UK citizen needing advice om B2 visa please???

[Boiler 43,434]

Boiler - Bob said is correct if she goes for B2 she only has one chance as if screws that up she cannot even use her VWP.

So best option for het the OP is use VWP stay here for 90 days and return back home at end of 90 days.

That is wrong, the conclusion is correct. I should know.

[emmabxx 0]

So basically what I understand is forget the whole thing as its near on impossible. I dont get how other people can say they spent 6 months travelling around America because the is obviously not an option. Like I said I have family there so have been many many many times using the VWP.

Thanks for all the advice but im going to ask for some legal help next. xxxxxx

[Casprd 167]

Thanks for the reply hun. Went last year travelling there with my best friend under the VWP. Vegas, Florida an so on. Thats why this year is a mix of travelling and a mix of just basically sitting in the sun and doing something deifferent with my summer. Is there anyway of getting my uncle to sign something to say he is definitely sending me back to my parents??? hahaha. Trust me...that man wont have me for too long!!! I have a part time job alongside my regular job. I work as a beautician doing pamper partys with another girl. Do you think a letter from her saying she needs me back to do the parties with her is enough?? Only ask as that is not my main job xxx

A letter from her saying you are working with her including how much you make and average hours per week or month that you do this can't hurt. It will show that there is a job that you are taking a leave from and that you have every intention of returning to it.

[canadian_wife 1,791]

A letter from her saying you are working with her including how much you make and average hours per week or month that you do this can't hurt. It will show that there is a job that you are taking a leave from and that you have every intention of returning to it.

She already said she intends to leave her job, so this wouldn't apply to her

OP - some countries, like mine, are allowed up to 6 months with no visa or VWP which is why you often hear of peopel traveling for 6 months, or those who have already been issued a tourist visa

Good luck

[emmabxx 0]

Thanks again guys. I actually just spoke to someone local to me who had all the same dillemas and told me the whole process was pretty straighforward and the embassy in London were very very helpful and that I really shouldnt worry. All they had to go was social ties too and didnt encounter any problems whatsoever xxxx

[canadian_wife 1,791]

Thanks again guys. I actually just spoke to someone local to me who had all the same dillemas and told me the whole process was pretty straighforward and the embassy in London were very very helpful and that I really shouldnt worry. All they had to go was social ties too and didnt encounter any problems whatsoever xxxx

Keep us posted!

[Casprd 167]

She already said she intends to leave her job, so this wouldn't apply to her

OP - some countries, like mine, are allowed up to 6 months with no visa or VWP which is why you often hear of peopel traveling for 6 months, or those who have already been issued a tourist visa

Good luck

No she said she would leave her full time job. This is part time work with her friend that she plans to leave "temporarily". Important distinction. May or may not make a difference but as I said it can't hurt.

[Harsh_77 716]

So basically what I understand is forget the whole thing as its near on impossible. I dont get how other people can say they spent 6 months travelling around America because the is obviously not an option. Like I said I have family there so have been many many many times using the VWP.

Thanks for all the advice but im going to ask for some legal help next. xxxxxx

You can do 6 months max but not 12 months.

The catch is you dont know if you can stay all 6 months or not until you arrive in US. How long you can stay in the country is decided by POE officer.

Whtever he stamps on your i-94 2 weeks or 6 months or even toally deny the entry even though u have valid visa that is his disgression.

But as most ppl said not having strong ties would make it difficult, no matter how nice and helpful embassy in London is.

[Adilet&Venera 2]

If you like traveling, bring lots of pictures that were taken everywhere else, but Europe. A friend of mine with no ties to her home country and who is single was able to convince the Consul Officer that she LOVES traveling, and this trip is for that purpose only. She showed beautiful picutres taken around the world, and they didn't ask any more questions.. (by the way, she is already back from US just like she promissed - every one is happy ).

Edited April 25, 2011 by Adilet&Venera

[canadian_wife 1,791]

No she said she would leave her full time job. This is part time work with her friend that she plans to leave "temporarily". Important distinction. May or may not make a difference but as I said it can't hurt.

Indeed, you are right. If her part-time job will continue after she returns, a job letter from that employer will certainly help

[cacahuete 2]

I would strongly advise you to present a detailed itinerary.

I too lived with my parents and also quit my job to travel in the US, which left me with very few ties to show, as I didn't own a vehicle and had no other ongoing commitments of any kind at home. I think that my intinerary was my best evidence as it showed that I had a plan and purpose in my trip and made me look like a "tourist" which is what they want to see. And I agree that it is good if you could show photos or visas you had to other countries.

It may not be extremely difficult for you to obtain the visa at the embassy and they may not ask you for an itinerary but there is a good chance they will at the POE. I think it will help you greatly if you can show you have a structure and purpose to your trip and that you don't intend to just float around. Also, it's possible that the people who answer the phones for visa enquiries for the embassy are probably be a lot nicer to you than the officer who interviews you for the visa.

I hold a B2 visa. I have used it twice to enter the US and was granted a six month period of stay each time I entered. I also was granted a six month extension of stay each time.

So it is possible, but you must have the documentation to present your case, and good (and honest, or else it can come back to bite you later) answers to their questions at the POE. It is entirely at the discretion of the officer at POE whether they let you in at all. Commonly the officer will give you six months or just deny you entry, but sometimes they grant a shorter period of 30 days, say, depending on the purpose of your trip. And of course no one can tell you what you might get until you arrive at the airport.

The embassy will most likely ask you why you can't do what you want to do in 90 days on the VWP, especially if you don't present them with an itinerary. I presented the embassy with a detailed itinerary with the names and contact details of hostels where I would be staying, the dates of stays, even modes of transport between locations.

If you want to apply for an extension of stay for 12 months, I'm not sure that the amount of savings you mentioned you have would be a lot, even if you are spending a lot of time staying with family. The application fee for the extension of stay is $300 alone, and then you consider how much it could cost to change your return ticket. I saved a lot of money (and also took a risk) by paying for a lot of bus/train/plane tickets in advance.

My experience was that it was relatively easy in my case to obtain the visa but the real challenge is being admitted to the country at the POE. You must have all the documentation at hand and you can expect to be treated like a potential illegal immigrant. If you are nervous they will pick up on this and question why you are nervous - happened to me. Expect them not to smile and sternly ask you a string of questions about your trip that you need prompt and honest answers to. Be confident and answer each question concisely. I was sent to secondary inspection for more questioning the first time I entered with the visa, which is no fun. The second time I entered with the visa my itinerary hadn't printed out properly and I hadn't had time to fix it, there was a page missing in the middle and I was questioned about the apparent gap in my journey.

I had entered on the VWP before and was never asked more than about two questions and found the officers to be friendly and even jovial sometimes, completely different experiences. I had also entered with a J1 (exchange visa) previously and was not asked anything more than a couple of questions with a smile.

Be careful of what you pack in your luggage if you enter on a B2 visa as they can search your luggage. Don't bring anything like a "farewell card" from your work colleagues or anything that might say to the officers that you might not be intending to return. I wasn't sent to secondary inspection the second time I entered on the B2 but my luggage was searched - they are thorough and questioned me about various items I had in my luggage and then asked why I only had three pairs of shoes with me and what the birth control pills were!

Something that also comes to mind, if you are wanting to enter in August and stay for six months, I'm not sure how much sun, or, more importantly, warmth, you might get. I didn't see you mention where you might be spending the winter portion of the trip. I traveled around in winter and the only warm places in January that I know of are Florida, Louisiana and southern California, maybe a few other places around the south. Southern California was indeed sunny and warm but I don't know how warm the water would be if you wanted to swim anywhere aside from Florida. New York is very hot in August and September and stays warm until near the end of October. I went swimming at the beach in New York in mid-September (at the time I didn't know it was illegal to swim at a New York City beach after Labor Day) and I found the water to be still warm but I can't see that you'll have much warmth past then unless you restrict yourself to certain areas of the south.

So it is possible to obtain a B2 visa and to extend your stay for a person who can use the VWP, but you cannot think it should be easy for you because it seemed easy when you look at someone else. It is all case by case.

Sorry for the long reply, hope this helps and best of luck!