Dominican Republic

[MC0526 0]

I'm new to this forum and all things immigration related. My son met a friend in the Dominican Republic while there on a mission trip with a youth group. This Dominican friend's family is friends with the American pastor and my sister in law. Anyhow, my son wanted to bring his friend to the US for a visit on a tourist visa. Can anyone offer any guidance? How difficult is it to get a tourist visa from the DR? We can prove family ties, and an on going relationship if necessary. We can prove his domincan friend is enrolled in school and has no intention of over staying their stay. PLEASE HELP!

[powerpuff 6,730]

There’s nothing much you can do to help him, he will need to apply on his own merits. There is no sponsorship or anything like that for a visitor visa.

7 minutes ago, MC0526 said:

We can prove family ties, and an on going relationship if necessary.

Not a factor in tourist visa applications.

[Verrou 1,962]

Family ties from you is unrelated to the friend. Friend need to show strong ties with home country. 

[MC0526 0]

His friend is actually a student. So,  what strong ties with home country are they looking for? 

[Timona 4,207]

29 minutes ago, MC0526 said:

His friend is actually a student. So,  what strong ties with home country are they looking for? 

 

Ties that will compel this young lady to go back to DR after her visit is over. 

 

Just FYI, you nor your son cannot help influence her tourist visa interview outcome. She has to apply on her own. There's no "invitation" to the US.

 

And with a lot of DR people overstaying, it's a difficult task getting to be approved on B-2 if she's just a student over in DR. Additionally, with a possible love interest in your son, the chances are further slimmed. It actually now shows she has more reasons to stay in the US than leave.

 

And your son shouldn't rush into K-1 or CR-1 petition. He should take his time and even relocate there for a while, without mentioning any US petition or move and see how it goes. If after a while, a year or 2, the lady is still around, then petition. He doesn't want to be used for GC. Seen a lot of this from DR. Just let him not go there and mention anything to do with petition. He should go there and relax and claim he's relocated then access the situation.

Edited July 13, 2022 by Timona

[MC0526 0]

This young lady is currently a student and enrolled into school and still has one year of study left, her family and friends are all in the DR. She will be returning! 

 

Anyone know how difficult it will be for you to get her tourist visa? Is the wait time currently listed on travel.state.gov accurate? Is it truly taking that long to get an appointment?

[powerpuff 6,730]

49 minutes ago, MC0526 said:

Is the wait time currently listed on travel.state.gov accurate? Is it truly taking that long to get an appointment?

Yes it’s accurate 

[Boiler 45,664]

Like anybody else she applies for a visa, simple process

[Rocio0010 5,579]

3 hours ago, MC0526 said:

This Dominican friend's family is friends with the American pastor and my sister in law

This, from a visa perspective, is irrelevant. 
 

 

3 hours ago, MC0526 said:

Anyhow, my son wanted to bring his friend to the US for a visit on a tourist visa.

Nothing your son can do. It’s her visa, her application, on her merits. 

 

3 hours ago, MC0526 said:

Can anyone offer any guidance? How difficult is it to get a tourist visa

She has to prove strong ties to the DR.

 

3 hours ago, MC0526 said:

We can prove family ties, and an on going relationship if necessary

Why? Are the family ties to people in the US?

[beloved_dingo 1,979]

The application for a tourist visa is fairly simple, and there's nothing you or your son can do to improve her odds. She just needs to apply and see what happens. Worst case scenario, she is denied and is out a couple hundred bucks. No way to know the outcome until she goes for it. 

 

As others have said, she has to show strong ties to her home country. Being a student isn't necessarily enough, because a student can change schools, drop out, etc. She has to overcome the assumption that she has immigrant intent (this assumption is applied to all applicants, but the overall scrutiny varies from country to country due to varying levels of fraud).

 

Does she have any relatives in the US (it's better if this answer is NO)? Does she have a job in DR? Does she have a boyfriend/partner there? How much of her family is in DR? Does she have a lease for where she lives? Does she have pets or a family member that she cares for? 

 

No U.S. relatives and being able to answer at least a few of the above questions with "yes" (along with proof) would help show strong ties. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by beloved_dingo

[MC0526 0]

thank you @beloved_dingo for your response! 

 

No, she has no family living in the US. ALL of her family reside in the DR. The American pastor here works very closely with her sister and brother-in-law who are pastor a church in the DR. The American pastor and his family visit the DR several times per year. That is what I meant by family ties. She is an 18 year old high school student so she lives at home with her parents and siblings. There is no lease as she lives at home with parents. She does physically help her mother care for her younger siblings and go to school therefore she does not have a job. My son still lives at home, so she would be staying with us and visiting the American family and churches that help support the church in the DR.  We were just hoping to give this young lady an opportunity to visit. Our intentions and motives are genuin and honest. 😞

 

 

[beloved_dingo 1,979]

6 minutes ago, MC0526 said:

thank you @beloved_dingo for your response! 

 

No, she has no family living in the US. ALL of her family reside in the DR. The American pastor here works very closely with her sister and brother-in-law who are pastor a church in the DR. The American pastor and his family visit the DR several times per year. That is what I meant by family ties. She is an 18 year old high school student so she lives at home with her parents and siblings. There is no lease as she lives at home with parents. She does physically help her mother care for her younger siblings and go to school therefore she does not have a job. My son still lives at home, so she would be staying with us and visiting the American family and churches that help support the church in the DR.  We were just hoping to give this young lady an opportunity to visit. Our intentions and motives are genuin and honest. 😞

 

 

You're welcome.

 

The issue isn't that anyone thinks you are being dishonest (and it doesn't matter what anyone here thinks anyway), its that USCIS assumes immigrant intent. It's nothing personal - it's just how things are done for immigration, especially tourist visas. I am not sure if her age and living at home will help or hinder her odds. As I said before, all she can do is apply and see what happens. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by beloved_dingo

[mytruelove18 608]

19 hours ago, MC0526 said:

This young lady is currently a student and enrolled into school and still has one year of study left, her family and friends are all in the DR. She will be returning! 

 

Anyone know how difficult it will be for you to get her tourist visa? Is the wait time currently listed on travel.state.gov accurate? Is it truly taking that long to get an appointment?

Right now embassy is not opoen for normal tourist visa, there isnt apoinnent availble, if you try to book the date on the wedsife show 2024.

That said, your friend need a good job, gokd salary, to demostrate strong tie to DR. And even like that is dificult, i was dinied 2 times a tourist visa, and i had a stable job, i was teacher for 13 years but i was dinied.

Fot a tourist visa is the applicant who need demostrate for her own that she cualify

[mytruelove18 608]

20 hours ago, MC0526 said:

His friend is actually a student. So,  what strong ties with home country are they looking for? 

Good job, good salary, own house, cars, bank account, and even with all that they denied people

[Downloader 199]

On 7/12/2022 at 8:47 PM, MC0526 said:

This young lady is currently a student and enrolled into school and still has one year of study left, her family and friends are all in the DR. She will be returning! 

 

Anyone know how difficult it will be for you to get her tourist visa? Is the wait time currently listed on travel.state.gov accurate? Is it truly taking that long to get an appointment?

I have seen young girls with more than school, family & friends suddenly deciding that they fell in love and want to get married. The consular officers have seen it too often that it will be an uphill battle based on her current situation.

There is nothing you can do to change the outcome of a visa interview, having a romantic interest with your son and having so much support from you and the pastor etc will do more harm than good based on my experience.

If she is completely involved with the church and doing voluntary work there are avenues and visa types that the church can sponsor, this is a more formal and costly process but it is also subject to the same rules of establishing not immigrant intent at the interview.