Alianza Terps

We had our courthouse wedding over a year ago but in less than two weeks from now, we will be having a big wedding reception with lots of family and friends.

We are really excited about everything and it should be a wonderful party, but my husband's parents were denied tourist visas about 1 month ago. It was a huge disappointment and while we knew that this could happen, it was still much harder to accept the fact that some of the most important people that should be at our wedding will not be able to come. I just really hoped that it would work out. But these results have made planning pretty difficult

However, as we all know, you can't make it sanely through this immigration process unless you have a strong relationship with the one you love. The show will go on but it does feel a little silly to throw a big party when my husband's family can't be there.

That is definitely a difficult situation to be in and I really hope your Fiance has a speedy recover!

My advice would be to find out how it will take to actually have your visa in hand. For us, the K-1 visa process really sped up after we received our NOA2. You are probably really close to getting your visa to move to the U.S. Start preparing your documents and be ready to move. While it is hard not to be next to your loved one in a time of difficulty, you could possibly be there within the month to take care of each other and spend the rest of your lives together.

You would also save money on a plane ticket - which could be very helpful throughout his recovery, your move to the U.S. and the AOS package that you file after you marry.

Also, what if they schedule your interview while your in the U.S.? You will need to be back in your country sometime very soon to complete the medical, to pick up the results, police reports, interview, etc. My advice is to finish the K-1 process so you can be by his side the moment you have the visa.

Good luck and whatever you choose to do, I hope you can be next to him very soon!

First, you did not state that they planned to tell the VOs that they are planning to travel together...you just asked is it somehow better if they apply separately...and all too often people have done this to try and give a false picture of a given situation; hence my response.

Second, I never said that any of your family members are planning to bring fake docs...I mentioned this because again, many people have applied as a family unit, but one member (often the parent) has offered a fake bank statement or invitation from a non existent business or convention...doing this could compromise everyone...

Third, most group applications are people going for sporting events (karate, other sports) dance groups, singing, etc..(and many of those groups in developing countries are filled with imposters, in which case one bad apple could spoil the entire group's chances)

Families applying together are typically interviewed separately (except H/W)...all adult (18+) children would be interviewed separately most of the time (kids no)...other relatives applying on the same day would be dealt with separately...

your original post made it sound as though the separating of the family is being considered to give the VO a false picture...that is not wise, hence my response....if, however, each family member acknowledges during their own interview that everyone eventually plans to travel together, that is fine....

Do not be surprised if the young adult relative is denied while your parents are approved...this could easily happen.

INconsistent answers from your parents (one of them) could affect the outcome...

rememeber, the VOs do not have the luxury of spending inordinate amounts of time with each applicant....and first impressions are vital.

:thumbs:

If there is no deception, why are you considering having them apply separately? That is not logical.

As far as one member being denied affecting others, well, that depends....if one presents fake docs, those of the remaining members of said group will be placed under a microscope.

Now, sometimes, two adults may be approved, but their young adult child (18-20-ish) might be denied due to lack of ties or other reasons that have nothing to do with the parents.

Again, trying to fool the VOs with the 'divide and conquer' strategy may easily backfire and then what?

Writing letters apologizing will only fill their wastebaskets....

While I appreciate your advice, you posts can come off slightly abrasive and assumptive. The reason that I'm asking this question is to help my family make good, informed decisions. It is not necessarily easy to coordinate the complicated schedules of everyone with their work and other obligations so that they attend the embassy at the same time but we would like to know if there are consequences if they attend as a group or if it looks favorably or not by doing so. From the previous posts, I believe that answer is that it does not really matter since they will be telling the consulate they are traveling together anyway, but they should try to go to the interview as a group.

No one is presenting fake documents and that does not really answer my question.

More related to my question is in the second part of your post - I would just like to know if the denial of one person would then affect the approved visas of the other adults in the interview. Perhaps there is no good answer for this since it is all up to the discretion of the officer anyway...

Thank you for your advice. No one had any intention of providing a phony story or anything to that nature. We are just trying to make sure we are doing and considering everything to the best of our ability to increase their chances of getting the visa. Deception or lying was never an option nor intention.

Does anyone know whether if one person in a group gets denied if the whole group is automatically denied??

Again, we are just trying to be informed and prepared

Thank you for your input. Do other people agree that evidence of the wedding and contracts are not necessary?

My FIL does not have as strong of ties (such as steady or long term employment) as my SIL and MIL. If he is denied the visa, will my SIL and MIL will be denied too?

Again, thanks for any help or advice on this matter.

Hello everyone,

My in-laws are going to apply for tourist visas to come to our wedding celebration. My husband came on a K1 visa and we have been legally married almost a year now. We are finally having our wedding celebration this Summer.

My mother-, father-, and sister-in-law live in Peru and are all applying for visas to come to our wedding. Would it be better for them to apply together as a group or each apply individually? If they apply in a group and one of them gets denied or fails to show strong ties, will the whole family then get denied?

My sister-in-law is 30 years old and has a solid job with a good salary. Mother-in-law is in her 50's and has had the same job for over 20 years. Father-in-law is around 60 and has been shifting jobs for the past few years.

They own cars and property. All of their family and friends (and their puppy!) live in Peru.

We are going to provide them each with a letter of invitation (or one group invitation) and wedding invitation to show proof of the event. Do you think it is also necessary to provide them with venue contracts or other event planning related items?

Please provide us with any advice or information that you think will help increase their chances of getting approved for a tourist visa. We really appreciate your time and help!!!

Thank you!!!

Who filed? My Peruvian spouse (then GF)

What country? Peru

What documents did they bring to the interview?

Too many...

From me (USC):

- Letter to consulate asking for her to get a B2 Visa

- Invitation letter stating why I want her to visit with me and where we will be in the US

- Letter from my employer saying I work in Peru and my salary

- Copy of my employment contract

- My bank statements from USA and Peru

- Copy of my passport

- Copy of my Carne de Extranjeria

- Letter from me stating my financial responsibility for her during the trip

- Letter stating I will ensure her return to Peru

From her (Peru citizen):

- Letter from her employer stating her position and salary

- Her Peru bank statements

- Copy of her medical degree(s) diplomas

- Affidavit showing personal property she owns in Peru (car, apartment, etc)

- Affidavit of return assurance

What questions were asked in the interview?

She told me she was asked only 4 questions: Why she is going. Who I was to her. What my job was in Peru. How she met me.

Questions asked at POE?

- Who is she visiting

- Where she was going in the US

- How long you staying

- Why so long of stay (3 weeks)

Did you do a letter of invitation for the family member(s)?

- Yes, I wrote a letter of invitation

Any tips?

- Take everything and anything that this site recommends. Better too much than not enough. All the stuff she took, they didn't ask to see. But we both felt better that she had it in case they wanted extra stuff.

How old was your spouse at the time? Also, does she have any children and any other strong social ties? I hope you don't mind me asking but my in-laws are applying for tourist visas soon and my sister-in-law was already denied once despite good finances, personal property, and a steady, good job.

My sister-in-law came to her interview with tons of documents but they didn't look at them at all. They asked her only a few questions and denied mainly because she was young (although she is 30) and single. Well, I don't know the real reason of why she was denied but that seems to be the main reason since she has a great job and salary in Peru and tons of other connections, such as bank loans and cars in her name. No husband though.

She is going to apply again as well as her parents in a few months to come to our wedding celebration (we had a civil ceremony a few months ago). My question is whether if they (mom, dad, sister) should all apply together and go to the interview together or if they should all apply separately? What would increase their chances of getting tourist visas? Since sister is 30 years old, maybe she should apply separately and my mother-in-law and father-in-law apply together?

This seems to coincide with the original post so any advice would be great :-)

Maybe your husband can apply for a tourist/visitor B2 visa? It might be a long shot but he could at least go with as much evidence to demonstrate strong ties to his country and explain to the consulate the situation. It's a suggestion although I think it might be possible for them to deny the visa based on that you just mailed in a petition for the spousal visa and that is now the appropriate visa to pursue. Perhaps someone else can clarify and expand on this idea.

I'm sorry about what happened and good luck with everything. I'm sure you are a strong woman and can find the support that you need until you can have your family physically together again.

I'm not sure how the US embassy and visa interviews work in India and whether you're allowed to be there during the interview, but if you are, can you go to the interview with your wife? That might help a lot.

To me, it seems that at the time that you were issued the tourist visa, you and your current spouse were just friends. After visiting your friend in the U.S., your relationship and love for each other grew which is why you decided to marry, return home and complete the visa process properly. If that is the case, I think that is pretty understandable of how most relationships develop. Just make sure you be consistent with your relationship terminology (using the word 'friends' when discussing the issuance of the tourist visa and how your relationship started and 'spouse' when discussing the current visa and your relationship since your marriage).

For us, our interview was on a Monday and the visa was processed and ready to pick up from the DHL office on Friday. We bought a round trip ticket from Peru to the U.S. and after my fiance arrived, we canceled the return ticket and asked the airline for travel credit or something. We can use the one-way return ticket anytime within the next year but we will still need to pay fees and taxes or something. Every airline has their own policy though. With how much ticket prices are for the holidays (especially traveling to Peru), we hope that it will help us out a bit!

Dear Visa Journey Friends,

My fiancee lives in Peru and we're currently interested in the K1-Visa, however, I recently graduated college and I'm still looking for a job that pays over 125% poverty rate.

I've see my fiancee, Dina, three times so far, in 2009, and twice in 2010. I'm writing to ask your opinion on my fiancee applying for a tourist visa to visit her aunt and cousins in Miami, Florida. I would drive to Miami and see her.

Dina's mom was approved for the tourist visa to visit her sister and Dina's dad has a missionaries visa to visit the states. Unfortunately, Dina is 30 and w/o children so we know it won't be as easy for her, though, she has a full-time job.

We understand if she is rejected it could raise some red flags during the K1-Visa process, but we'd like to give it a shot. What is your opinion on the risk we're taking on the future hopes of a K1-Visa?

It stinks because it would be so great to have her meet my parents!

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Scott Barr

My husband applied for a tourist visa 3 years ago to visit me and meet my parents before our engagement. He was denied. Then we got engaged and applied for the k1 visa - absolutely no problems or red flags when he went back to the embassy for the k1 visa.

Unfortunately, it is really common to be denied the tourist visa in certain countries...our sister-in-law just applied to come and visit us but was denied Nonetheless, I wish your fiancee luck!

can you legally change a last name. not as in taking your husband last name but your husband changing his last name to what it actually is instead of what is on the passport.

Maybe. We might have to look into it. We are going to go to the MVA later this week to see if they give us a hard time or not. Also, the social security administration office told us that it may be a problem for future employers if the green card and social security card name are different. Is that true??

The match between Passport, Green Card and SS card is still good enough for all purposes I can think of.

Leave it alone until he becomes a US citizen. Then he can be reborn with any name he desires and all U.S. documents will have the same name.

Thank you for your reply. We are still concerned since we will have to show both his green card and SS card to the MVA. We will try to explain ourselves but I'm afraid that will just say no, it has to all match exactly (that what the website says with regards to documents and proof of identity, etc.).

I'm still confused on what we should do...

Because his name does not match up between his green card, passport and SSN, I feel as though this will create conflicts in future employment and when we go to the MVA to get his drivers license (they want to see his SS card and green card). So I guess we have two options

1) Fill out an I-90 and change his name on his green card back to his original name that includes both last names

2) Go to the courthouse and officially change his name in this country. Take the court document to the SSA office so that they change it on his SS card which we will then show to the MVA demonstrating that it is the exact same person but without his maternal last name....

He does not want to officially change his passport name because then he will have to change his entire identity in Peru which complicates his pension and stuff if we were to ever move back there...

any advice?

So my husband is from Peru and arrived a few months ago. Like most Latin American countries, his Peruvian legal name has two last names - the paternal and the maternal last name.

Two weeks after his arrival, we went to the Social Security Administration office and got his SSN - which had both his paternal and maternal last names since they went off the names in his passport and visa.

When we filed for the AOS, we decided to drop the maternal last name to accommodate American culture and how we do our last names. So in August, his green card arrived with his first name, middle initial and paternal last name.

Today, we went back to the Social Security office to with his green card, passport, and birth certificate to change his Social Security from having both paternal and maternal last names to only his paternal last name.

They said that it would not be possible because they have to go off what is on his birth certificate and passport. They said he would have to contact immigration to change either his green card to both last names or a court order noting the name change so that the SSA office could change it.

1) Which is a better option? Contacting immigration and changing his green card back to include both is paternal and maternal last names or going to the court house and getting a name change court order? (To me, it seems like the court order would be the better/easier option but that leads to question two...)

2) Will the name differences on his green card and passport effect his future re-entry into the U.S. when he goes to Peru for a short visit in December? I was told it would be okay but now I'm concerned. I want to just confirm that the fact that his green card does not include his maternal last name (which his passport does) wont cause any problems.

It might be good for them to consider living in another country. To me, it sounds better than the stress and heartache of everything they must be going through. Once he leaves the country though, he may not be able to ever come back...

You don't need to submit evidence of your marriage/relationship (besides the required documents for AOS, like the marriage certificate) unless you have an interview (IF you have an interview). You still have time to start documenting your marriage and putting both your names on bills, leases, cell phone plans, etc.

We just filled out all the required AOS forms and supporting documents requested and the green card was approved. We did not send in any photos, joint apartment leases, or bills when we sent our AOS package in. We lucked out and did not have to have another interview but if we did, we were ready with our names on the same leases/bills/etc.

AR-11 is the form for the non-citizen to submit when they move and the I-865 is the corresponding form for their sponsor. Has anyone ever suffered consequences of filing these forms late?

My Cuban wife's full name is Vilma Ferrer Garcia. After we were married, she never wanted to add my last (paternal) name and she is now just Vilma Ferrer (maternal surname dropped out, paternal surname is now the last name). It's exactly that way because it will create a lot less confusion going from Latin to Anglo culture. Her SS card, drivers license, work permit, insurance, ect. all use the shorted version. If you continue to use maternal surnames, it will cause confusion because in Anglo culture, paternal surnames are always last. It works fine for us.

Actually, I think you legally could use any name you want as long as you will be consistent about it.

My husband dropped his maternal last name since it sometimes causes confusion in the U.S. as to which is the dominant and used last name. On the AOS forms, we put his first name, middle name and paternal last name and then whenever the forms asked for "Other Names Used" we put his entire name with both his maternal and paternal last names.

I would think that if you decided to drop the paternal last name and go with the maternal last name instead it wouldn't be a problem as long as you put both last names under all other names used. This is only my reasoning so maybe wait and see if anyone else has some input

Yes, I do. I think this is a mistake a lot of people make. The steady job should be a big swing in her favor. I would just have her apply again. Like I said, I have heard reports on here of many people getting approved the second time, with the same evidence.

The next time she applies (probably in April or May) will be because we wish to have her and my husband's family come over to participate in our wedding next year (we just had a small civil ceremony in the courthouse when my husband came over on the K1 visa and we are now planning our bigger wedding celebration). When she applies for the visa in this situation, do you think we should still include a letter of invitation and proof of the wedding reception/details/etc.?

My husband's parents will also try to apply for a tourist visa around April/May to attend our wedding next September too.

Again, I know it's completely up to the consulate to decide at the moment of the interview, but opinions on how to strengthen their chances of obtaining the tourist visa is completely appreciated

She should apply again (maybe without the letter of invitation from you). I have seen a lot of people get approved the second time with the same evidence. Good luck.

Do you think the letter of invitation and the fact she was visiting her brother, an immediate relative, hurt rather than helped, her chances of getting the visa?

I know nothing about the tourist visa is guaranteed but in the future, if she applies again, we would definitely like to make sure we are helping, not hurting, her chances.

So my sister-in-law applied for a tourist visa and had her interview yesterday. She is 30-years-old and single. Her evidence and ties to Peru included a letter from her employer (she is an engineer, has been employed by the same company for several years and makes a great salary), one car registered in her name, a recently signed bank loan so that she can buy a new car, letter of invitation from me and my husband, credit card statements, and bank statements. Despite all of this information, the consulate asked her only a few questions:

Where will be you staying? Who will you be visiting? How old are you? What is your job? What is your martial status?

Based on her answers to these questions, she was immediately denied a tourist visa and did not even have a chance to submit her supporting evidence. It was really disappointing since we thought she had a good chance of getting a tourist visa due to her background, education and supporting documents. We were all frustrated with the lack of real consideration for her visa (considering you pay $140 and take time off for the actual interview) plus just the general feeling of disappointment and the idea that the consulate deemed her "unworthy" of a tourist visa when she is a good, hard-working person who would never violate the visa laws.

Anyway, I don't have any questions but I just wanted to share our recent experience at the U.S. embassy in Peru. She will try again next year but who knows if it is even worth it since they seem to make up their minds before the interview if they are just going off age and martial status...

While I don't think immigration reform, especially non-immigrant visa reform, will change anytime soon I believe that there has to be a better way to decide how people qualify for a visa. Good luck to all future applicants of the tourist visa!