B2 validity for Syrian refugee on German refugee travel document (blue passport)

[Guillaryi 18]

Hey folks! In a bit of a pickle here. My good friends want to visit us in the US next September, coming from Germany.

 

One of them is a Syrian citizen with a German refugee travel document (‘blue passport’). They‘ve been in Germany for almost a decade and have German permanent residence.

 

They‘ve applied for their B2 visa with an interview in December 23, but the intended date of travel is September 24.

 

Q1: Will their visa be valid for 3 months (Syria) or 10 years (Germany)?

 

Q2: If 3 months, then can they delay the start of the validity? Otherwise it would expire before their date of travel.

 

If 10 years, then an additional wrench is that their blue passport expires in May 24. I understand they they can still enter the US with a new blue passport via ‚visa in old passport‘.

 

One idea is that they rush getting their German citizenship and German passport which they are already eligible for.

 

Q3: Is it correct that they couldn’t combine their valid visa in expired refugee travel document with a valid German national (red) passport due to the change in citizenship?

 

Q4: Should they delay their visa interview by a couple months and/or withdraw their application so that they can rush getting the German passport before getting the visa?

 

Thank you all! This is a bit tricky.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Guillaryi

[OldUser 5,136]

1 hour ago, Guillaryi said:

One idea is that they rush getting their German citizenship and German passport which they are already eligible for.

 

 

I think out of all ideas, this is the one that's actually worth investing time and money in.

 

I doubt they'll get US tourist visas otherwise.

[Boiler 43,788]

I agree Syrian trying to get a B is a long shot, obviously they have German residence which helps.

 

Presumably the limited validity for Syrians is die to reciprocity, I have not looked.

 

VWP, well even if they obtain German citizenship:

 

Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015
Under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, travelers in the following categories must obtain a visa prior to traveling to the United States as they are no longer eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):

Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country).

Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Cuba on or after January 12, 2021 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country).

Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria.

 

 

[Guillaryi 18]

31 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Presumably the limited validity for Syrians is die to reciprocity, I have not looked.

 

Yes, question 1 is: Which reciprocity applies? With Germany or with Syria? Their travel document is issued by Germany, but their citizenship is still Syrian. It's a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_travel_document

You're right, even if they become a German citizen, they're ineligible for VWP due to being present in Syria on or after March 1, 2011. So they'll have to apply for B2 even with German citizenship.

Also, they're probably going to be denied for formal reasons anyway. Their travel document is not valid for 6 months beyond their intended travel date (Sep 2024), it expires before, in June 2024. Oh well. The interview appointment is already set for Dec 2023, they'll just go there and see. If they get denied, they can just apply again with a German national passport, right? Or will their previous denial be a detriment?

Edited November 11, 2023 by Guillaryi

[Boiler 43,788]

Currently they are Syrian

 

I do not know what happens if they acquire German citizenship we often see Iranians who acquire another and they stay Iranian as well.

 

Prior refusal will need to be declared and Syrian connection will never help.