HELP!! Tourist visa for family to attend wedding?

[sailorgal 33]

Heii everybody so I have my K-1 visa interview scheduled for next month and if everything goes well and I get the visa I travel to States on 1st September, 2015. I and my fiancé are planning on registering the marriage i.e. do court marriage soon as I get there so we can go ahead put in paperwork for my AOS and work permit and get that major part out of the way. After that is done we are planning on having a little ceremonial wedding with his friends and family and my parents (mom, dad and one sibling) around October mid-ish to early November.

My question is that, what are the chances that my parents and my sibling would be granted a tourist visa? If not the 10 year visa would they at least be granted the 6 month tourist visa? Or maybe my parents would be given the 10 year visa and my sibling a 6 month visa? (She is only 15 we don't really have anything on her to 'prove her ties' to India apart from her school that she attends)

So I was thinking that after I am done with my interview and I get approved my family could go ahead and apply for their visas and carry my K-1 visa photocopy as a proof that they are indeed intending to travel for their daughter's wedding and do not wish to immigrate. Their return tickets and hopefully papers showing my dad owns a house here, papers showing he has money in his bank and letter from his work place stating he works at this place and that he is required to get back to work on so and so date would help. My mom is a German language tutor and runs a language training place so may be papers showing that could help mom get a visa. And we are also planning to print out invitation cards for the wedding and my family could take that for the interview. Also going to include wedding invitation letters from my fiancé and his parents. So that's all that we could do and show, that my parents got liabilities out here and they would come back, just got nothing on my sister.

So hit me hard with the reality here, would they all be granted a visa? Cause if even one of them is denied then probably none of them would come to States and I won't feel like doing the wedding either, just the court marriage then. Has anybody been through this situation? Do they make any exceptions in such cases as these? Please share your experiences with me. Please mention any additional documents that my family might want to carry to the interview to support their case.

Another question, if a tourist visa is denied does one have to pay visa fee again when they re-apply? Cause obviously they won't let you schedule an interview until you have paid the visa fee and if you are denied I don't know what they do with your visa fee.

Sorry for the long list of questions I would really appreciate some help.

I hope the consulate won't be cruel/stone-hearted enough to not let parents attend their child's wedding. Every parent wants to be with their child on this special day of their lives.

Edited June 28, 2015 by sailorgal

[Transborderwife 4,666]

All that they can do is try. The fee is for applying for the visa. It does not get returned if you're rejected. Yes you pay again if denied .The consulate doesn't really care what your parents are going for (wedding, birth, vacation, etc) they just want to make sure that they are going to return beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Edited June 28, 2015 by Transborderwife

[sailorgal 33]

So you mean the important part here is to not prove what reason they are travelling for but that they will all come back right? All this time we mostly only discussed about what stuff we could give in to show why they wish to travel to States never discussed so much about stuff that shows they are going to come back.

[aleful 1,905]

hi

yep, that's the hard part, all they can do is try, each of them will have to convince and prove to the officer of strong ties to the country, reasons that they have to return

having family here is a negative, they could stay with you in the country, especially parents

thousands of people have done that, that's why everyone is considered to have immigrate intent and have to prove otherwise

[TheCaptain 67]

Each of them will pay an application fee of US$165 and each of them will be interviewed and assessed on their own merits. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to increase their chances of receiving the visa. They will need to show SIGNIFICANT ties to India. This would include but not be limited to letters from employers stating how long they have worked there and what they do, property documentation (if they own a house), schooling enrollment documentation for the child.

Good luck with this.

The alternative is for you and your new family to go to India and have something there.

[SM84 6]

@sailorgal, you've already kinda answered your own question by stating that your dad has commitments here i.e. a job, to which he would have to return after the duration of his leave/vacation. Your mom has a training institute to which she has to return to manage it and your sister in the same manner has to return to her education, in addition to the fact that she is dependent on your parents. Strong ties could also indicate relations which your parents would have to maintain which would perhaps be strong reasons why they'd have to return.

You would need to show the reasons for their visit and similarly for their departure.

I believe you can do a group scheduling for the interview as I've seen families of four being present all at once at the interview.

However, like the other users have just mentioned, you can only try. You cannot predict an outcome without trying.

Edited June 28, 2015 by svb

[SM84 6]

In addition, hope this excerpt helps

http://trinidad.usembassy.gov/i_was_refused_a_visa_what_does_strong_ties_mean.html

[sailorgal 33]

Thanks for your help everyone I hope they all are allowed to come out there for the wedding I couldn't ask for more