Visitor Visa Duration !!!

[harjeet_mrec]

What could be the good and reasonable duration to be mentioned for visitor visa ? is 2 months ok ?

My mother is suppose to visit me actually for 6 months or more. should i mention same in visa application and invitation letter ?

Do immigration officers at first port of entry have ability to pull up your DS forms which have the information for the duration you have applied at the time of visa ?

Any suggestions ?

[ramabalaji]

I suggest your mentioning the duration of stay as 3 to 4 months in the DS 156 form.
Assuming that she gets her visitor visa and also getting a stay of 6 months at POE in I94, I suggest her to stay for 4 months and return back in her first visit.
This will help her to stay maximum 6 months in her subsequent visits.

[harjeet_mrec]

Thanks Rama !!!

[evelim81]

I've heard stories/rumours that the maximum visitor stay with a B1/B2 is only 3 months now instead of 6 months. Can someone confirm if this is true/false?

Also, does it matter what nationality you are? Meaning, does one's nationality determine how long the officer at POE will grant your stay for? Silly question, but just wondering. Thanks.

[C4us]

Proposing to mention only a 2 month stay in the DS-156 when the intended duration is 6 months is not a good way to begin your mother's interaction with the USCIS.

Be truthful or it will likely come back to bite you in the future.

[ABN397]

Also, does it matter what nationality you are? Meaning, does one's nationality determine how long the officer at POE will grant your stay for? Silly question, but just wondering. Thanks.

These things are not clearly written in the rule book. However, people from some countries which have a history or overstaying etc may be treated a little more strictly.
Incidentally, one of the points which qualify a country to join the Visa Waiver Program is a "low rate of rejection for visa applications"-currently 3% is the threshold.

[ABN397]

Do immigration officers at first port of entry have ability to pull up your DS forms which have the information for the duration you have applied at the time of visa ?

Any suggestions ?

Bad news! Any immigration officer at any POE as well as any visa officer in any US consulate worldwide can check your past history of visa applications. The only doubt is as to how many years records they have.

[C4us]

Why do you think being able to check the truthfulness of a potential visitor to the US is "Bad news"?

This is one of the ways the US government has of being able to safeguard the people on US territory at any time.

Either plan to obey US law or don't bother coming!

[harjeet_mrec]

I think he is referring to the situation when your travel plans gets little changed from that the time of visa interview. I mean if somebody mentioned 4 months stay in visa application and later if he plans to stay 6 month while making final travel arrangements then what could be reaction of immigration officer at POE ?

[ABN397]

Sorry, I meant Bad News :-)

Why do you think being able to check the truthfulness of a potential visitor to the US is "Bad news"?

This is one of the ways the US government has of being able to safeguard the people on US territory at any time.

Either plan to obey US law or don't bother coming!

Sorry, I should have written Bad News :-) instead.

However, it is important for people on this forum to be aware of the fact that all of their visa-related activities can be pulled up by any official at any point of entry or any consulate. Even if you have a new passport (or even a new passport from a new country) your records can still be pulled up-since their database query checks your name and other personal details.

I know someone who had an Indian passport, moved to the UK and later got an UK passport. He was earlier travelling to the US on a 10-year B-1/B-2 visa (on his Indian passport) for business trips. Once he got his UK passport he tried entering on the VWP for another business trip. He was promptly pulled into secondary and asked "You already have a valid visa. Why are you travelling on VWP?" Anyway, since his travels were quite legitimate he didn't have any real problem on this visit or his subsequent visits.

But you should be aware that nowadays it is difficult to hide anything from the CBP and DHS. There are even stories of people who have been on Green Cards for 20 years or more being denied entry because their computers have suddenly realized that they committed a crime 15 years ago.

[xian_anna]

plz help

My husband just arrived from the States last May 2008 from a business trip for 3 months. Luckily, my parents just gave us an anniversary gift of trip to USA. We are planning of taking the trip this September since we are also attending a furniture show this October at High Point North Carolina.

Will the immigration officer at first port of entry hold him or question him for going back to the USA so soon after staying there for 3 months? We want to stay there for as long as 3-4months so we can have enough time to visit our relatives and friends in different States.

I’m afraid they might let him fly back to our place. What shall we say?

Any suggestions?