Cambodian girlfriend seeking tourist visa to accompany me to US visit

[Cathi 5,609]

Dear all,

I am a US citizen that has been living abroad for a long time and has lived in Cambodia for 9 years total. I am also a former US government employee in Cambodia for three years. I will be going back to the US to visit my mother and father (who live in two different places) for one month, and would like my girlfriend to visit with me as well. My girlfriend and I met about two years ago and she has been living with me for more than one year.

Both of us have jobs in Cambodia and need to return for this reason at the very least. I have a good well-paying job here while she has a decent job with an international company. In addition, she has a mother and a brother here that she sees regularly, and she also owns property here.

She would be traveling with me when I go. I would be paying for her plane ticket since it is really quite expensive. Other than flight costs, there are hardly any costs associated with this trip since we would be visiting my parents.

But it seems that others in this forum have said that it doesn't look god if she says in her interview that I will be paying for everything because it makes it look like she doesn't have enough income.

Does anyone have any idea about the likelihood of getting a visa in this case? Does the issue of who is paying make any difference? Would it help if I wrote a letter as part of her documentation explaining why we are making this visit and attesting about our employment and the need to return? Do you have any other helpful ideas?

We do not have any plan to get married in the near future so getting married while we are there is not possible.

Thanks in advance!

a letter from you or anyone else is useless, same goes for people who think the can send an affidavit of support for a b2-no such thing. She has to apply and be approved on her own merits and her merits alone. Also if you point out you're paying for the trip it just looks like you're supporting her, it's going to work against her. Put yourself in the shoes of the CO, she has to convince him/her beyond a shadow of a doubt she will return home by giving proof of very strong ties to home. Having a job isn't proof she will return as people quit jobs all the time, and the same goes for owning property and having a mom and brother-every day people immigrate to this country and leave parents and siblings. The way the CO sees it is that she is traveling to the US with her boyfriend to supposedly meet her boyfriend's family and she has virtually nothing to go home to other than a job she can easily quit and property she can either sell, rent our or abandon(yes people do that). Do you know how many hundreds of thousands of people each year have use their b2 visas to travel to the US with boyfriend/girlfriends only to get to the US marry their significant others then stay and adjust status? The burden of proof is on her and her alone to prove it won't happen. You can thank the millions who have gone before her who have used visitor visas to enter the US knowing this was their intent. The fact that she is from Cambodia, a so called high fraud country- works against her, as well. The only thing she can do is be truthful when she goes to the interview, and if asked she must tell the truth about who is paying, who she is traveling with(her boyfriend) and where she is traveling to(to visit her boyfriend's family).

Before we were married my husband applied for a visitor visa and was denied even with his strong ties to home. My husband had a job, he has a very large family he left behind-in fact he lived with his parents and took care of them, his mom doesn't drive and his father was very ill(his father has since passed away), it was my husband's sole responsibility to do everything for them(his other brothers and sisters are married and didn't live at home), and my husband owns quite a bit of property back home. The fact of the matter is he was a young, single person who wanted to come here to meet my family before we married and even though he was without a doubt going to return home, the CO wouldn't hear it. Do you see what I'm getting at? Every day people immigrate here and leave their entire lives behind. You girlfriend has to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt she will go home, and it isn't easy. It doesn't hurt to try, and who knows, maybe you will be pleasantly surprised. All you can do is hope for the best but plan for the worst. Good luck!

Edited August 14, 2016 by mimolicious

[Rc123rc 528]

Hi, I didn't mean for it to sound like a contradiction. My apologies. If you read other threads and posts, you will see that your girlfriend should be paying for the trip, not you to avoid a red flag. It shows she is self sufficient. It goes back to strong ties to her home country. If she can't make it on her own in her own country then there is not much of a tie. Living with you is the exact same thing. It sounds like she is completely dependent on you. Where are her ties to her home country? Please review similar threads and please don't get hung up on the semantics of what is or is not related to you and why. Everything has to be on her own merit. The bottom line? Living with you for home and trip expenses is an indicator she has very few ties to her home country. Pay attention to mimolicous post. It's a voice of experience. You asked for her chances. People gave their opinion and or experiences.

[gregcrs2 1,777]

The OP obviously does not like the responses received here. Regardless, just go for it and you will both know with 100% certainty if she gets it or not.

[inloveVEN 46]

I think that telling the true and feeling confident is the first step. but you should try and i think is better say that she is your girlfriend and she will travel with you. It also help if you write a letter saying the purpose of your travel and saying that you are inviting her and affording this trip.

[usmsbow 795]

People have pretty much told you these things already, but just in case it isn't clear:

1. Probably a non-issue mentioning that she's going with you. Some say it is a red flag, I just think it doesn't help nor hurt her chances.

2. Letter from you is 100% useless.

3. She shouldn't say you're going to pay for things. That implies she isn't well off, and therefore she has less to lose by staying in the USA. Ditto the living with you fact.

4. She should bring proof she owns property and has assets in Cambodia. Letter of employment also good.

5. Family ties are often irrelevant.

Beyond that, good luck. I don't know really what else people could suggest.

Edited August 15, 2016 by usmsbow

[TBoneTX 43,022]

A good travel history (travel to other countries and timely return) can also aid one's chances.

[home_visit 2]

Hi, I didn't mean for it to sound like a contradiction. My apologies. If you read other threads and posts, you will see that your girlfriend should be paying for the trip, not you to avoid a red flag. It shows she is self sufficient. It goes back to strong ties to her home country. If she can't make it on her own in her own country then there is not much of a tie. Living with you is the exact same thing. It sounds like she is completely dependent on you. Where are her ties to her home country? Please review similar threads and please don't get hung up on the semantics of what is or is not related to you and why. Everything has to be on her own merit. The bottom line? Living with you for home and trip expenses is an indicator she has very few ties to her home country. Pay attention to mimolicous post. It's a voice of experience. You asked for her chances. People gave their opinion and or experiences.

Thanks I appreciate your constructive tone.

[home_visit 2]

a letter from you or anyone else is useless, same goes for people who think the can send an affidavit of support for a b2-no such thing. She has to apply and be approved on her own merits and her merits alone. Also if you point out you're paying for the trip it just looks like you're supporting her, it's going to work against her. Put yourself in the shoes of the CO, she has to convince him/her beyond a shadow of a doubt she will return home by giving proof of very strong ties to home. Having a job isn't proof she will return as people quit jobs all the time, and the same goes for owning property and having a mom and brother-every day people immigrate to this country and leave parents and siblings. The way the CO sees it is that she is traveling to the US with her boyfriend to supposedly meet her boyfriend's family and she has virtually nothing to go home to other than a job she can easily quit and property she can either sell, rent our or abandon(yes people do that). Do you know how many hundreds of thousands of people each year have use their b2 visas to travel to the US with boyfriend/girlfriends only to get to the US marry their significant others then stay and adjust status? The burden of proof is on her and her alone to prove it won't happen. You can thank the millions who have gone before her who have used visitor visas to enter the US knowing this was their intent. The fact that she is from Cambodia, a so called high fraud country- works against her, as well. The only thing she can do is be truthful when she goes to the interview, and if asked she must tell the truth about who is paying, who she is traveling with(her boyfriend) and where she is traveling to(to visit her boyfriend's family).

Before we were married my husband applied for a visitor visa and was denied even with his strong ties to home. My husband had a job, he has a very large family he left behind-in fact he lived with his parents and took care of them, his mom doesn't drive and his father was very ill(his father has since passed away), it was my husband's sole responsibility to do everything for them(his other brothers and sisters are married and didn't live at home), and my husband owns quite a bit of property back home. The fact of the matter is he was a young, single person who wanted to come here to meet my family before we married and even though he was without a doubt going to return home, the CO wouldn't hear it. Do you see what I'm getting at? Every day people immigrate here and leave their entire lives behind. You girlfriend has to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt she will go home, and it isn't easy. It doesn't hurt to try, and who knows, maybe you will be pleasantly surprised. All you can do is hope for the best but plan for the worst. Good luck!

Thanks, I appreciate your effort to explain.

[home_visit 2]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate most of your responses although a few of them seemed rude to me.

I guess we'll just have to try it and if she doesn't get a visa that's life.

[KierenHby 897]

Good luck, OP.

I suggest locking up this thread before the constructive responses denigrate.