Adding Financial Information to Strengthen Case

[Tee and Megan 10]

Hello all!

I have been posting on VJ mostly in the Fiance and Spouse visa categories because my fiance and I have been quite set for sometime on either getting married in the States once I am able to sponsor him, or getting married in his country,Cambodia, this summer. However, my parents do not support the latter idea and I am not yet able to sponsor him for the former because I am currently entering graduate school and work less than a full-time job.

My fiance and I met while we were both studying at a Seminary in Hong Kong. We dated for around four months when my family asked if we would apply for a tourist visa so he could come to the States to meet them. We applied in Hong Kong and were denied under the "failure to provide enough supporting documentation" clause, but asked to reapply in his country of residence, Cambodia.

Thus, when we went to visit Cambodia at the end of the Seminary term, we applied again for a tourist visa, praying that this time we would be admitted so that my family could meet him during our summer break. Again, we were denied under the same clause, but this time, specifically emphasizing our failure to provide my family's financial documents to support our desire to sponsor his travel while he is in the U.S.

Both times we applied we had a letter from both my parents, the President of the Seminary, the Dean of Students of the Seminary, the International Student Coordinator, a photo copy of his Hong Kong Identity Card, a copy of his Hong Kong student visa and a letter from his employer in Cambodia. Each letter was very firm about saying that the Seminary expected him to return to finish his classes after his visit to the U.S. and his letter from his employer said it fully expected him to return to Cambodia once he was finished with classes in Hong Kong. The second time we even provided records of his land holdings in Cambodia (untranslated) and a copy of his birth certificate (translated). After we were denied the second time, we decided to get engaged.

Before we get married, however, my family is begging us to find a way that my fiance could come to the States, simply to meet them and visit. Given that we have been denied twice and are already engaged, does anyone on VJ see this as even a remote possibility? What if we submitted financial information with a third application? Would that help?

We contacted a lawyer for consultation who told us most likely once we were denied we would not be allowed a visitor's visa no matter how many times we applied, but given my family's requests, I thought I would ask the good people of VJ. Eventually, we do want to apply for him to come to the U.S. permanently, but given my family's insistence that they meet him first, I don't know how I can give up trying to get him a visitor's visa. Does anyone have any advice for us? We'd be so grateful.

P.S. please do not move this to the Fiance or Spouse visa forums; we would greatly appreciate advice regarding the visitor's visa specifically. Thank you so much!!

Blessings and Peace

Happy Holidays!!

Megan and Tee

[Boiler 45,997]

Try a third time with your families understanding that if this fails then they will be the ones who will have to travel.

[Tee and Megan 10]

Try a third time with your families understanding that if this fails then they will be the ones who will have to travel.

I am tempted to say that. I have never really had them disapprove of anything I do, but as per most American traditions, they are quite firm about wanting to meet him before we get married. I am not sure they understand how difficult it is to go through this process, or the agony of long distance relationships. My fiance and I are quite positive about it, but as you probably know, it does get discouraging sometimes. I am just so scared of doing anything that might endanger our chances of obtaining a fiance visa in the future, even if it would bring my loved ones more peace regarding our relationship.

[Boiler 45,997]

Being refused a visitor visa has no impact on subsequent immigration.

[Dave&Roza 748]

I am tempted to say that. I have never really had them disapprove of anything I do, but as per most American traditions, they are quite firm about wanting to meet him before we get married. I am not sure they understand how difficult it is to go through this process, or the agony of long distance relationships. My fiance and I are quite positive about it, but as you probably know, it does get discouraging sometimes. I am just so scared of doing anything that might endanger our chances of obtaining a fiance visa in the future, even if it would bring my loved ones more peace regarding our relationship.

Is there another country that he can get a visa to or travel to without a visa and your parents meet him there? My wife was denied a tourist visa the first time, but that had no effect on her next two applications for a tourist visa or her K-1 visa. The only thing about being denied is loosing the money for the application fee. You might want to include a letter he can show that he is going to the US to visit your parents and they and you will be responsible for his expenses while in the US, some financial information might help in this case, along with all the other evidence you supplied of his strong ties to his country.

Good luck,

Dave

[Darnell 8,479]

Again, we were denied under the same clause, but this time, specifically emphasizing our failure to provide my family's financial documents to support our desire to sponsor his travel while he is in the U.S.

They were looking for an I-134 from your parents.

I say apply again, include all of the stuff you've used before, and include the I-134 on your parents.

[Noah Lot 391]

this subject has come up before...an I-134 is not a legally binding document, nor are letters of financial support from your parents...no one can force them to shell out a penny for his expenses...while such letters no doubt are well-intentioned, that is not the same as legally enforceable. I imagine the VOs have seen similar situations which others have abandoned once they reached the US (along with their American GF or BF), which is probably why the letters from all those other folks have had little positive impact.

In general, being denied a tourist visa will not affect one's ability to obtain a fiance visa (assuming that no fraud or misrepresentation ever took place (or will))..and as you are learning, the VOs do not care why one wants to GO to the US; they are more interested in why a person will LEAVE the US after visiting.

[Darnell 8,479]

Noah Lot - ya, I get that, but in the same breath,

the ConOff asked for the parents financial stuff.

Hence the I-134 on the parents.

[Noah Lot 391]

Noah Lot - ya, I get that, but in the same breath,

the ConOff asked for the parents financial stuff.

Hence the I-134 on the parents.

The VO might have said something like that as he or she ended the interview, however, if that was truly all that was needed, the VO would have (should have) temporarily denied the visa application under 221(g) pending receipt of those same documents..in reality, VOs do NOT give 'coaching advice' to people, and since there are no bright line requirements to qualify for a tourist visa, telling somebody they just need a certain piece of paper would be disingenuous at the very least...and for all those other reasons I gave above, an I 134 or some letter stating that the parents would pay the freight are mostly window dressing, and still would not address the main issue which is...why would the visa applicant depart the US after a visit...something that cannot be found on or in any piece of paper or letter from anyone.

[Tee and Megan 10]

The VO might have said something like that as he or she ended the interview, however, if that was truly all that was needed, the VO would have (should have) temporarily denied the visa application under 221(g) pending receipt of those same documents..in reality, VOs do NOT give 'coaching advice' to people, and since there are no bright line requirements to qualify for a tourist visa, telling somebody they just need a certain piece of paper would be disingenuous at the very least...and for all those other reasons I gave above, an I 134 or some letter stating that the parents would pay the freight are mostly window dressing, and still would not address the main issue which is...why would the visa applicant depart the US after a visit...something that cannot be found on or in any piece of paper or letter from anyone.

Thank you all so much for your advice. I know it is very very difficult to prove he will want to return to Cambodia after his visit, especially considering the seriousness of our relationship. I am just not sure what else do to. I want to marry him and apply for our immigrant visa, but I cannot throw American customs out the window entirely without alienating my family. Do any of you have advice for what evidence we could submit to show he will return to Cambodia?

I have considered trying to get him a visa to Canada or the UK, but I am not sure if they are very lenient about allowing visitors from poor countries like Cambodia. The only countries outside of S.E. Asia that allow Cambodians to visit without a visa are Kenya and Kuwait, I think. Are there any countries in Europe that you know of that allow visitors with greater degrees of regularity? Goodness, it is a tricky situation. At least I know I can visit Cambodia whenever I have enough money and time (though the former is very difficult to come by when one is a full time student). Thank you all again, so much for your advice. We are so grateful for it.

Blessings and Peace

Megan and Tee

[Pitaya 2,577]

Hello all!

I recently posted something similar to this on the Visitor's Visa forum, but I thought I would post it here as well to see if anyone had further advice they might be willing to share with us?

I am the USC and my fiance is a teacher at a Bible college in Cambodia. We met when we were both studying abroad at a Seminary in Hong Kong in Jan. 2012. We were together for almost half a year in Hong Kong before we went to Cambodia to meet his family, got engaged and I had to leave to return to the States to finish my studies here. (I am nearly finished with my Bachelor's program)

We have two problems we are running into now; the first that I won't be able to sponsor my beloved until I am able to work full time (and since I will probably be pursuing graduate school, that may be four years from now) and second, that my family does not approve of us marrying until they have met him. We tried once for a visitor's visa in HK, in hopes he could visit me over the summer before we get engaged and were turned down, but they recommended we try again in his country of residence. Then, while we were in Cambodia, we applied again and were denied again, this time told that we didn't bring financial documents with us so they could be sure my family's statement that we would pay for his tickets and take care of him while he was here, was genuine.

Both times we applied, we submitted multiple letters, from our Seminary, my family, and friends (including one from the President of the Seminary and the Dean). The second time we applied, we used the letters and a few land records saying that he was the heir to his family's land in Cambodia (though it was written in Khmer) and a letter from his employer at the Bible College stating they expected him to return back to Cambodia once his time in HK was completed and his visit to the States was over.

We are really at our wit's end as to how we can get him here for a simple visit before we apply for our fiance visa, but considering he is from a third world country, I am not sure that even if we submitted my family's financial records, they would let him in. I don't want to alienate my family, but I also don't want to put him through that again. I don't think the people at the Phnom Penh Embassy were terribly kind to him. (though they have very high stress jobs, so perhaps that is understandable)

Does anyone have experience bringing over their fiance from a third world country, just for a visit? We would be so grateful for any advice you could offer us. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences. We feel so blessed to have found this site. It is so incredible to at last feel that we are not alone in this frustrating process.

Blessings and Peace!

Happy Holidays!

Megan C.

Welcome to the forum.

You ask a very frequent question. Please review the sticky, "Yes, You Can Visit," found at the top of this forum's page. It is difficult to obtain a visitor visa from numerous countries. The applicant has to convince the consulate officer that they have compelling ties to their home country, and will return home after visiting.

Happy trails on your visa journey.

[Tee and Megan 10]

Welcome to the forum.

You ask a very frequent question. Please review the sticky, "Yes, You Can Visit," found at the top of this forum's page. It is difficult to obtain a visitor visa from numerous countries. The applicant has to convince the consulate officer that they have compelling ties to their home country, and will return home after visiting.

Happy trails on your visa journey.

Oh yes, Thank you! I have read quite extensively into this page. I was just hoping for a few personal stories I could refer to. Sometimes it is the stories on this site that keep me going. Even if people with fiances from the third world have stories of unsuccessful attempts, even that would be helpful. Any information is better than nothing. Most of the wonderful posts in this forum are from couples from England, Canada or elsewhere in Europe. I was just curious if perhaps anyone had stories of fiance/es from Asia who have tried to visit the States while pursuing a K-1 visa. Thank you again!

Blessings

Megan C.

[Boiler 45,997]

Why does he want to go to Europe?

[Tee and Megan 10]

Why does he want to go to Europe?

We don't really (though Europe is lovely, I am sure ) We just thought, (and we are completely experienced traveling through Europe, so take this with a grain of salt) that it might be easier for us to get a visa for Europe so my family could meet him there, instead of flying to Asia. My family has advised us to figure out if my fiance could get a visa to another country besides the U.S. so we could visit him there. They like the idea of visiting Europe better than the idea of visiting Cambodia, I suppose. Anyway, that is why we were thinking about researching European visas, just so they could meet him, not so we could get married or live in Europe or anything. Thanks!

[Boiler 45,997]

I know what I would tell your family if I was in his shoes