Visitor Visa Granted for 6 months only

[mca]

Hi

My Parents went to Hyderabad consulate on Apilr 18th and they were given only 6 months of US Tourist VISA. Do you know what could be the reason for giving 6 months instead of 10 years.

I am a GC Holder
My Brother is on H1B
My Sister is in INDIA

Any thoughts are greatly appretiated

[peace999]

Some officers are lenient.
Even when they are not convinced
about the applicants' strong ties to India( in this case two children out of India)
, they give the applicants a chance on a short term visa, instead of denying outright.
That is to see how they use the visa.
If your parents use this visa judiciously , meaning ;
1.stay 2-3 months instead of the full 6 months ( if granted 6 months at entry),
2. Not applying for an extension
3. and visit only once,
their next application will be smoother .

If you want a deeper analysis, please post the interview.

[mca]

Visitor Visa Granted for 6 months only

Below is the complete interview

Officer - What do you do
Parent - I am retired and now i am looking after our fields and doing Agriculture
Officer - What were you doing when you were in service
Parent - I was a police officer
Officer - How many children you have
Parent - 3 (2 sons and 1 daughter)
Officer - Where does your son work (Me)
Parent - Gave the name of the company
Officer - Can you give me the documents that your son sent you
Parent - Handed over the documents.
Officer - Looked at my Employment Letter, my Birth Certificate, My old and new Passports
They had spent about 15 mins on the Documents
Officer - Where does your second son(My brother on H1 B) work
Parent - Gave the name of the company
Officer - What does your daughter do in INDIA
Parent - Current she is staying with us and she is not working
Officer - Why is she not working
Parent - She has plans to go to USA
Officer - What is your income
Parent - Gave the income number based on Rental properties, Pension and Agriculture
Officer - How many months do you want the VISA
Parent - 6 months
Officer - Do you really want 6 months
Parent - Since we have 2 children, we need to visit both of them and would need 6 months
Officer - You have been granted VISA and will get it in mail within 5 Business Days

After getting the Passports, when my Parents verified the VISA info, they came to know that it was granted for 6 months only
Could you please provide your Analysis based on the above discussion

Also, 3 quick questions

1) At the port of entry, will they be given i-94 for whole 6 months OR are there chances that they could be given for only 2 to 3 months

2) Would it have been better if my brother who is on H1-B sponsored my Parents instead of me who is on GC. Do you believe that GC(Permanent Resident) could have played a role in the decision

3) I came on F1, then converted to H1B and now i a GC holder. Do you think this also could have played a role in the decision

[kabkaba]

It is good that they at least got the Visa. Now they should travel and return with that Visa, so that the next time they apply, it will make a positive case for them.

I-94 and Visa expiry are unrelated. They can travel to US up to the Visa expiry date and stay in the US beyond Visa expiry until the I-94 expires. They may however need transit Visas for travel through some countries (ex. UK) if they are returning after US Visa expiry.

[peace999]

Oh My God!!!
Based on the interview, I am surprised the officer gave them the visa.
Reason;Retired person with 2 sons in USA and then they disclosed third child's intent to go to US.
means NO job or family ties to India
Perhaps the officer was impressed by your dad's honest answers.
You sponsoring or your change of status has nothing to do with it.
IT IS ALL ABOUT APPLICANTS" TIES TO INDIA.

You know what your parents should not have said,
" sister wants to go to USA'
' And 6 months stay" but your dad's reason for a 6 month stay was purely logical so they accepted it.

At entry, the officer will ask them how long do they want to stay?
and it is entirely at his discretion, he can give any duration.
But usually they do grant 6 months to first time visitors.
I suggest the parents say 4 months.
So they will get a 6 month stay.
BUT THEY SHOULD NOT STAY 6 months.
If they want the next application to succeed, return in 3-4 months.

Advice for next application;
They won't have to appear for an interview under the new pilot program.
Let them not apply too quickly after they return. SHould wait 6 months before applying again.