Tourist Visa Granted

[Semih_El 0]

Thank you guys!

Also, just an FYI our lawyer informed us that you can be denied at port of entry even though you have the B2 visa from the consolate. But if I were you I'd take my chance to spend my Christmas with my sweetheart to!

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Semi_Elh, I was hesitant whether to try it or not.. but I'm glad I did.

And yes, I'm aware of the possibility of being turned back at the POE. Actually every time I've entered the States in the past, that has always been a possibility, that is the risk every visa holder has, and now the risk of being turned back at the POE is probably even higher due to our K-1 application.

I'm staying positive, I got my flight booked already and I'm leaving on the 20th. I'm going to be honest with them and hopefully everything will be just fine, I'll keep you all posted when I come back home in January.

Of course stay positve I didnt mean that in a negative way I am sure everything will work out for u. Thanks for your posting, b/c you gave us hope and the courage to try again for a B2 perhaps we may also get lucky. Semih has proof of entering the US in the past and going back to Turkey as well (twice actually) so maybe just maybe Santa will grant our Christmas wish and bring him home for Christmas. Also, I was wondering how long did they grant your visa for?

I have to say I love this site, the people here are a fountain of knowledge and very supportive to.

[windycity 1]

Thank you guys!

Also, just an FYI our lawyer informed us that you can be denied at port of entry even though you have the B2 visa from the consolate. But if I were you I'd take my chance to spend my Christmas with my sweetheart to!

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Semi_Elh, I was hesitant whether to try it or not.. but I'm glad I did.

And yes, I'm aware of the possibility of being turned back at the POE. Actually every time I've entered the States in the past, that has always been a possibility, that is the risk every visa holder has, and now the risk of being turned back at the POE is probably even higher due to our K-1 application.

I'm staying positive, I got my flight booked already and I'm leaving on the 20th. I'm going to be honest with them and hopefully everything will be just fine, I'll keep you all posted when I come back home in January.

Congratulations!!!

Please post how long were you granted to stay.

[eric_and_teresa 10]

The officer at the port of entry asked her the purpose of the trip (she told him it was to visit a fiancée), who she was staying with, and where. Didn't ask to see any documentation at all, but noted my name. That was it.

Easy peasy...

And by the way, her PoE was Houston as well. (Continental seems to have the best service to Central/Latin America and the Caribbean, and it seems all their flights pass through there)

Jesse, thank you for posting her experience, hopefully it will be like this for me too.

You're right about Continental, we fly with them all the time

[eric_and_teresa 10]

Of course stay positve I didnt mean that in a negative way I am sure everything will work out for u. Thanks for your posting, b/c you gave us hope and the courage to try again for a B2 perhaps we may also get lucky. Semih has proof of entering the US in the past and going back to Turkey as well (twice actually) so maybe just maybe Santa will grant our Christmas wish and bring him home for Christmas. Also, I was wondering how long did they grant your visa for?

I have to say I love this site, the people here are a fountain of knowledge and very supportive to.

Don't worry I know you didn't say it in a negative way

I wish you guys the best of luck! Hopefully this time the CO will consider your fiance's past entries to the US. Make you sure he brings all his documents, old passports, old visas and the K-1 documents as well. Keep us posted

My visa was granted for 10 years, but I read in some other post here in VJ that they cancel your tourist visa once the K-1 is granted

[LoriLawless 0]

Wow congratulations!

Question, you're only staying until January? Did you have to show ties to your home country too?

[eric_and_teresa 10]

Congratulations!!!

Please post how long were you granted to stay.

Thank you

My tourist visa issued by the Consulate is good for 10 years BUT I will know how long I can stay in the U.S. territory at the POE (Point of Entry) where they will stamp my I-94 form with the date when I should go back home. During my past visits, I've been granted 6 months (I had never stay that long though) This time I'm planning to stay 14 days, I can't be away from work any longer than that

[eric_and_teresa 10]

Wow congratulations!

Question, you're only staying until January? Did you have to show ties to your home country too?

Thank you

Yes, I'm only staying for 2 weeks. I can't stay any longer, I need to come back to work lol.

I did bring all the documents to prove my ties and financial situation (job certificate, tax declarations, bank account certification, professional I.D., credit cards, etc, etc,) But the CO did not ask for anything.. he just wanted to see my old passport and my prior visa. I don't think I stayed at the window longer than 1 minute. He only asked how long I stayed during my last visit and I was still answering when he said "Your visa is approved".

I'm kinda nervous about the POE.. but I'll be honest and hopefully everything will work out just fine.

[LoriLawless 0]

Wow congratulations!

Question, you're only staying until January? Did you have to show ties to your home country too?

Thank you

Yes, I'm only staying for 2 weeks. I can't stay any longer, I need to come back to work lol.

I did bring all the documents to prove my ties and financial situation (job certificate, tax declarations, bank account certification, professional I.D., credit cards, etc, etc,) But the CO did not ask for anything.. he just wanted to see my old passport and my prior visa. I don't think I stayed at the window longer than 1 minute. He only asked how long I stayed during my last visit and I was still answering when he said "Your visa is approved".

I'm kinda nervous about the POE.. but I'll be honest and hopefully everything will work out just fine.

Thanks! I imagine you're not a participating country for the waiver program? I'm asking cause it seems that waiver program countries seem to have a hard time getting B2s.

I don't think you have anything to worry about at POE to be honest. I'm sure it'll all be fine!

Congrats again, I'm so happy for you.

[eric_and_teresa 10]

Thanks! I imagine you're not a participating country for the waiver program? I'm asking cause it seems that waiver program countries seem to have a hard time getting B2s.

I don't think you have anything to worry about at POE to be honest. I'm sure it'll all be fine!

Congrats again, I'm so happy for you.

No, Guatemala is not even close to ever be part of the VWP

I wanted to ask you... in which cases do nationals of countries of the VWP need to apply for B2's? Is it when they have already started an immigration process? Because I've heard of foreign fiances traveling under the VWP while their K-1's are pending.

Thank you for your good wishes

[athena_ny 1]

Wow congratulations!

Question, you're only staying until January? Did you have to show ties to your home country too?

Thank you

Yes, I'm only staying for 2 weeks. I can't stay any longer, I need to come back to work lol.

I did bring all the documents to prove my ties and financial situation (job certificate, tax declarations, bank account certification, professional I.D., credit cards, etc, etc,) But the CO did not ask for anything.. he just wanted to see my old passport and my prior visa. I don't think I stayed at the window longer than 1 minute. He only asked how long I stayed during my last visit and I was still answering when he said "Your visa is approved".

I'm kinda nervous about the POE.. but I'll be honest and hopefully everything will work out just fine.

Thanks! I imagine you're not a participating country for the waiver program? I'm asking cause it seems that waiver program countries seem to have a hard time getting B2s.

I don't think you have anything to worry about at POE to be honest. I'm sure it'll all be fine!

Congrats again, I'm so happy for you.

Guatemala is not a visa waiver country. At the moment, I don't think any of the South American countries are. Still, as she has said, this isn't the norm for her country.

Thanks! I imagine you're not a participating country for the waiver program? I'm asking cause it seems that waiver program countries seem to have a hard time getting B2s.

I don't think you have anything to worry about at POE to be honest. I'm sure it'll all be fine!

Congrats again, I'm so happy for you.

No, Guatemala is not even close to ever be part of the VWP

I wanted to ask you... in which cases do nationals of countries of the VWP need to apply for B2's? Is it when they have already started an immigration process? Because I've heard of foreign fiances traveling under the VWP while their K-1's are pending.

Thank you for your good wishes

If they've overstayed their VWP entry by a certain amount of time, they need to get a visa to re-enter. I don't know if there's any other situations, but I'm sure there are. Oh, if they want to stay longer for 3 months, too.

[eric_and_teresa 10]

If they've overstayed their VWP entry by a certain amount of time, they need to get a visa to re-enter. I don't know if there's any other situations, but I'm sure there are. Oh, if they want to stay longer for 3 months, too.

Thank you for answering my question.

You're right, there aren't any countries in Central nor South America that are part of the VWP. People would go crazy here if we were! LOL

[athena_ny 1]

If they've overstayed their VWP entry by a certain amount of time, they need to get a visa to re-enter. I don't know if there's any other situations, but I'm sure there are. Oh, if they want to stay longer for 3 months, too.

Thank you for answering my question.

You're right, there aren't any countries in Central nor South America that are part of the VWP. People would go crazy here if we were! LOL

Haha, yeah, people would be dancing in the streets 85% of the South Americans I know are overstays from student or tourist visas as it is.

A few months ago there was a press release that Argentina and Brazil have the opportunity to become a VWP country if they get their tourist visa denial rates below 5% (both are hovering around 6.5% if I remember correctly), but Argentina participated originally and it was taken away for various (obvious) reasons. A lot of fraud, etc.

[LoriLawless 0]

If they've overstayed their VWP entry by a certain amount of time, they need to get a visa to re-enter. I don't know if there's any other situations, but I'm sure there are. Oh, if they want to stay longer for 3 months, too.

Thank you for answering my question.

You're right, there aren't any countries in Central nor South America that are part of the VWP. People would go crazy here if we were! LOL

Sorry, I logged off and didn't see your question.

[eric_and_teresa 10]

****UPDATE: POE EXPERIENCE****

Hey guys! Just wanted to post an update about my experience at the POE while entering with my tourist visa. I arrived to the U.S. last thursday, and everything went fine, my POE was Houston.

It was pretty much like my previous visits, except that there were CBP agents in one of the halls of the airport before arriving to the Customs area, asking questions too.

On the hall they asked me, the following questions:

- What is the purpose of the visit?

- How long will you be staying?

- Where do you work?

- How much money did you bring?

- How long did you stay during the last visit?

When I got to customs, they asked me again:

- Is this your first visit?

- What is the purpose of the visit?

- How long will you be staying?

- What do you do for living (back home) and how long have you've been doing it?

- What kind of gifts did you bring? (they asked if I brought any food or tobacco)

I answered the questions as briefly as I could, I offered to show my old passport with the previous entries and my employment I.D. but he said he did not need to see it. I was surprised, they did not ask any questions about my fiance and as they did not ask any questions about the K-1 either, I did not mention it. (Just like at the embassy, I had brought all my papers again). Then he stamped my I-94 and my passport and dated them 'June 20, 2008', which means I could stay here for 6 months, too bad I'm going home next week

Edited December 28, 2007 by eric_and_teresa

[Jesse and Hema 2]

****UPDATE: POE EXPERIENCE****

Hey guys! Just wanted to post an update about my experience at the POE while entering with my tourist visa. I arrived to the U.S. last thursday, and everything went fine, my POE was Houston.

It was pretty much like my previous visits, except that there were CBP agents in one of the halls of the airport before arriving to the Customs area, asking questions too.

On the hall they asked me, the following questions:

- What is the purpose of the visit?

- How long will you be staying?

- Where do you work?

- How much money did you bring?

- How long did you stay during the last visit?

When I got to customs, they asked me again:

- Is this your first visit?

- What is the purpose of the visit?

- How long will you be staying?

- What do you do for living (back home) and how long have you've been doing it?

- What kind of gifts did you bring? (they asked if I brought any food or tobacco)

I answered the questions as briefly as I could, I offered to show my old passport with the previous entries and my employment I.D. but he said he did not need to see it. I was surprised, they did not ask any questions about my fiance and as they did not ask any questions about the K-1 either, I did not mention it. (Just like at the embassy, I had brought all my papers again). Then he stamped my I-94 and my passport and dated them 'June 20, 2008', which means I could stay here for 6 months, too bad I'm going home next week

Awesome. Thanks for the update! Hope you make the most out of the remainder of your visit!!