Travelling with US citizen friend

[Meli BZ 3]

My girl friend is applying again for a tourist visa in Colombia, our plan is that I'm going there to get plastic surgery and she's travelling to US with me to stay for a week.

Do you recommend that she adds me as her travel companion on the DS-160 and saying that's the purpose of her travel? Helping me on the trip and visiting for a week?

 

She was denied a couple months ago under section 214(B).  She said she was staying with me but we didn't add that we were travelling together or my surgery, do you think this would help her case or could it look bad that she's not only staying a here but travelling with me?

I might travel with my kids (6 and 8yo), would it be a stronger case to say she's helping me because I had surgery and travelling with  the kids? In that case, should I add them as travelling companions as well?

TIA!

[wildbug100420 408]

1 hour ago, Meli BZ said:

My girl friend is applying again for a tourist visa in Colombia, our plan is that I'm going there to get plastic surgery and she's travelling to US with me to stay for a week.

Do you recommend that she adds me as her travel companion on the DS-160 and saying that's the purpose of her travel? Helping me on the trip and visiting for a week?

 

She was denied a couple months ago under section 214(B).  She said she was staying with me but we didn't add that we were travelling together or my surgery, do you think this would help her case or could it look bad that she's not only staying a here but travelling with me?

I might travel with my kids (6 and 8yo), would it be a stronger case to say she's helping me because I had surgery and travelling with  the kids? In that case, should I add them as travelling companions as well?

TIA!

What strong ties does she have to return to Colombia? Applying after a couple of months sounds desperate 

[TBoneTX 48,964]

What wildbug says.  In addition, the visa could be refused on the grounds that she intends to fill a role that a U.S. citizen could perform (home health care, or similar).

[Boiler 48,532]

I seriously doubt it makes any difference to the outcome.

[appleblossom 5,681]

9 hours ago, Meli BZ said:

would it be a stronger case to say she's helping me because I had surgery

I think that would make it more likely her application would be refused - it could be seen as her planning to work illegally as it’s a job a USC could do. 

[Meli BZ 3]

16 hours ago, wildbug100420 said:

What strong ties does she have to return to Colombia? Applying after a couple of months sounds desperate 

 

I know it's soon but we are adding more info and hoping they give her a chance to speak this time, since she has to explain why she's applying again. I've heard that right now they're scheduling interviews for 2027 but we don't get to see availability until we pay, and nothing else is going to change in her life so we just want to try soon instead of putting it off.

 

She works and goes to college at night, she's 2 semesters away from getting a bachelor's degree. She did not add the college part on her previous application, I would think that's a strong reason to go back to Colombia but I've also seen that not finishing college doesn't look good?

 

We're also adding her social media accounts and LinkedIn, she has old accounts that she doesn't use so she didn't want to add them on the first application.

She owns an apartment but didn't get a chance to mention it in the interview. 

I have tickets to the World Cup, she brought a copy to the interview and said that's one of the reasons she's coming but didn't get to show them, her interview is probably not going to be before the WC.

 

If we don't mention my surgery, would it help to add she's traveling with me or should we leave that out and say she's flying solo? We're still saying she's coming to visit me.

[Boiler 48,532]

What is the long term plan, will you be moving to Colombia?

[ineedadisplayname 530]

21 hours ago, Meli BZ said:

My girl friend is applying again for a tourist visa in Colombia, our plan is that I'm going there to get plastic surgery and she's travelling to US with me to stay for a week.

Do you recommend that she adds me as her travel companion on the DS-160 and saying that's the purpose of her travel? Helping me on the trip and visiting for a week?

 

She was denied a couple months ago under section 214(B).  She said she was staying with me but we didn't add that we were travelling together or my surgery, do you think this would help her case or could it look bad that she's not only staying a here but travelling with me?

I might travel with my kids (6 and 8yo), would it be a stronger case to say she's helping me because I had surgery and travelling with  the kids? In that case, should I add them as travelling companions as well?

TIA!

Actually helping you is kind of a muddy situation because she can't work on a tourist visa and "helping" could count as work because you could hire a nanny from the US to take them with you to help you. Also don't drag your kids into all this. do they really need to be there for the surgery? who is going to take care of them while you in surgery or recovery and so on.

 

It is unlikely that she is going to get a toursit visa unless whatever the original reason of the denial was solved, which is probably no ties to her country and you being her boyfriend....

Edited 8 hours ago by ineedadisplayname

[Meli BZ 3]

14 minutes ago, Boiler said:

What is the long term plan, will you be moving to Colombia?

 

I'm staying in US, I go visit family in Colombia (and possibly getting a plastic surgery next time I go there), so I was thinking she could travel to the US with me when I'm coming back home, the plan is she would stay with me in US for a week or so and go back to Colombia. I just want her to be able to come visit me sometimes, as a tourist.

 

If travelling with me doesn't help or would look suspicious for some reason, we can just say she's travelling here alone and staying with me for a week for vacation but that was the plan when she got denied.

[Meli BZ 3]

13 minutes ago, ineedadisplayname said:

Actually helping you is kind of a muddy situation because she can't work on a tourist visa and "helping" could count as work because you could hire a nanny from the US to take them with you to help you. Also don't drag your kids into all this. do they really need to be there for the surgery? who is going to take care of them while you in surgery or recovery and so on.

 

It is unlikely that she is going to get a toursit visa unless whatever the original reason of the denial was solved, which is probably no ties to her country and you being her boyfriend....

The whole helping thing was just for the flight and she's only staying in US for a week, but I see how that could turn into her staying as an illegal nanny in their minds. Not that I owe an explanation for what I do with my kids but It's highly likely I'd take them to Col  anyway because we're staying with family and I'm not welcome without them. JK 

But anyway, we're definitely not mentioning any surgery or kids now, I'm just trying to decide if we still add me as her travelling companion or just alone like she put on her first application. She doesn't have to come with me, she can travel alone but it was just an idea.

Edited 8 hours ago by Meli BZ
We are both female and only friends.