Is it possible to sponsor my niece?

[bryonm4 0]

I'm hoping some of my friends are still here. I need some advice my wife wants to bring her niece over here to live if that is possible? I was thinking of a school or work visa when she turns 18 but not sure that will be very likely. I think my wife's ultimate goal is that she meet's somebody here and gets married so she can stay here.

 

 

[Boiler 43,430]

There are student and work visas and sounds like you know about the marriage option. 18 sounds like a Student Visa, does she have a University in mind?

[geowrian 22,335]

She can be a financial sponsor for a student visa. That's about it, though. She can later potentially obtain a work visa if she finds an employer willing to sponsor her. You cannot sponsor her for a green card directly.

 

If she happens to meet somebody, then she can go from there. Your wife may want to adjust her goal though since it involves 2 people who are not her.

[Unlockable 7,306]

Agreed. The only thing you and your wife can do is help financially. Work visa is not likely to happen. Usually reserved for high skilled degree holders. Student visa will require your niece to show her ability to pay the full tuition.

 

Also, be advised that any suspension that niece is trying to use a nonimmigrant visa to go "husband shopping" will result in a denial.

[Liam2021 551]

10 hours ago, Unlockable said:

Agreed. The only thing you and your wife can do is help financially. Work visa is not likely to happen. Usually reserved for high skilled degree holders. Student visa will require your niece to show her ability to pay the full tuition.

 

Also, be advised that any suspension that niece is trying to use a nonimmigrant visa to go "husband shopping" will result in a denial.

well, "husband shopping" will be the first thing CO take a look at it because 90% of these students actually go for "husband shopping", not for studying.

[bryonm4 0]

We only have 1 University where I live so she would go to the University of Mary. It's a Christian school but that wont matter you don't need to be Christian to go to school there. My wife would pay for her college since my niece is poor and only has the money we send her family every year. I know if she wanted to be a nurse she could get sponsored here easy because there is a nursing shortage. I'm not sure what she would want to do though she is about 8 years old.

 

My wife wanted to sponsor her brothers family about 7 or 8 years ago and I was worried about the financial responsibility so I told her we couldn't do it. She has a brother and sister that immigrated to Australia that are living off the government and 1 brother already in the USA for 40 years but he is only able to find part time work. The brother from Vietnam she wanted to sponsor doesn't have a job or speak English he only went a few years to school I think he made it to the 2nd grade. He is 50 now so if we would have sponsored him when my wife wanted to he would be coming over at 55 years old. Now if we sponsored him he would be 63 so my wife doesn't want to do it anymore. She is very depressed because her friends keep asking her why she didn't and she tells them I was against it. I now have regrets about this decision as we could have gotten the ball rolling back then and we could have always canceled it later if we didn't want to do it. I think if we can bring her niece over most of it will be forgiven. Also I have never heard of somebody sponsoring there family members where they had the governments coming after them for reimbursement of benefits and neither has my wife.

[geowrian 22,335]

Sounds like a complicated family situation, not so much immigration one.

The best advice I can provide is not to let past regret form future decisions. Do what you believe is right now, not try to make up for anything in the past.

 

Re: Schooling - note that she would be paying pay international student rates. These are very, very expensive. Be sure to know what you're getting into financially before pursuing any path.

 

Best wishes.

Edited August 12, 2019 by geowrian

[Boiler 43,430]

Well if she wants to put her through Uni in the US then sounds like she has 10 years to save up.

 

BTW she does not need you approval to sponsor.

[cyclone27 710]

Not your responsibility to bring the entire family over. Thank yourself lucky it never happened.

 

Immigration is for the young and I am constantly amazed someone wants to immigrate at an old age. Work opportunities will be limited and starting over will be a major hardship for most. 

[carmel34 3,529]

There is no "niece visa" in the family category.  For an F-1 student visa, she must apply on her own merits in her country of residence, be accepted to a school in the US, and be able to show that she has her own financial resources to study and pay the very high tuition and housing costs for foreign students in the US, or money from family members, and that she intends to return and live in her foreign country when her studies in the US are completed.  She should be prepared for extra scrutiny of an F-1 visa application and possibly denial if you are the source of her financial support while in the US as a student, since that shows possible immigrant intent.  If she has financial resources of her own or from family members in Vietnam, that would be preferable in reducing the obvious immigrant intent in the eyes of the CO.  F-1 is not for immigration, only temporary study.  Good luck!

Edited August 12, 2019 by carmel34

[Boiler 43,430]

Why do you think she would want to study near you? Seems unlikely that would have the best course for whatever it is that she wants to study.

[bryonm4 0]

Not sure what she wan't to study at this point she is still very young.

 

I remember I was going through hell when my wife got denied and eventually I brought her over. She is going through that same hell because she didn't file for her brother and it's my fault. I tried to justify my actions because I reacted on instinct to all the negative stuff. I believe now it would have worked out and I made the wrong choice and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life.

[Boiler 43,430]

Not your fault, you could not have stopped her filing for her brother.

[luckytxn 2,263]

We have one Niece come over this year on a student visa but she had to go for the visa herself by applying. She had to show she could afford it and pass some test to show she was proficient in English but we did provide her an address and place to stay. We have another coming next year and probably others but we do have other family in the states here that will sponsor them. And yes they are coming to find husbands and stay.

 

We also put in sibling visas for 7 of my wifes 13 brothers and sisters. The visas were put in about 7-8 years ago so their time should be coming up in a few years. We have a couple of houses they can stay at and have other family that will assure they have places to stay until they get their own places and/or start their own businesses. Fun times indeed.

[bryonm4 0]

Thanks for the info. I guess my brother in law would have been around 55 by the time he was approved. I would have let them stay with me but education wise he would have been stuck working in restaurants and market places. He is a hard worker but I didn't see him getting ahead much here than if he would have stayed in Vietnam. I love my wife's family and we plan to live there 3-6 months a year after I retire so hopefully I can help him get ahead there.