Length of Stay on a B2 visa

[WhoDaDaddy]

Hi
For the very first time I have applied for a visa to enter the U.S. as previously on all of my several trips (8 or more) have been via the visa waiver programme. As I would like to stay longer this time I felt the B2 route was my only option. I was only given a 1 year visa but was informed that the maximum length of stay is 6 months.
As my family is in the US I have arranged my trip to maximise the number of days in the country to just less than 6 months.
My concern now is will border control personnel take this as very odd and possibly deny me entry as its my first such use of a visa.

I'm merely maximising the use of the 1 year visa as I won't be able to afford to travel twice in a year as flights are expensive. We do plan to take a holiday within the States so there will actually be some tourism done during my time there although the main reason is to visit my family.
Thoughts please

[WhoDaDaddy]

Wow

Seems like the folk on here are very picky on which questions are deserving of an answer on this site. Maybe I am impolite in my comments as some questions are responded to more than once eh rayb.
Either that or the questions I posed are open to too much subjectivity, I won't hold anyone to ransom on the various questions I have asked just looking for some opinions really and comments from those who may have already gone through this.

Shame as I thought the community here would be all the more willing to help. I know that once I have been through the experience I will be posting the results good or bad so as to help fellow people in a similar situation to myself.
Still weighing up all options on what I should do when I travel to the U.S. if they decide to let me in that is!

I still welcome your thoughts on my questions all.
Cheers

[rayb]

Cheers,

You probably didn't get an answer to your post of yesterday because you didn't seem to have asked a very specific question.

If you have applied for a B2 visa, the amount of time allowed for your stay won't be decided until you arrive at the Port of Entry. The allowable stay may be 3 months, 6 months, or even a full year (for very specific reasons). This is assuming, of course, that the Embassy approves your visitor visa application. The only instances I have heard of a full year being allowed were for Chinese students after the TTiananmen Square massacre several years ago when the U.S. seemed to be courting Chinese visitors, and of a 93-year-old French lady, mother of a friend of mine, whose daughter made a special request when the POE officer was going to allow onl six months.

--Ray B

Seems like the folk on here are very picky on which questions are deserving of an answer on this site. Maybe I am impolite in my comments as some questions are responded to more than once eh rayb.
Either that or the questions I posed are open to too much subjectivity, I won't hold anyone to ransom on the various questions I have asked just looking for some opinions really and comments from those who may have already gone through this.

Shame as I thought the community here would be all the more willing to help. I know that once I have been through the experience I will be posting the results good or bad so as to help fellow people in a similar situation to myself.
Still weighing up all options on what I should do when I travel to the U.S. if they decide to let me in that is!

I still welcome your thoughts on my questions all.
Cheers

[WhoDaDaddy]

Thank you for the response

Thank you rayb
Now I know to be more specific in my questions. I have been granted a visa. My fear is turning up at the poe and they say no to me wanting to stay just under the 6 month maximum time limit even though I will have a return booked ticket showing I intend to depart. If I wanted to stay over a year then I would have used an alternative visa as it would be more in keeping with my intentions. I can't afford to stay out there for a whole year though as need to work! (Still hoping for that lottery win though haha)

My past visits to the U.S. have all been a month or so in duration, never this long. Just don't want to be turned away from seeing my wife and child after spending money on a visa and plane ticket. Genuine reason is to see family and take a holiday within the States.

[rayb]

When you show up at the Port of Entry, the default allowable visa time is 3 months (sometimes less if you had a very specific one-time reason for the visa). You can sometimes request longer than 3 months, and the officer's decision is then discretionary. My mention of an allowable one-year is not something you can expect, and it would probably be denied if you asked or one-year.

--Ray B

Thank you rayb
Now I know to be more specific in my questions. I have been granted a visa. My fear is turning up at the poe and they say no to me wanting to stay just under the 6 month maximum time limit even though I will have a return booked ticket showing I intend to depart. If I wanted to stay over a year then I would have used an alternative visa as it would be more in keeping with my intentions. I can't afford to stay out there for a whole year though as need to work! (Still hoping for that lottery win though haha)

My past visits to the U.S. have all been a month or so in duration, never this long. Just don't want to be turned away from seeing my wife and child after spending money on a visa and plane ticket. Genuine reason is to see family and take a holiday within the States.

[WhoDaDaddy]

Specifics

Ok being very specific here. Do you think I will I be denied entry if I ask to stay just less than 6 months and can prove I have a ticket to depart the U.S. in that timescale. I don't want to ask for any longer than that.
Many thanks

[rayb]

I think you are misunderstanding my responses to you. If you have a B2 visa you will not be denied entry unless you say something at the POE which suggests you might overstay your visa. You are normally given a 3-month allowable stay by the POE officer.

To be more specific in my response.....Homeland Security does not want you to stay longer than what they normally allow on your passport annotation, which is usually "3 months."

--Ray B

Ok being very specific here. Do you think I will I be denied entry if I ask to stay just less than 6 months and can prove I have a ticket to depart the U.S. in that timescale. I don't want to ask for any longer than that.
Many thanks

[WhoDaDaddy]

I think you are misunderstanding my responses to you. If you have a B2 visa you will not be denied entry unless you say something at the POE which suggests you might overstay your visa. You are normally given a 3-month allowable stay by the POE officer.

To be more specific in my response.....Homeland Security does not want you to stay longer than what they normally allow on your passport annotation, which is usually "3 months."

--Ray B

Well looks like I will be taking a risk when I get there as my flights are booked already for a 6 month visit. If as you say they usually only expect a stay of 3 months or less then I could have just gone under the visa waiver programme (ESTA). I went through the process of obtaining the B2 visa as wanted to stay longer than 3 months and will duly explain this to the POE officer, fingers crossed they are having a good day.
Appreciate the responses you have given rayb, nice to have the knowledgable input.

[rayb]

The problem with a B2 visa is that you have no guarantee of how long you will be allowed to stay in the U.S. (legally). Since you have a clean prior stay record (no overstays), a request to be allowed a full six-month stay will probably be met with courtesy and approval. The caveat, however, is that politics will often influence the attitude of government employees.

--Ray B

Well looks like I will be taking a risk when I get there as my flights are booked already for a 6 month visit. If as you say they usually only expect a stay of 3 months or less then I could have just gone under the visa waiver programme (ESTA). I went through the process of obtaining the B2 visa as wanted to stay longer than 3 months and will duly explain this to the POE officer, fingers crossed they are having a good day.
Appreciate the responses you have given rayb, nice to have the knowledgable input.