passport is in good standing, and I have Global Entry. I moved to Mexico during the pandemic. Explaining the reasons would make for too long of a story. But the simplest version is that life is short, and I wanted to live closer to friends - my best friend lives in Rosarito, and I have many other friends in the area as well. Most of my other friends have scattered throughout the US and Europe over the years. I intend to eventually buy a house in Rosarito as my retirement home (though I am 20+ years away from retirement lol). 

 

I live with my girlfriend (Laura) and her 16-year-old daughter (Valeria). Laura and I have been together close to 3 years and consider ourselves married, but for reasons not relevant to this discussion we cannot legally get married for another year or two. Like me, Laura and Valeria are happy where we live. Valeria is entering high school, and we hope she will go to college here as well. 

TLDR: None of us plan to move to the US, so a K1 or CR-1 visa would not make sense.

 

However, we very much want the ability to travel - both TO and THROUGH the US. For "TO" the US, obviously there are many great vacation cities. It's also a lot more affordable than international travel lol (remember, I run a "nonprofit!"). But besides that, I have to travel for work occasionally, and I hate having to be apart from Laura for extended work trips.

 

For "THROUGH" the US... again a TLDR here. Tijuana "international" airport only flies to Phoenix. For us to travel to any foreign country, we must first fly 4 hours southeast to Mexico City. It adds 12 - 18 hours to most trips, creating travel days of up to 30 hours or longer for travel to Europe or Asia. It's also 2 or 3 times the price of flying out of the US - sometimes more.

 

We have spent over a year preparing Laura to apply for a B2 visa. We've gotten her passport, switched her work to direct deposit so everything is tracked and taxed, and imported her car (which had US plates), among other steps we've taken. But even if she can be approved (no guarantee, and our relationship probably hurts her) - the wait time for an appointment in any city in Mexico is over 2 1/2 years. I've spoken to several immigration services but had concerns that they were making false promises. Some have suggested we apply for an appointment at an office in Europe or Asia, where the wait times are shorter - others have said that will likely cause her to fail her interview. Some promise they can get us an appointment in a few months, others want thousands of dollars to "monitor her application every day." I've tried looking online (for hours!) but also always wind up confused.

 

So, this brings my VERY long post to my three specific questions I could not figure out:

 

1) Can a C1 Visa be used to "link" two plane tickets? I.e. if we buy tickets from Tijuana to Phoenix, and then Phoenix to an international destination on a separate airline, can a C1 Visa be used? Also, would we need a 2nd C1 visa (each, for Laura and Valeria) for the return flight?

 

2) If applying for a B2 Visa, does your application get denied if you travel to an international destination for the interview?

 

3) Is it true that services can help get a B2 Visa application sooner, or is that just likely a scam?

 

To anyone who read this novel. THANK YOU. I've spoken with 3 immigration services and done many hours of online searching... we would have no problem paying an expert for advice, but we cannot figure out whose advice we can trust. So, thank you all again for your time!

Edited March 6 by Atreides096
Typo corrections

[millefleur 5,046]

35 minutes ago, Atreides096 said:

1) Can a C1 Visa be used to "link" two plane tickets? I.e. if we buy tickets from Tijuana to Phoenix, and then Phoenix to an international destination on a separate airline, can a C1 Visa be used? Also, would we need a 2nd C1 visa (each, for Laura and Valeria) for the return flight?

There was a thread of a similar nature not long ago, I'll link it below. The issue seems to be that from the CO's perspective, there's no difference really between a C1 and B visa so the odds of approval are more or less the same for each application. Thus it makes more sense to apply for the B, don't bother with the C1. 

 

 

36 minutes ago, Atreides096 said:

2) If applying for a B2 Visa, does your application get denied if you travel to an international destination for the interview?

If the embassy or consulate is willing to take non-residents then it shouldn't be a problem. My MIL was able to get a B visa via doing the interview in Kazakhstan despite living in Russia. The embassy in Kazakhstan said they were willing to accept non-residents so she just applied there, paid the fees and booked an appointment. You would need to check with the embassy or consulate first and make absolutely sure they will take a non-resident, otherwise even if you pay the fee they won't give a refund. 

 

37 minutes ago, Atreides096 said:

3) Is it true that services can help get a B2 Visa application sooner, or is that just likely a scam?

 

It could be possible because some services appear to be using bot software to scan and book appointments. I cannot confirm that but it's what I've heard. On the flip side, these kinds of visa offices can and do scam people so be careful. 

[Boiler 45,468]

3 hours ago, Atreides096 said:

1) Can a C1 Visa be used to "link" two plane tickets? I.e. if we buy tickets from Tijuana to Phoenix, and then Phoenix to an international destination on a separate airline, can a C1 Visa be used? Also, would we need a 2nd C1 visa (each, for Laura and Valeria) for the return flight?

 

2) If applying for a B2 Visa, does your application get denied if you travel to an international destination for the interview?

 

3) Is it true that services can help get a B2 Visa application sooner, or is that just likely a scam?

 

To anyone who read this novel. THANK YOU. I've spoken with 3 immigration services and done many hours of online searching... we would have no problem paying an expert for advice, but we cannot figure out whose advice we can trust. So, thank you all again for your time!

 

A lot of International flights from Europe fly into Cancun, seems to be a popular. Now I have only been to Cancun from the US but I knew people who did the LHR route and they would not have been paying mega fees, a quick google suggests they are around $1000 return.

 

C would be issued for a set time not per flight usually.

 

B and C would require the same showing non immigrant intent issues.

 

You have spent a year doing something but not booked an appointment?

 

A foreign Consulate would be less able to review the case so more inclined to refuse. Especially if it looks like Consulate shopping.

 

I have always taken the view that any reputable Immigration Lawyer would refuse to take on a B case, there is nothing they can add other than their fees.

 

Yes I have heard about harvesting of appointment dates.

[Atreides096 0]

9 hours ago, Boiler said:

You have spent a year doing something but not booked an appointment?

Yeah. It's actually been more like 1.5 years that we've been trying to get her prepared to apply. I tried to keep the details succinct since the post was crazy long already lol. Long story short, COVID disrupted passport office appointments in most of Mexico. Took over a year to get her an appointment for a new passport. Once we had it, it was late 2023 - we decided to wait for her to file taxes and apply early this year, just in case we were able to get an earlier appointment, we wanted to do everything in our power to improve her odds of approval.

17 hours ago, Boiler said:

A lot of International flights from Europe fly into Cancun, seems to be a popular. Now I have only been to Cancun from the US but I knew people who did the LHR route and they would not have been paying mega fees, a quick google suggests they are around $1000 return.

Definitely possible, and for Europe it's really not that bad to fly through Mexico since we're flying in the same general direction. Canada was our top choice for a destination this year, but Canada is by the most challenging destination since we fly straight south and then back north. Prices to Toronto or Vancouver during peak season (when Valeria is out of school) can be triple or more than those flying from LAX or San Diego. 

 

But even with Europe it's a huge difference. Traveling into/out of Cancun is more expensive/difficult during the times we can travel (when Valeria is out of school). So for example, picking random dates in July, Tijuana to Rome is $2500 per person on a single booking, or around $2k if I book separate flights, first to CUN and then to Rome, vs. around $1150 TIJ to PHX to Rome on a shorter travel day. A roughly $3,000 difference is huge, and limits our travel decisions lol. 

 

Anyway, really appreciate the information you provided and you taking the time to respond, so I wanted to add some details. But the information was and is helpful, thank you!!

[Boiler 45,468]

I think you may be focussing on things that do not matter, read the DS 160, it has the questions you need.