6 month stay on Tourist visa?

[African Zealot 1,452]

Many years ago I visited the USA and was given six months, I had applied for the visa and told the consular I would spend a couple of months. I stayed 5 months and a week. That was my second visit to the USA. The next time I applied to renew my visa (via drop box without an interview), I was invited for an interview and promptly denied after just two questions. It is not rocket science to figure out what the problem. In my opinion no visitor should stay the full six months except compelled to by serious circumstances.

 

Four years ago my friend Asare's mother came and on her second visit spent the full six months against my advice. She had a five year multiple entry visa. On her next renewal she was accused of working (the consular officers accusation was entirely based on after all who stays in a foreign country for six months) and promptly denied.

 

The risk is entirely yours if you choose to proceed with this unadvisable course of action. Morocco (I assume that's where you MIL is from) is not an affluent western country, doesn't make sense to take unnecessary chances.

 

PS: Immigration doesn't care if you already paid for a six month ticket, pay the change fee and change it

 

Edited September 20, 2021 by African Zealot

[SusnOwen 132]

If she is given less time to stay at point of entry, you can apply for an extension of that time period once she is here in the US.  It's not uncommon, especially if she's retired / at retirement age, for people to stay for extended periods.

[iamakbar 10]

44 minutes ago, SusnOwen said:

If she is given less time to stay at point of entry, you can apply for an extension of that time period once she is here in the US.  It's not uncommon, especially if she's retired / at retirement age, for people to stay for extended periods.

Thanks! We want her here for the birth of our child and also a birthday in April. 

[JeanneAdil 6,207]

1 hour ago, iamakbar said:

Thanks! We want her here for the birth of our child and also a birthday in April. 

she can not indicate she is coming to help with the new baby  / that's working in the US and not permitted 

[Boiler 43,535]

Working is definitely an issue.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

12 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

she can not indicate she is coming to help with the new baby  / that's working in the US and not permitted 

There is a difference between ‘helping with the new baby” (work) and “grandparent wanting to be there for birth of a grandchild”. We had 3 grandparents come visit us for our first baby’s birth and not one of them “helped” in the way a nanny or other childcare provider would. The assumptions made here on this forum are quite something sometimes.

 

1 hour ago, iamakbar said:

Thanks! We want her here for the birth of our child and also a birthday in April. 

Where does it say she is a childcare provider??  Looks like they just want her around for some family events. Nothing wrong with that. At all.

 

 

Edited September 20, 2021 by SusieQQQ

[Boiler 43,535]

She wants to come for 6 months. Births do not take that long.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

She wants to come for 6 months. Births do not take that long.

No, but spending time with your kids, your new grandchild, possibly other family members and being here for another birthday does.

 

4 hours ago, SusnOwen said:

It's not uncommon, especially if she's retired / at retirement age, for people to stay for extended periods.

Exactly!! Many, many retired parents/grandparents stay for months, we know of cases where they come for nearly 6 months every single year for years on end. And it's always OK! If you just listened to VJ you'd think they were all here either trying to overstay and/or work illegally and/or would be denied entry every time. Yet that's not the case.

[Boiler 43,535]

I can only go by the limited information supplied, there was mention of a job.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I can only go by the limited information supplied, there was mention of a job.

Not in the US

the limited information supplied about the purpose of coming was (in various ways) to visit family 

[Boiler 43,535]

You were discussing the situation of retired parents seemingly not the case here

[iamakbar 10]

Yeah no job in US, she just wants to be here for the birth and help my wife recover for a couple months

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

OP: she will almost certainly be fine on entering. In the event that for some reason she is given less than 6 months, make sure she is on a ticket that you can change with little or no penalty. 

[arken 4,197]

Each case n country is different but if it provides some relief- 

 

My inlaws visited us in summer 2019. MIL stayed for 5.7 months, FIL stayed for 2 months but was admitted for 6 month stay period.

 

MIL came in again in Dec 2020, admitted for 6 months. FIL joined 2 months ago, even though he said he is returning in 2 months, he was admitted for 6 months period. Both of them have already returned. 
 

No issues both times at POE. Both visits were tied to newborns.

Edited September 20, 2021 by arken

[Boiler 43,535]

My grandmother looked after me for the first 6 months of my life never asked but assume now it was postpartum 

 

Not so much then but certainly now a lot of people are dependent on 2 salaries, fact of life.

 

Times change reality changes just the regulations have not. 
 

Sort of like remote working

 

Can it be an issue of course, most seem to let it slide