Apply US tourist visa with NO strong ties

[Crazy Cat 39,220]

The OP has a weak case for a B2 from the Philippines......with or without intent.  Could she get lucky...of course......but it is unlikely, imo.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[African Zealot 1,452]

9 hours ago, Mike E said:

As you’ve written you plan to immigrate.  

What I saw was the OP said they’re not sure they want to migrate so they want to test the waters. That’s quite different from what you wrote.

49 minutes ago, kvito28 said:

Not sure where y'all get the info from but I have not seen/heard of a USC parent get denied a visa.

I have seen several.

 

To the OP, it only cost $160 which is really nothing. My 51 year old unmarried auntie who had never traveled outside our country and earning less than $100 a month and with savings less than $500 asked to visit me in 2010. I laughed and thought to myself there is no consular officer in the world who would give her a visa.  First attempt, she got a five year visa. I’ve never been able to figure that one out.

 

Give it your best shot you might be lucky. There’s no preparation per se. It’s going to be a 30 second to 2 minute interview. Have your bank statement ready and answer any questions directly, no long winding answers and look directly into their eyes. Make sure you don’t tell any lie that might jeopardize your chances when/if your daughter files for you in the future.

 

Good luck!

Edited June 13, 2022 by African Zealot

[Mike E 11,723]

Get approved at  an interview for a single intent non immigrant visa saying “I wish to test the waters for immigration”?

Nope.  

[Redro 4,598]

10 hours ago, Susana Distor said:

My daughter is a US citizen, I want to go to the US as a tourist first before she petition me, because I want to “test the water” so I can decide if I really want to live in the US or not. But I don’t have a job, property nor a good amount of financial ties in the Philippines. Any tips and advice on what to do for a bigger chance to get approve from apply a tourist visa? Just planning to visit for 2 weeks in the US if possible.

When do you think you'd want to move to the US (if you do decide you want to live there)?

What would you be doing in the US when you got there? Would you find a job, help your daughter with her children? 

As @Rocio0010 mentioned visiting the US for 2 weeks will be radically different to living in the US. 

Even 2 week visits are very different to staying for a month or so... 

 

My advice: if you do manage to get a visitor visa you should plan to stay for at least 3 months. Get a deeper understanding of life in the US. 

A 2 week visit is too short to "test the water" as you're probably going to be jet lagged for the first half of your trip. 

Edited June 13, 2022 by ROK2USA

[Rocio0010 5,562]

1 hour ago, kvito28 said:

Immigration  officers understand that there is no point of denying a visa to someone who can choose to get a GC in under 12 month if they choose to

The law says otherwise. B1 B2s are by default presumed to have immigrant intent. 

 

1 hour ago, kvito28 said:

There was no mention of I-130 was there

How else would the daughter petition for OP?

[Zoeeeeeee 795]

4 hours ago, kvito28 said:

I do not believe that this is true. Exactly 3 of my USC friends' parent received tourist visas in less than 2 minutes at different embassies. Immigration  officers understand that there is no point of denying a visa to someone who can choose to get a GC in under 12 month if they choose to. The question is what is OP's real intent and if she will decide to adjust while in the US should she decide she likes it here.

 

Yes, these days there are huge lines for B1/B2 visa but even that is not an issue if you have the means to travel elsewhere. My father got his visa 2 weeks ago in Poland because my home country has no appointments available in the next 2 years. Poland has a wait time of 30 days or so as we speak.

 

Not sure where y'all get the info from but I have not seen/heard of a USC parent get denied a visa. Siblings are a different story.

I know of two USCs with parents in the Philippines who applied for B visas.

 

The first (my grandmother-in-law) was granted the visa. That was back in the 90s though and she had strong ties to the Philippines (house, family, business, etc).

 

The second (my friend's parents) were both denied a B visa about 5 years ago. They also own a house and have careers, but they were still denied. They then tried to go on a family holiday to Mexico a year later, which involved a change at LAX (where my friend and her husband were joining them) and they got denied and couldn't continue on to Mexico.

[BasmaHicham 34]

4 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

That doesn't make any sense.  BY LAW, they must deny a B2 visa for anyone who has demonstrated intent to immigrate. 

You haven't been paying attention.  Parents are FREQUENTLY denied visitor visas.

My mom’s tourist visa got denied 3 times before I applied for her to get a GC. 

[SalishSea 16,770]

5 hours ago, African Zealot said:

What I saw was the OP said they’re not sure they want to migrate so they want to test the waters. That’s quite different from what you wrote.

I have seen several.

 

To the OP, it only cost $160 which is really nothing. My 51 year old unmarried auntie who had never traveled outside our country and earning less than $100 a month and with savings less than $500 asked to visit me in 2010. I laughed and thought to myself there is no consular officer in the world who would give her a visa.  First attempt, she got a five year visa. I’ve never been able to figure that one out.

 

Give it your best shot you might be lucky. There’s no preparation per se. It’s going to be a 30 second to 2 minute interview. Have your bank statement ready and answer any questions directly, no long winding answers and look directly into their eyes. Make sure you don’t tell any lie that might jeopardize your chances when/if your daughter files for you in the future.

 

Good luck!

The difference is that an auntie has no path to immigrate through you, whereas OP's mother could immigrate via OP.  Huge difference.

[MarJhi 913]

When you try on a pair of shoes in a store, your "intent" is to buy those shoes assuming they fit, the price is right and you like the way they look on you. 

 

"Testing the waters" sounds like intent to me. 

[Erina Skenazi 0]

In order to obtain a B-1/B-2 visitor visa, you must be able to show that you have “strong ties” to your country of origin. This is simply because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) wants to be as certain as possible that you will indeed return home once your journey abroad is complete. For more information also see https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/785122-apply-us-tourist-visa-with-no-strong-ties/10eloto

[GEOntificator 271]

On 6/13/2022 at 11:03 PM, BasmaHicham said:

My mom’s tourist visa got denied 3 times before I applied for her to get a GC. 

 

On 6/13/2022 at 10:10 PM, Zoeeeeeee said:

I know of two USCs with parents in the Philippines who applied for B visas.

 

The first (my grandmother-in-law) was granted the visa. That was back in the 90s though and she had strong ties to the Philippines (house, family, business, etc).

 

The second (my friend's parents) were both denied a B visa about 5 years ago. They also own a house and have careers, but they were still denied. They then tried to go on a family holiday to Mexico a year later, which involved a change at LAX (where my friend and her husband were joining them) and they got denied and couldn't continue on to Mexico.

 

On 6/13/2022 at 7:27 PM, Rocio0010 said:

The law says otherwise. B1 B2s are by default presumed to have immigrant intent. 

 

How else would the daughter petition for OP?

 

On 6/13/2022 at 6:17 PM, Crazy Cat said:

The OP has a weak case for a B2 from the Philippines......with or without intent.  Could she get lucky...of course......but it is unlikely, imo.

Good points all. Perhaps I was misinformed. 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

On 6/13/2022 at 7:10 PM, Zoeeeeeee said:

They then tried to go on a family holiday to Mexico a year later, which involved a change at LAX (where my friend and her husband were joining them) and they got denied and couldn't continue on to Mexico.

Do you mean they tried to transit the US without a visa, or they were denied a transit visa?

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

1 hour ago, kvito28 said:

 

 

 

Good points all. Perhaps I was misinformed. 

Would normally say it’s still worth a try anyway, but if it’s such a crazy long wait for a tourist visa appointment then maybe not 🤷‍♀️ 

[Mike E 11,723]

3 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

Do you mean they tried to transit the US without a visa, or they were denied a transit visa?

They could have had a visa and been denied a transit. 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

They could have had a visa and been denied a transit. 

I’d like the poster to give the facts of the case because it was strangely worded - and seeing as a transit visa is decided on the pretty much the same basis as a B (because the US doesn’t have sterile transit areas) having a transit visa would still have been something. But there would have had to be something off to be denied transit with a visa. (I can’t imagine an airline boarding then without a visa either but that could have been an oversight.)

Edited June 16, 2022 by SusieQQQ