Visitor Visa for Mexican in-laws (my husband is LPR)?

[Esperando enohio 0]

OK so I have my husband here, finally (see my other posts for the details) and he has his Green Card, no conditions. At some point we will want to see about having his parents/siblings come to visit us. They have no interest in living here but they are understandably curious about my husband's new home.

When my husband applied for a tourist visa in Mexico City before we got married he was denied pretty much out-of-hand. He had no money or property so they considered him a risk for overstaying his visa. The Embassy there is notoriously stingy about issuing tourist visas, as I'm sure you all know.

Can I expect the same thing to happen to my in-laws if they apply for a tourist visa? I'd hate to make them take the 4-hour trip to the Embassy and go through all the expense and hassle if they will just be denied their visas. My in-laws own their house and would be considered middle class but they're not the Gotrocks. We'd have to pay their travel expenses. My mother-and-father-in-law are in their late fifties. My father-in-law works full-time, my mother-in-law doesn't work outside the home. One of my brothers-in-law has Downs Syndrome and lives with his parents, the other brother-in-law wouldn't want to come, and my sister-in-law is single and works as an engineer. She also lives with her parents.

I'm interested in hearing from people with spouses from Mexico who may have tried this already.

Any advice?

Thanks!

[payxibka 10,044]

All applicants must overcome the presumption of "intention to immigrate". If they are unable then they will be refused..... You need to start thinking in this regard and provide evidence to overcome.

Is Mexico City the closest consulate to the in-laws?

Edited June 12, 2008 by fwaguy

[Mononoke28 134]

Can I expect the same thing to happen to my in-laws if they apply for a tourist visa?

Yes. No one is exempt from a denial.

But then again since getting a US torist visa in a Latinamerican country is such a gamble, they have a 50/50 chance of getting. And a 50/50 chance of not getting it. Just because your husband is now an LPR will not help them get a tourist visa.

Diana

[Boiler 43,436]

Mexicans receive more visitors visa's than the next 2 countries combined.

[GlobeHopperMama 95]

It seems to be such a gamble, there's no way to be totally sure they'll get approved for visas. However, my husband has several family members who get approved all the time through the Monterrey consulate. One is a university student with basically no property, just school enrollment documents every term. I think your in-laws have a pretty good shot, just make sure they have documentation of all their assets and even some documents from your father-in-law's job.

[Esperando enohio 0]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the advice.

Fwaguy: Yes, Mexico City is the closest consulate, I think. That's where my husband had to go when he applied for a tourist visa. I'm not sure we could get "evidence" aside from a property deed. My in-laws certainly do not have bank accounts and the only real ties they have to Mexico besides the house are family members (lots of them).

Boiler: Which two countries?

Guatetaliana: I hope you and your husband will be eligible for the immediate waiver - I'm sure you've read about having the waiver prepared ahead of time and being pregnant/having a baby might help with your hardship case? I hope so. I wish you the best. I know how hard it is living here while your husband is in Mexico. PM me if you have any questions about going through Juarez.

I may just hold off on sending them to the Embassy until Adolfo gets naturalized. Which might take awhile the way things are going now but oh well. I would feel awful, and of course so would they, if their visas got denied. My husband described it is as the worst feeling of humiliation and rejection and I wouldn't want to put them through that. I'd be personally embarassed, too.

Thanks again all.

[Staashi 371]

I would have you and your husband write a letter directed to the consulate that you, the American Citizen, would like his family to come for a visit - define the timeframe of when you'd like them to come over and when you will have them return. Explain that you all are paying for the trip and that you would like them to see where you live, experience your area, and that you would love for them to meet your family and friends - like any couple would want. Also, explain that his parents have a life, home and employment in Mexico and no interest in staying in the US, they just want to visit.

Good luck - it can happen...also, see about writing an email to the consulate and explain the situation. Maybe they'll be able to give you some guidance about this.

Edited June 13, 2008 by Staashi

[shadtov 0]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the advice.

Fwaguy: Yes, Mexico City is the closest consulate, I think. That's where my husband had to go when he applied for a tourist visa. I'm not sure we could get "evidence" aside from a property deed. My in-laws certainly do not have bank accounts and the only real ties they have to Mexico besides the house are family members (lots of them).

Boiler: Which two countries?

Guatetaliana: I hope you and your husband will be eligible for the immediate waiver - I'm sure you've read about having the waiver prepared ahead of time and being pregnant/having a baby might help with your hardship case? I hope so. I wish you the best. I know how hard it is living here while your husband is in Mexico. PM me if you have any questions about going through Juarez.

I may just hold off on sending them to the Embassy until Adolfo gets naturalized. Which might take awhile the way things are going now but oh well. I would feel awful, and of course so would they, if their visas got denied. My husband described it is as the worst feeling of humiliation and rejection and I wouldn't want to put them through that. I'd be personally embarassed, too.

Thanks again all.

My husband had been denied a visitor's visa in 2002 even though he was a full-time student and had a job. After he was here, we applied for a visa for my mother-in-law. I involved the local congressman's office. I wrote a letter and included a copy of the wedding invitation. I included what Staashi suggested. The congressman's rep faxed my letter and info from them to the Guadalajara Consulate. My mother-in-law brought proof of her property (1 bedrooom house and small piece of property) and a letter from a job stating that she was granted 2 week vacation. They took her into a separate room for the interview. (My husband was only interviewed at a window). She said they seemed skeptical, but they gave her a one entry visa. It's the same price as a multiple entry visa, but they didn't want to give her that.

My experience working with families at my job is that they're the toughest on young men and grandmothers. We had a couple of friends, men in the 20s, get visas while another friend was denied a visa and he had a good job with the local government. It's up in the air.

We're preparing for my mother-in-law to try again. I'm hoping that they'll consider past history.

[Boiler 43,436]

India and Chin are 2 and 3, I forget which way around, bothe have numbers on their side.

Trying to remember ow many were issued in Mexico, I think the last number I saw was about 1m a year.

From a personal experiance, everytime I have flown to Mexico, most of the passengers have been Mexican.

[eric_and_teresa 10]

Letters from US Citzens or from your husband inviting his family to come to visit are ONLY good to prove the purpose of the trip and that you will cover the expenses. But it doesn't really matter how much you write about them having jobs, posessions and their intentions to go back to Mexico, they still need to prove this with the right documents during the interview.

The invitation letter alone wont make any difference, in MANY cases that the CO wont even look at it.

The visa applicant has the burden to prove that he/she has no intentions to stay and has good reasons to go back home, by submitting the proper documentation.

From the U.S. Embassy in Mexico Website:

If you intend to travel as a tourist, you should be able to explain and prove how and when you plan to travel, where you plan to stay, and how you will pay for the trip. United States law specifies that you should prove “that is it reasonable to suppose that you will return to your place of origin once you have completed your trip.” In order to comply with this requirement, it is suggested that you present original documents that support your claim of economic solvency. Depending on your particular situation, you may wish to present original, recent bank statements (letters from banks are not acceptable substitutes), receipts of payroll and the pink copy of the Social Security registration if you are employed, your stamped income tax return if you are a business owner, documentation regarding your business, your tax receipt if you own property, your professional I.D., etc. We reiterate: copies are neither acceptable nor necessary.

B1/B2 Visas

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

India and Chin are 2 and 3, I forget which way around, bothe have numbers on their side.

Trying to remember ow many were issued in Mexico, I think the last number I saw was about 1m a year.

From a personal experiance, everytime I have flown to Mexico, most of the passengers have been Mexican.

Mexicans get so many visas because it is next to us and the border towns make alot of money from mexicans shopping in the US. If Canadians were required to have a visa then they would have as many if not more. The real comparison for each country should be the I-94s issued because Mexicans cannot travel to the interior of the US without an I-94. We have checkpoints 50 miles into the US from the southern border so they aren't allowed to go any further.

I think consulates closer to the the US border are probably easier to get a visa because of commerce with the US.

[Boiler 43,436]

The numbers were for B visas, and I have never been within 50 miles of the Border so can not comment on that.