Boyfriend come visit me in USA for Christmas? B-2 visa...

[HFM181818 748]

And this 'advice' is based on how many visa interviews that you have personally conducted? (I will guess '0')

You are the problem, encouraging people to lie....will you refund their application fees if unsuccessful? (doubt it)

Folks, if you listen and follow the inaccurate 'advice' from trini-prince, well, you will have only yourselves to blame when the denial takes place. Lying is lying, no matter how one tries to sugar coat it. Of course, that may depend on your upbringing and it sounds as though trini-prince has no idea of what the word 'truthful' means.

[trini_prince 0]

HFM181818

STOP trying to BE DIFFICULT. I am sure he knows someone in the USA that he can genuinely say he is going to stay by and stay by. From there, he can visit her. I never said put a hotel, i said stay by a friend or relative. If he has no one over there, then that's a different boat. But if does, put their address. Stop being childish.

[TBoneTX 43,058]

Folks, some of the best advice that all of us could follow is to heed HFM181818 and everything that he says. It's a true boon to have a retired CO on this site, willing to offer accurate, real-world insights about issues that the rest of us could otherwise only guess at.

The consulates, and CBP, thrive on the truth. Withholding or obfuscating information leads only to a spiraling situation of trying to remember what (and how much) you said to whom and when. It can become a miserable scene quite rapidly.

Remember that some people's "delivery styles" are more direct than others'. In the current situation, view this as intensity in wanting to help all of us out.

Edited November 23, 2015 by TBoneTX

[trini_prince 0]

Well, have him go to the interview to waste his money saying he is going to stay by his girlfriend and get denied. Two months or six months later god forbid, his RELATIONSHIP with his girlfriend ends. He decided he wants to visit his FAMILY or tourism and try back. They check back denial notes and see why he was denied. That 214b letter is a standard letter they give to everyone.

Consuls are trained to deny certain applicants. This is based on salary, type of job and more. It also depends on if the country has a record of high overstays. I am not going to list my source. But apparently, yo know it best. I say no more.

Edited November 23, 2015 by trini_prince

[trini_prince 0]

MY FINAL ADVICE THEN, do not try then. The fiancé(e) K-1 nonimmigrant visa is for the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a United States (U.S.) citizen. The K-1 visa permits the foreign-citizenfiancé(e) to travel to the United States and marry his or her U.S. citizen sponsor within 90 days of arrival. Best she files a fiance petition then. Not like she said his intentions was to stay, so I only give an honest opinion so he does not risk getting denied. All the best.

HFM181818

[HFM181818 748]

Amen....trying to outwit a CO or a CPB official has very little upside....when I interviewed applicants who tried trini-prince's evasive approach, I could turn that person inside out in a matter of seconds, tossing questions at them that forced them to create their new and improved story on the fly, then I went after details (which were lacking), bending the interview right back to the spot where the lies or obfuscation began...often leaving the applicant standing in front me, head down, quiet as a church mouse, with their 'carefully constructed' house of cards story scattered in disarray....in many of those cases, I didn't even have to tell them that their application was denied...they already knew it....

often their unhappy USC 'friend' would call later...trying to tell me how honest their BF or GF truly is...and how they were confused....and, oh so sorry...etc, etc...did it change my decision? Absolutely not. It told me that I had made the right decision. Sometimes the USC 'friend' tried to pressure me to 'reconsider' - again, never happened (there was nothing they could say that would have the effect they hoped for)...sometimes, the same foreign BF/GF would show up 2 months later, now 'suddenly' remembering that they 'needed' to study ESL, with their sponsor listed as their same 'friend' whom they had forgot about the last time....of course, it was quite obvious that this proposed 'curriculum' was not to study ESL, but to circumvent the K1 process....however, since the applicant's credibility had already been ruined earlier, their chances of getting the F1 visa were somewhere around 0.00%....of those denials, about 60% miraculously became K1s some time later, reminding me that my decision had indeed been correct.....

Now, if you still believe that trini-prince knows more than I do about this process, by all means, follow his advice.

[IcezMan_IcezLady 582]

OP can choose to be honest and risk possible denial or lie and have the lies come back after them later when they go through immigration again.

Make your decision wisely.

[HFM181818 748]

We are trained to ferret out those who are not being forthright, irrespective of social class, income or what type of shoes they are wearing...I've taught classes on interviewing...have you?

I still have not seen you tell our listeners how many visa applicants YOU have interviewed.....you know, the 'source' of your laughably inaccurate information and advice...???

[tachi88 4]

Thank you for all your replies. They mean a lot and I agree that we'd like to just tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may. We are fortunate enough that the visa fee won't be too bad financially, it will sting a bit if we are denied, but thankfully the plane ticket won't go to waste (airline will let him use at a later date). Thank you to TboneTX for verifying as well.

HFM181818, do you know if a denied B-2 visa hurts the chances of a K-1 in the future or no? And in your opinion, do you think my bf has a shot at getting through to see me (and I'm talking about we are telling the truth)? What WOULD make you feel secure enough to approve someone? Just wondering if there might be more ties to home that we could consider, etc.

My last questions for now!

Thank you.

Edited November 23, 2015 by tachi88

[az2014 381]

B2 application has no effect on K1.

And seriously do not buy any ticket before having the visa.

[reazon 2]

about 60% miraculously became K1s some time later, reminding me that my decision had indeed been correct.....

I made this mistake a month ago, I hope our k1 application doesn't suffer bcs of that (visiting a "friend") lie, that was stupid.

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

I will offer the same advice as others have! (hopefully in a less judgmental and more tactful manner).

Honesty is always the best policy, especially if you plan on filing a K-1 visa down the line.

When my fiance first came to visit me for a month or so, he did refer to me as a "friend" when asked by a CBP officer. This was not false information, as at this point before meeting we were uncertain of whether or not we were going to be more, but did have some romantic feelings. It was a gray area, basically.

Our big fear was that if they had him on record saying I was just a friend a year ago, it may hurt our attempts to prove a bona fide relationship, but so far it seems like we have been okay.

The fact that it is a short trip helps you of course. Make sure he brings his return ticket and/or itinerary.

The fact that the trip is occurring near the holidays will probably help as well. Just as he was able to travel to the US for reasons of the gaming tournament, the holidays are a popular travel time and it's more than feasible to assume you would want to be around your significant other near the Holidays.

I would check out the "Yes, you can visit!" thread http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/67796-yes-you-can-visit/ if you have not already. Sure it is in the K-1 Visa forum, but I am sure the tips they have there apply to any current visa applicant who is trying to visit the US.

Good luck to you! I hope you are successful and have a wonderful Christmas with your boyfriend!

[tachi88 4]

B2 application has no effect on K1.

And seriously do not buy any ticket before having the visa.

Well we were hoping that a return ticket can aide in showing the officer his intention to go home.

I made this mistake a month ago, I hope our k1 application doesn't suffer bcs of that (visiting a "friend") lie, that was stupid.

Thank you for the input.

I will offer the same advice as others have! (hopefully in a less judgmental and more tactful manner).

Honesty is always the best policy, especially if you plan on filing a K-1 visa down the line.

When my fiance first came to visit me for a month or so, he did refer to me as a "friend" when asked by a CBP officer. This was not false information, as at this point before meeting we were uncertain of whether or not we were going to be more, but did have some romantic feelings. It was a gray area, basically.

Our big fear was that if they had him on record saying I was just a friend a year ago, it may hurt our attempts to prove a bona fide relationship, but so far it seems like we have been okay.

The fact that it is a short trip helps you of course. Make sure he brings his return ticket and/or itinerary.

The fact that the trip is occurring near the holidays will probably help as well. Just as he was able to travel to the US for reasons of the gaming tournament, the holidays are a popular travel time and it's more than feasible to assume you would want to be around your significant other near the Holidays.

I would check out the "Yes, you can visit!" thread http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/67796-yes-you-can-visit/ if you have not already. Sure it is in the K-1 Visa forum, but I am sure the tips they have there apply to any current visa applicant who is trying to visit the US.

Good luck to you! I hope you are successful and have a wonderful Christmas with your boyfriend!

Hello! I appreciate your reply. Maybe it's a little cheesy but I'm hoping the officer may be a little more generous bc of the holidays as well...I will check out that other topic as well. Thank you very much Wishing you the best on your journey as well.

[HFM181818 748]

Most of the time, a denied B2 application will have no effect on a future K1 (unless, during the B2 interview, the applicant tries something really stupid like bringing fake bank documents or employment information - i.e., commits fraud - then there could be some serious problems that won't resolve quickly)...

However, if, during the B2 interview, he refers to you as a friend, a 'guest' or whatever, and is denied, then later, when he then tries to claim you were his fiancé instead of friend, that may become a credibility issue which might slow down the entire process when the CO asks for more proof of a relationship, etc...but this is usually not as serious as committing some sort of fraud during a B2 interview.

Having traveled and returned once would be a plus....but without actually interviewing him, hard to say what might convince me that he would return (and that is the main point...he has to convince the CO that he will indeed return...) do not buy airline tickets, as they do not prove he would return...

The relative proposed short visit time is also meaningless....whether the applicant states 2 weeks, or 2 months, most COs know that most B2 arrivals are admitted for 6 months...and if a person is going to stay and/or have the mind change during baggage claim, well, what value was writing the length of time one was planning to visit? (none)....

applicants are still subject to 214b, whether traveling at Xmas, New Year's or the summer solstice.... no CO should be more sympathetic during the holidays....that is unwise.

[HFM181818 748]

Remember, the CO must be convinced that the applicant will RETURN as promised, and is not concerned (for the most part) about why the applicant wants to GO to the US...time of year means nothing...but a lot of would-be applicants believe otherwise....no doubt, some newer COs caved when they should not have...the standards for overcoming immigrant intent remain the same year round....some of the worst cases I ever dealt with took place during the holiday season, with applicants hoping for a soft touch...I saw all sorts of nonsense being tried before Xmas or New Year's....

bottom line: be truthful, do not try to be more clever than the CO....especially now, with heightened security thanks to all of the recent issues in Europe....a CO can never be taken to task for saying 'no.'