Hello,

My wife came from the Ukraine on a K1 visa (we are now married). We want to be able to have her sister come to the US on a guest or tourist visa. I have heard that it would be difficult but wanted to know what other people think.

My wife's sister is 53. She lives in the Ukraine. She has a full time job and owns a flat. She has an international passport and has successfully visited France. She also has two daughters and 4 grand children that live in the same city as her.

Any advice you can give us would be very much appreciated.

With the US Embassy, you never know. I think it'd help if your wife's sister is married although it doesn't automatically mean that, if she's not married or divorsed, she'd be denied a visa. She has a family back home, a property, a job... let her HR write a letter stating her salary, for how long she's been working with the company, etc. I'd tell you this - my Ukrainian girlfriend (30, divorsed, no children, no property) came to visit her boyfriend in the US two months ago. He sent her an invitation letter (not stating that he's her boyfriend, of course) and she had no problems at all getting the visa. On a top of this letter of invitation she only had a letter from work stating that she had vacation Jan 10-27 and needed to be back at work Jan28. (May be the fact that she was in the US twice before on student visa and always returned back to Ukraine in time helped, too....)

In any case, you definitely do it; it's worth to try. You write her a good invitation letter that she never had a chance to be with her sister/your wife at the wedding and that it's been two years since they saw each other, and that you'd travelling around showing her the US, etc. I know that Americans are very sentimental about the weddings, it's very important for them, so I heard that it's been working pretty good for the Embassy in Kiev. I'll also have to go through all this in April-May; I want my both parents and my sister and my brother in law to come in visit us in August. I'm sure, that will be an advanture for all of us ! Good luck !!

Masha

Thanks for the topic and the information. Olga's father will obviously not be able to travel to the US for the wedding. Her mother passed away two years ago from an infection after a simple surgury, which really devestated the family. He is 64 and still works as a construction engineer on a consulting basis and is a real great guy. I would like for him to come in a year to spend time with us in Chicago. He will probably still be working, he owns his apartment, and has another daughter who is married and has a child near his home. For a father to miss his daughter's wedding would be difficult beyond my understanding. How difficult do you believe it would be for him to get a visa? My major worry would be that he would become ill when he was here (high blood pressure) so I'd have to get some insurance coverage during his visit. How would I craft an invitation letter for him and would he have to travel from Zaporozhje to Kiev and back again to get the visa? This is a whole new area for me and I know absolutely nothing about how it works. Anyone's advice would be greatly appreciated.