Any point in applying for a tourist visa again?

[Moriah 0]

I have visited Tanzania five times since December 2006 and briefly met Martin during my third trip in 2008. We became good friends when I returned to Dar es Salaam in January 2009 to work with an NGO and we starting dating in March 2009. I returned home for the latter six months of 2009 and then went back to Tanzania again for the first six months of 2010. I am now home in the USA.

Martin applied for a non-immigrant/tourist visa and was denied in April because he couldn't produce enough evidence that he would return to Tanzania. Obviously not the outcome we wanted, but on paper I can understand their decision. He doesn't own any property or even have a bank account in Tanzania. He has a bank account now, but I fear there will never be enough money in the account to show proof of return.

I feel as though that leaves us with the fiance visa as our only option, but I really want him to be able to come meet my family, friends, and my home before we get locked into the 90 day countdown to marriage. We've spent a lot of time in his culture and I want him to see mine.

Any advice would be most appreciated!

Thanks,

Moriah

[daboyz 36]

I have visited Tanzania five times since December 2006 and briefly met Martin during my third trip in 2008. We became good friends when I returned to Dar es Salaam in January 2009 to work with an NGO and we starting dating in March 2009. I returned home for the latter six months of 2009 and then went back to Tanzania again for the first six months of 2010. I am now home in the USA.

Martin applied for a non-immigrant/tourist visa and was denied in April because he couldn't produce enough evidence that he would return to Tanzania. Obviously not the outcome we wanted, but on paper I can understand their decision. He doesn't own any property or even have a bank account in Tanzania. He has a bank account now, but I fear there will never be enough money in the account to show proof of return.

I feel as though that leaves us with the fiance visa as our only option, but I really want him to be able to come meet my family, friends, and my home before we get locked into the 90 day countdown to marriage. We've spent a lot of time in his culture and I want him to see mine.

Any advice would be most appreciated!

Thanks,

Moriah

The Fiance visa is intended for people who intend to get married within 90 days of arrival in the U.S. It is not intended as a tourist visa. You are setting yourself up for issues in the future is he comes here on a fiancee visa, doesn't get married, and then goes back to his country. Getting another fiancee visa after that would cause all kinds of red flags, and a good chance of a denial. K-1 is a single entry visa.

Do it the right way. Trying to use visas for other than what they are intended for, will cause you nothing but problems in the future.

That said, his bank balance or lack thereof will not come in to play on a K-1 visa.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

We also dealt with him not being able to visit before he came on a K1 . You have to search a little harder about his ability to adjust to the differences. Talk to him as much as possible , try to help him experience things from afar. Moving to a new country is hard. The fact many of us can't visit back and forth makes it harder to ensure success . Many marriages will fail do to adjustment issues. You are right that another visa attempt isn't going to help.

[Moriah 0]

NigeriaorBust: Thanks for your honest reply and advice!

daboyz: Thanks for your response and maybe my post wasn't clear enough, but if we apply for the fiance visa it will be to come as a fiance. I was/am just hoping to find a way for him to visit first, not use the fiance visa for the wrong purpose.

Edited September 14, 2010 by Moriah

[Boiler 45,651]

He only has the fee at risk to try again.

[raffy 7]

He only has the fee at risk to try again.

Boiler. please refrain from making statements wit no use or purpose, it's not the first time I see you doing that, I understand you don't mean any harm and you are trying to help or "give hope" but from other points of view is a different story... as stated, he does not have proof of "ties to his home Country", for you the "fee" can be almost nothing, for others, in other Countries, it may be as much as a whole month's salary...

There are many things to consider when you have a relationship with somebody from other Country, trust me, I KNOW about this... cultural differences affect everything, even when you think that "they're not there or will not affect the relationship", and they will cause problems if they are not cleared before hand and worked on troughout the relationship.

Most African and Middle Eastern cultures are very different when it comes to "Married life" from a "dating" state so I would recommend to keep the conversations going until you really realize how far you would like to go with the relationship...

Most people that I know of, will really like it here (in the US), so do not be worried about him "adapting" unless you plan to live somewhere very rural...

No point of trying to get another Tourist Visa within the next 2 or 3 years, I've been there, tried that, didn't work... and I had properties, bank accounts, a car, etc, etc, etc... lucky me they opened my country to the Visa Waiver program...

Now, it may help if YOU call the Embassy in TZ and ask to speak to the Consul, just talk to the Consul and explain your situation, I have also seen this done and it worked on a similar case. Be nice and sincere and he will probably tell you to ask him to apply again so that he (the Consul) can reconsider... (the Consul is also a Human Being and a case like yours, will be very different from an everyday routine and he may bend towards you guys!)

Final decision on all tourist visas are approved/disapproved only by the Consul

Good luck!!

[daboyz 36]

Boiler. please refrain from making statements wit no use or purpose, it's not the first time I see you doing that, I understand you don't mean any harm and you are trying to help or "give hope" but from other points of view is a different story... as stated, he does not have proof of "ties to his home Country", for you the "fee" can be almost nothing, for others, in other Countries, it may be as much as a whole month's salary...

There are many things to consider when you have a relationship with somebody from other Country, trust me, I KNOW about this... cultural differences affect everything, even when you think that "they're not there or will not affect the relationship", and they will cause problems if they are not cleared before hand and worked on troughout the relationship.

Most African and Middle Eastern cultures are very different when it comes to "Married life" from a "dating" state so I would recommend to keep the conversations going until you really realize how far you would like to go with the relationship...

Most people that I know of, will really like it here (in the US), so do not be worried about him "adapting" unless you plan to live somewhere very rural...

No point of trying to get another Tourist Visa within the next 2 or 3 years, I've been there, tried that, didn't work... and I had properties, bank accounts, a car, etc, etc, etc... lucky me they opened my country to the Visa Waiver program...

Now, it may help if YOU call the Embassy in TZ and ask to speak to the Consul, just talk to the Consul and explain your situation, I have also seen this done and it worked on a similar case. Be nice and sincere and he will probably tell you to ask him to apply again so that he (the Consul) can reconsider... (the Consul is also a Human Being and a case like yours, will be very different from an everyday routine and he may bend towards you guys!)

Final decision on all tourist visas are approved/disapproved only by the Consul

Good luck!!

Uruguay is not part of the Visa Waiver Program.

[Boiler 45,651]

Boiler. please refrain from making statements wit no use or purpose, it's not the first time I see you doing that, I understand you don't mean any harm and you are trying to help or "give hope" but from other points of view is a different story... as stated, he does not have proof of "ties to his home Country", for you the "fee" can be almost nothing, for others, in other Countries, it may be as much as a whole month's salary...

The visa fee is about the daily spend for a tourist in the US, if you are frugal. Somebody in the financial straits you describe is not going to be coming to the US on vacation

There are many things to consider when you have a relationship with somebody from other Country, trust me, I KNOW about this... cultural differences affect everything, even when you think that "they're not there or will not affect the relationship", and they will cause problems if they are not cleared before hand and worked on troughout the relationship.

Most African and Middle Eastern cultures are very different when it comes to "Married life" from a "dating" state so I would recommend to keep the conversations going until you really realize how far you would like to go with the relationship...

True

Most people that I know of, will really like it here (in the US), so do not be worried about him "adapting" unless you plan to live somewhere very rural...

Not so true. I know a lot of people what have that trouble, and those who decided to go back.

No point of trying to get another Tourist Visa within the next 2 or 3 years, I've been there, tried that, didn't work... and I had properties, bank accounts, a car, etc, etc, etc... lucky me they opened my country to the Visa Waiver program...

Each case is different

Now, it may help if YOU call the Embassy in TZ and ask to speak to the Consul, just talk to the Consul and explain your situation, I have also seen this done and it worked on a similar case. Be nice and sincere and he will probably tell you to ask him to apply again so that he (the Consul) can reconsider... (the Consul is also a Human Being and a case like yours, will be very different from an everyday routine and he may bend towards you guys!)

You can only ask.

[raffy 7]

I am not only an Uruguayan citizen, and yes, at some point , for a few years, Uruguay was part of the Visa Waiver Program, same as Argentina and a few other countries...