I would like my mom to come to visit me. I came to US on a student's visa, and married a US citizen. My AOS is pending. I would like to invite my mom to my graduation this June.
Does anyone have experience with inviting parents to visit? Does it worth trying at all???
Thanks in advance!

I wish we had an answer - trying the same thing ourselves now. My in-laws have had no problem in the past getting visas to Europe and Asia, so hopefully we will be fine.

It is worth trying. (Only costs $100 and they process these visas - B1/B2 - fairly quickly)

To get the visa, they must be convinced you will not stay in the US. Proof mostly consists of:

o income - the more, the better. $2,000 /month would be the bare minimum from what I have heard.
o property - the more you own (houses, expensive cars) the better.
o family - if your parents have kids they support, this helps too.

Prior travel probably helps a lot too (more than a handful of visas to western countries).

There isn't much you can do to help your mom, other than sending her a letter with the itinary of her
trip, where she will stay, phone numbers, etc.

For what it is worth, my father in law has been around the world with his Russian passport.

Good Luck!

We are in the process of inviting my wife's parent's over here too for a short visit.
I just wanted to add some comment to these ideas.
Unless you live next to one of the consulates there are 4 total including the embassy in Moscow, it is going to cost more than $100. At minimum a couple hundred for the airfare or train fare. At least one night hotel.
Second, outside of Moscow, how many average Russians make $2,000 a month? Last I heard being offered 2000 rubles a month was deemed acceptable by employers. Even higher end educated people don't make half the bare minimum. For many people the $2,000 a month bare minimum is going to be an unsurmountable object.
We are concerned in this area.
Expensive cars...average Russians consider having an old Russian junker to be a luxury.
I'll let you guys know how my wife's "average" parents do and if it is worth the cost later on.

I'm very curious to hear as well. I should add the caveat, my suggestions are purely speculation at this point.
I hope my wife's parents do not have a problem, but we will see.

If it isn't easy to get to a US Consulate, it will certainly be a pain. (For my in-laws in Липецк, it is about 5 hours by car. Not convenient, but not impossible either.

I know from experience, one of our friends had a problem with the B-1 visa because she made less than $1,000/month (i think she made about $800 - which outside of Moscow is pretty good for a 21 year old).

I hope our situation is okay - mom is a radiologist (this pays poorly in Russia - about $400/mo), and dad is an engineer. His business on the side should help, hopefully. (They have 2 houses, cars, are supporting a son in school, etc). They are applying for visas this month - I'll let you all know how it goes.

Does anyone have reading this have any direct experiene?

I did the same thing (F1 and got married here), but I'm not going to apply for AOS. My parents want to visit us in summer, but I can't give anyone any advice, because they never had any problems with any visas, including the U.S., and they sure are way above "average" in terms of financial well-being. Anyways, I do not see any problem with trying - people get U.S. visas all the time, it's not THAT hard.

I hope all will be well for your mother!

...and I sure hope the in-laws won't have any problems either!

If it helps at all:
I was a student in 2004 when I invited my Mom. I already had a green card though. Your husband can do the invitation- he is a US citizen.

I sent my Mom a letter saying that I will take care of her expenses while she is here, and buy her the ticket if she comes to visit. I attached a letter of employment from our company /HR department ( how much I amke, what I do, benefits package and so on).

She brought a bank statement that she has some loans that she is paying consistantly in Russia, that she has an apartment, a job of 10 years and a husband , and a dog , and a car:)

I was hoping for 60-90 day visa, she got it for 2 years with in and out privelegies.

She was asked 3 questions at the interview:
1. Why all of you have different last names ( my mom remarried twise, I have my Dad's last name)
2. How often do I come to visit and if she ever came to visit
3. Am I the only daughter
She got her visa the same day ( they usually mail it , but she asked if it could be handed to her as it is a long trip back to Kola Peninsula). Their secretary who is supposed to mail them was nice enough to hold on to it and just hand it to her:))

Here is my experience with inviting Moms to visit:)
Good luck to you.

I will send a very similar letter to my in-laws. Thanks!

Welcome to the forum timelena. It's always nice to have new VJers on here. Plus, we could use more Russian Women (RW) in the Russia thread. It gets kind of smelly in here with all these American Men (AM)!!!

I too would like to invite my girl's mom to visit someday, but if she's broke and single..... things aren't looking good for the Red Team are they?

I guess I'll have to go there to visit her. That's cool too, but it would be nice to have her come here sometime. Especially once grandchildren are involved.

Is there a way to "sponsor" someone on a visitor visa just like we "sponsor" those on K-1s? Does USCIS have a standard to prove that the visitor will be supported for only a short stay? I know they consider all (and especially poor, single women) visitors as immigrants, but do they have a guide to determine what is and what is not financially required of a visitor?

As I understand the US consulate is more concerned with whether the visa applicant returns to Russia, rather than who will support them in the US. Being poor as the average Russian is and having family support waiting for you in the US while you are "visiting" gives the consulate an impression you are certainly on your way to illegal immigration.
Although age, the older the better plays a big factor, since it is impractical for someone in their 50's and beyond to start a new life in a new country.
My opinion, feel free to criticize

Thank you for your responses, dear AMs! And good luck with your Russian fiancée, wife, and in-laws!

After discussing cons and pros with my mom, we decided not to risk now. We will postpone her visit until later, when she makes a couple of trips to EU and adds several grands to her account. And when her grandchildren are involved. She is not broke and single, but she does not have young children, and my parents do not make anything close to 2,000 USD per month.

As I see, it’s easier to invite my grandmother… At least the consulate will not assume that she is going to stay here illegally at her. 79 I just need to persuade her to come and buy her medical insurance.

Yes, grandmother could probably get a visa with no problem.

Why not try to get mom one too? Maybe you could get one for both of them at the same time. If the embassy saw that they were applying together, maybe they would think that mom had to return with grandma. Worth a shot!

Good luck!