You should submit the following documents for filing for a visitor visa extension.
- Form I-539 (Extension of stay/change of status).
You may include your spouse and your unmarried children (under the age of 21 years) in your application for the same extension, as long as all of you are under the same status, or they are all in derivative status.
Fill out all the required fields and sign the application. - Fee for filing the extension of the visitor visa. Even if the spouse or children are also included in the same form, the total fee is to be paid just once, and there is no extra charge for additional applicants. There is no bio-metric fee.
Fee Details - Online printed Form I-94.
- Copies of all pages of your passport(s) (including blank ones), which are valid for your entire requested period of stay in the U.S.
- Proof of financial support (see the Visitor Visa section for this)
- Write a letter that explains in detail:
- The reasons for your extension request (you could give reasons like: yet to see the other coast of the U.S., etc.)
- Why your extended stay would be temporary, including what arrangements you have made to depart from the U.S.
- Any effect the extended stay may have on your foreign employment or residency. E.g., you may want to explain how you can be excused from your employment for such an extended period of time.
If you are the principal wage earner for your family, visiting the United States alone, and have left your family (spouse, children) behind in your home country, you need to show really good reasons, prove why you need to stay in the U.S. much longer, and how your family will be taken care of properly in your home country. A very long separation from your immediate family is not considered good the in eyes of the USCIS. You should also show that your job or business in your home country would not be in jeopardy from staying away for a long time. If you are employed, you can show a letter from your employer that they are aware of you staying in the U.S. for a longer time.
Sample Letter
- The reasons for your extension request (you could give reasons like: yet to see the other coast of the U.S., etc.)
- A copy of your return air tickets (this would be helpful to show that the stay is temporary).
Make sure that they are really the electronic tickets that including the ticket numbers. Do not simply send an itinerary.
It is important to provide all the required documents with your initial filing. Failure to do so may result in your case being denied or delayed. Since there are no appeal rights for it, it is important for you to fill out the application completely and provide the required information.
