When is the deadline to enter the US on a B2 visa?

[Ezy_and_Oghene 10]

My mother in law just got issued a B2 visa today in Nigeria but we intend for her to travel later by July and leave by October. I know that her visa is only valid for 6 months, and assuming it expires in September, how long does she have to enter the US? I also know that her stay is determined by I-94 at the airport. 

 

The reason for this confusion is that initially when we applied for her in February, we thought that her interview date would be in months time, or that we can schedule like 3 months ahead but there was no option to do so online. We had to choose the next available date which was in March. 

[begeorge 26]

1 hour ago, Ezy_and_Oghene said:

My mother in law just got issued a B2 visa today in Nigeria but we intend for her to travel later by July and leave by October. I know that her visa is only valid for 6 months, and assuming it expires in September, how long does she have to enter the US? I also know that her stay is determined by I-94 at the airport. 

 

The reason for this confusion is that initially when we applied for her in February, we thought that her interview date would be in months time, or that we can schedule like 3 months ahead but there was no option to do so online. We had to choose the next available date which was in March. 

She can travel within the visa time frame. if the visa is valid for 6 months, e.g expires in September, she has from now till September to visit and leave. Now some people may say if she enters in July and she gets stamped @ POE (point of entry) for 6 months which "may" mean she can she can stay till January. That may be risky, so let her come stay for visa timeline leave and renew visa when it expires, hopefully she gets the 2years visa instead of 6months. When I applied for my parents I indicated they will be staying for 6months, the visa received was for 2years multiple entry and the stamp @ POE was 6 months. They stayed 6months and left when due. Hope this helps.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

  A single entry visa the expiration date is the date you must enter the US by.   At the POE they will stamp how long your stay is for.  

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

You can enter till the last day on the visa (but don’t arrange travel that close, if she missed a flight or something and lands the next day they won’t let her in). At entry they will stamp how long she can stay for. I’m not sure if they tend to be less “generous” with short validity visas. I’ve had entry approved for both 3-month and 6-month stays on various travels.

 

unlike what another poster above implied, her visit does not have to be completed by the visa expiry, she just has to enter by then.

 

as with arriving, don’t book her departure for the last day she’s allowed to be there. If the flight is cancelled etc she will overstay and that will void her existing visa (if still valid) and endanger the chances of any future one. Seen a few of these cases on VJ recently.

Edited March 19, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Ezy_and_Oghene 10]

25 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

You can enter till the last day on the visa (but don’t arrange travel that close, if she missed a flight or something and lands the next day they won’t let her in). At entry they will stamp how long she can stay for. I’m not sure if they tend to be less “generous” with short validity visas. I’ve had entry approved for both 3-month and 6-month stays on various travels.

 

unlike what another poster above implied, her visit does not have to be completed by the visa expiry, she just has to enter by then.

 

as with arriving, don’t book her departure for the last day she’s allowed to be there. If the flight is cancelled etc she will overstay and that will void her existing visa (if still valid) and endanger the chances of any future one. Seen a few of these cases on VJ recently.

Thank you a lot for the detailed answer. I plan to book her ticket about 2 months prior to visa expiration date to allow time for any unplanned events. We want her to spend at least 3 months in the US. At this stage, is it necessary to book a return ticket if we don't know how long they will stamp her visa for at the POE?

[Ezy_and_Oghene 10]

1 hour ago, begeorge said:

She can travel within the visa time frame. if the visa is valid for 6 months, e.g expires in September, she has from now till September to visit and leave. Now some people may say if she enters in July and she gets stamped @ POE (point of entry) for 6 months which "may" mean she can she can stay till January. That may be risky, so let her come stay for visa timeline leave and renew visa when it expires, hopefully she gets the 2years visa instead of 6months. When I applied for my parents I indicated they will be staying for 6months, the visa received was for 2years multiple entry and the stamp @ POE was 6 months. They stayed 6months and left when due. Hope this helps.

thanks for the info

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

24 minutes ago, Ezy_and_Oghene said:

Thank you a lot for the detailed answer. I plan to book her ticket about 2 months prior to visa expiration date to allow time for any unplanned events. We want her to spend at least 3 months in the US. At this stage, is it necessary to book a return ticket if we don't know how long they will stamp her visa for at the POE?

It’s always better to book a return ticket even though technically not required on a B visa, because it shows intent to return home;  remember a visa just allows you to request entry, you don’t want to do anything that will lead a CBP officer to deny entry. A short term validity visa already suggests a concern of some sort so you don’t want to do anything to add to that. I’d suggest booking a ticket with some flexibility that allows you to extend or shorten as may be required.