Tourist visa for a spouse

[Donald-n-Analyn 6]

A friend of mine got married to a Filipina, in the Philippines. He holds the equivalent of an LPR card there, and travels back and forth. He is starting a business in Manila, and intends to spend a lot of time there.

His wife does not want to immigrate here to the USA, at least not at this time. She is not poor, and she owns property there, both jointly and in her own name. What would be the proper avenue for her to be able to come here and visit her husband. She would not really be a "tourist", but does not desire to become an LPR either. She honestly just wants to visit her husband in his home country.

I am sure that this is not a unique or unusual situation, but I couldn't really find it addressed anywhere.

Thanks for any help.

[Leigh Ann 8]

How long is she coming for? If it's under 6 months, then the tourist visa is most appropriate.

That being said, she's going to have to bring lots of proof that she has no intention of living in the US. She needs to prove her ties to her country, in order to overcome a presumption that she's going to live in the US permanently. So she should bring evidence of her husband's LPR (or whatever) status and her husband's business (basically evidence that he's in the Philippines frequently), as well as evidence of her own strong ties to the country - her property, her source of income, etc.

[Donald-n-Analyn 6]

Thanks for your response.

She would want to be here less than 6 months for sure. Her husband (my friend) travels back and forth 3 or 4 times per year, staying there 3 or 4 weeks at a time on average.

She was under the impression that she could get a tourist visa, but I wasn't so sure. I was afraid that since they got married, she would not "qualify" for anything but an immigrant visa.

As an aside, it is a shame that people from certain countries are "presumed" to be untrustworthy and undeserving of a tourist visa, while others are given them routinely.

[Leigh Ann 8]

It's definitely going to be harder for her to prove that she doesn't have the intent to stay there permanently, but it's possible. She just must go with lots of proof.

Yes, I agree with you....It was a small miracle when my now-husband's was approved.

[Boiler 43,726]

Thanks for your response.

She would want to be here less than 6 months for sure. Her husband (my friend) travels back and forth 3 or 4 times per year, staying there 3 or 4 weeks at a time on average.

She was under the impression that she could get a tourist visa, but I wasn't so sure. I was afraid that since they got married, she would not "qualify" for anything but an immigrant visa.

As an aside, it is a shame that people from certain countries are "presumed" to be untrustworthy and undeserving of a tourist visa, while others are given them routinely.

The visa is a B2.

Unfortunately for her the Philippines is a high fraud country.