My wife is pregnant and her mother wanted to come here to spend some time with us to help out when the baby arrives. She has obvious strong financial ties to Brazil, but she was rudely denied in Recife the other day. They refused to look at any supporting documents, but merely glanced at the application and then told her she should leave.

They would not give her any information as to why she was turned down, nor will they to me after several phone calls and emails.

Does anyone have any idea if this is worth pursuing? If so, how?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

This isn't fare is it? They should have some policy or something that allows family members of spouses to visit but obviously they don't. Maybe they could have a bond or something that you could pay so that if they don't return it costs you a fortune or something. This is a case of bad apples spoiling it for everyone else. So many people overstay that now they won't allow a simple family visit. Or maybe this is a new plan by Al Quida to bring in old ladies to blow up something?

Or maybe a GPS device on their ankle so they can track you down when your I-94 expires.

lol - good ideas

I wouldn't be so annoyed if they had been civil to her and at least told her why she was turned down.

Getting a tourist visa from US to Brasil is pretty difficult...i've tried. Did you send a letter of invitation? My mother had problems coming to visit me from Kenya to Brasil but then I sent a letter inviting her to come stay with me temporarily, and set specific dates and then after that it worked. Also, I have some friends here in the US on tourist visas from Brasil and they all said the same thing... the USC who you will be staying with has to come to Brazil go with you to get the visa and leave with you. I have 3 ppl in particular that I am speaking of and they all said the same thing. they were denied when they tried all alone and then when they had the USC come with them they got the visa. But that's pretty impracticle to fly out there just so her mom can come visit. Try submitting a cover letter that includes the letter of invitation w/ the petition. Specific dates, address where she will stay, purpose and anything else you can think of to let them know that it's a temporary stay will help.

We're going to try for tourist visas for my fiance's mom and sister to come to our wedding...but still waiting for NOA2, lol. Good luck!

ps. in the first line i meant to say getting a tourist visa from Brasil to US is difficult... my bad and i'm sure there are other typos

I wouldn't really waste time pursuing it. It happens often unfortunately. Bottom line, if they believe the applicant does not have strong enough ties to their home country to guarantee non-immigrant intent (and this is not at all solely based on financial means) they will deny. Not worth it to reapply unless you have new, stronger evidence and don't mind flushing another $100 down the toilet.

p.s. Having a pregnant daughter in the US probably make them seriously question her intent to return to her home country since many would take advantage of a tourist visa and stay with the daughter and grandchild. My guess is that was their thinking, and no amount of proof would convince them otherwise.

Yes, I sent a letter of invitation with my name, SSN and address, saying she would stay with us and promising to take full responsibility. For good measure, I also sent a note from her doctor, saying she will need extra help when the baby comes because of her health, and a letter from my job stating my position and salary. They refused to look at any of it, although my mother-in-law pleaded with them to at least read the letter. They were extraordinarily rude with her.

She also had loads of financial docs showing my father-in-law's financial situation with his coffee farm, apartments and other investments. I don't believe they looked at any of that either. The man"interviewing" her only glanced at the application for a brief moment and then told her to leave. When she asked him to at least read my letter, his tone with her became almost a bit threatening.

The worst part is, she traveled 22 hours by bus to get to the consulate, only to be treated like this.

I have nothing to suggest as I don't know anything about this type of situation - I just wanted to say that I feel really bad for your Mom! While they might have the 'right' to deny her a visitors visa, for any reason - they don't need to be rude or threatening.

This visa is only half of it. If you get a visa you still have to get your I-94 at POE which can be just as much of a pain. If you are honest and say I'm going to visit a family member they can refuse entry and send you home.

She applied for a visitors letter and you provided written confirmation that she intended to breach the terms of a visitor visa.

That may explain the response.

How is getting an I 94 a 'pain'?

Most airlines give them out shortly after takeoff so that you have them filled out when you walk up to the immigration desk at your POE.

Pretty painless.

You have to prove that you will return all over again when you get to your POE. Fiiling out the I-94 does not all that has to be done to be allowed entry. If the officer chooses he can not allow entry if he has any reason to doubt that you will return. The DHS officer has all the power, it doesn't matter what visa you have been issued, if the DHS officer wants to deny you enty he can.

That is correct - you can still be denied at POE if the officer deems it necessary.

But that has nothing to do with actually getting the form I 94 itself, which is what your post stated. You'll get an I 94 anyway, regardless of whether or not the officer allows you to enter the US.

Well I guess I should have said getting an approved I-94.

Uhh... thanks for that bewildering reply.

How exactly did I provide written confirmation that she was going to breach the terms of a visitor's visa? My invitation letter stated I would take responsibility while she was here to help with the baby, and then she would return home afterwards before the visa expired.

Besides, they didn't even read my letter.

Try reading the full message before you respond next time.

Sorry your mother in law was treated like a peace of garbage. I feel that was very Rude and very unprofessional of that person.

I would maybe contact my Congress and senator to maybe look into this and maybe help you. I would also would seek to have this person removed from his position. He is on a powerful power trip, someone needs to knock him of his high horse and give, and bring him down to the ground.

I hope you will get this worked out. I can see you are very upset about this and I am sure your wife is also upset.

I dont think anyone should be treated like your mother in law was.


Yogi

Best to read my reply, you presumably did not notice the part I had marked in bold?.

I was going to add something, but you have made your own bed on this one, so sleep in it.

Um, people get denied tourist visas thousands of times every single day and the personnel are not, unfortunately, required to be kind. A congressman or senator cannot reverse a denial or help and there would certainly be zero grounds to "remove the person from his position"! That doesn't forgive his behavior, but there's nothing that can be done.



You're missing the point. You provided clear information indicating that she was going to WORK HELPING WITH THE BABY. This is a clear violation of a visitor visa which is provided so people can visit, travel, shop, etc. but NOT work. Helping with the baby = WORK that another person would get paid for.

Thanks, but you've already added more than enough.

I hardly think that her mother wanting to help with the arrival of a daughter's baby qualifies as an intent to violate terms of a visitor's visa. If it were non-family coming to help with the birth of a baby, perhaps so. But according to my lawyer, people qualify for visitor visas all the time who state that they are going for similar family reasons. I'd say that really, you know nothing.

Apparently even after 2 replies, you still don't get it because you didn't see that they didn't even read the letter, or look at any of the documentation. Got it now? Good.

That being said, even so, they might have treated them like human beings rather than garbage. But I'd guess you wouldn't know the difference, judging by your response. If they had been decent, and rejected them, I wouldn't have a problem.

May you experience something similar. Karma's great that way.

Cheers!

Funny that you say a Congressman or Senator can't reverse decisions such as this. Because I've already been in contact with Senator Warner of Va and he has told me that this is an inexcusable lapse of etiquette on the part of the embassy. He agreed with me that they should have been treated better whether they were accepted or not and has told me he will contact the consulate and have the decision closely examined as he has done many times in the past, usually with positive results for the family.

Thanks for the advice anyway.

Thanks for the support and understanding. It's rarer than I would have expected, in a place like this. But I suppose all the "experts" here are tired of all they've been through, so we should cut them some slack.

I had actually already written to Rep. Eric Cantor and Sen. John Warner in VA not long after I started this thread. Just the other day, I heard back from Sen. Warner. He said he would do what he can to help me - seems like a really great guy. If anyone else here has problems, I would strongly suggest they do the same thing.

Take care.

Yeah, except we've seen multiple people denied for the very reason you want to bring her here. Child care is not visiting, it IS work. Unpaid work, but work in any case.

PS - not all lawyers are really qualified to say who has and hasn't been approved - many many people around here have been taken advantage of by under qualified incompetent attorneys. Also, politicians tend to be a lot of talk - and while he'll 'do what he can' to help you, what he can do will probably end up being 'not much' - or maybe they'll pay attention to her paperwork and deny her when her evidence isn't strong and shows she's coming here to violate the terms of the visa!

Cheers!

My response was in regard to yogib37's post indicating that the person should be "removed from his position". A congressman in the US doesn't exactly have power over disciplinary action of an employee in a US consulate!

There must be one case of this happening, just never seen it posted.

An apology would have worked better.

Unless I have missed something, you were not there, so all heresay.