Advice on getting Tourist Visa for my Niece

[j_mo 0]

Hello,

I like getting to the points so I'll put them in bullets.

• Want to get my 10 year old niece in Romania a tourist visa
• I'm an American citizen, wife is an Romanian citizen
• Wife's parents have tourist visas and have visited US 3x already
• Wife's parents are primary care givers for my niece
• Wife and I recently had our first child
• Would like to have the in-laws and niece spend the summer with us so they can bond with my son and also my niece experiences American culture
• Niece has been denied tourist visa before (2 years ago) however it was her father (my brother-in-law) who applied for her and my wife and I were engaged to be married at the time.
• Since then my in-laws legally became her primary care giver

We would like them to spend the entire summer break my niece gets from school. If my niece doesn't get the visa, we don't want them spending a long time in the US because my niece doesn't get the proper care she deserves when they're gone.

I am planning on writing to my Congressman to send a letter to the embassy in Bucharest on my niece's behalf. Also having my family write their congressmen to send a letter to the embassy in Bucharest on my niece's behalf.

I also plan on having an affidavit of support (notarized) on her behalf too.

Is there anything else I can do to ensure she gets her tourist visa approved? I really would like to have her experience amusement parks, zoos, arcades, and the American childhood I grew up with.

[Cathi 5,860]

Writing a letter will do nothing, she has to apply and be approved on her own merits, there is no way around it. She must show very strong ties to her home country proving she will return. There is no affidavit of support for a tourist visa, ever!

[RhettVoe 282]

Letters from congressmen/senators mean nothing....they don't know your niece, nor her 'new' care givers, etc, -- they cannot 'vouch' for anyone nor order a CO to issue a visa. They cannot guarantee she will depart the US. Congress has NO legal authority over anyone to be able to tell them what to do. While Congress can subpoena somebody, that's about the extent of their authority. And remember, Congress is in the Legislative branch of our government; the State Dept. is in the Executive branch (and no, President Obama is not going to write the embassy on your behalf and order some CO to dole out a visa....)and thus, recalling my Govt 101 class, no one from one branch has authority over somebody in another branch of our government.

Main concerns will be this new parental arrangement, suggesting the biological parents are economically unable to provide for the niece....which then brings up the next likely problem....since, according to what you wrote, the in-laws have somehow obtained status as 'care givers', what would then motivate the niece to return versus remain with you, as the new care-givers, so she can attend public school, etc....?

In general, children qualify for tourist visas via their parents, not their care givers...(which doesn't sound like any official adoption took place)...sounds like the 'title' to the niece was passed on to someone else...which will only generate concerns over the entire familial situation.

An affidavit of support has zero value, notarized or not....in fact, the I-134 has already been shown to be legally unenforceable.

At the end of the day, there is nothing you can do to make sure that this child gets a tourist visa. Her visa history, along with that of her biological parents, will be on record....

[canadian_wife 1,831]

I agree with RhettVoe

Heartbreaking as it is, as it is clear you love your niece very much, letters from congressmen, notarizations, affidavits of support will mean very little and will probably not even be considered. Your niece must apply on her own. She also must qualify on her own.

good luck, keep us posted

[Boiler 47,673]

Is there anything else I can do to ensure she gets her tourist visa approved? I really would like to have her experience amusement parks, zoos, arcades, and the American childhood I grew up with.

I would make sure you include a significant contribution to your Congressman's reelection campaign.

[RhettVoe 282]

Oops...forgot that important prerequisite. ?.