Duration of stay is decided at Port of Entry or will it always be 6 mths for B2 visa?

[anuts]

Heard from someone that the duration of stay for a visitor is decided at the port of entry. So if a visitor visa (B2) gets approved at the embassy in the home country, is it not guaranteed that it will be for 6 months minimum? Can the officer at the port of entry provide the end date of visa as 2 months etc as well? Please advise.

[rayb]

It's always (for practical discussion) decided at the Port of Entry, but what the entrant requests can be a deciding factor. It's usually 3 or 6 months, but for special purpose visits, it might be shorter. For a while, many mainland Chinese entrants were getting a full year. Someone I assisted in Las Vegas was offered 6 months for her mother, but persuaded the officer to give her mom a full year (mom is 93 years old).

--Ray B

Heard from someone that the duration of stay for a visitor is decided at the port of entry. So if a visitor visa (B2) gets approved at the embassy in the home country, is it not guaranteed that it will be for 6 months minimum? Can the officer at the port of entry provide the end date of visa as 2 months etc as well? Please advise.