MacUK

Thanks everyone for the reassurance. 
We'll be heading back to the UK next week so there's no chance of any overstay. (After 20 years of not being able to visit I'm not screwing that up again!)

It would have been interesting if he’d come on here with his questions during the process. 
 
“Would the following be enough for evidence of bona fide relationship? 100 paparazzi pictures of us dating, a 12-page spread in Hello from our wedding, the Queen of England congratulating us in her Christmas speech and our faces on t-shirts and plates?”
 
“My USC wife, our son and I have been living in a property owned by my grandmother, renovated by the taxpayer and my wife hasn’t worked since we started dating. How would I report this on the I-864?”
 
”In the past I had some issues with alcohol and cannabis (which is illegal in my homeland) to the point where my father put me in rehab. Will this cause an issue for my medical?”

Unfortunately sometimes encouragement and advice don't go hand in hand on this site.
Sometimes encouragement can equal bad advice, and good advice can equally not be very encouraging.
The OP has started threads for advice on visas using two totally different scenarios. To a suspicious CO (and they are ALL suspicious, that's their job) it could appear that she is just shopping around for any valid way to get to the US.
Encouragement would be to just tell her to go for it without any cares.
Good advice would be to highlight some of the difficulties she MAY face, so that she can have a clearer picture of the road ahead.

Not unbelievable though.
When I go to gigs here in Glasgow I often meet up with a couple who regularly travel to the U.S. for concerts.
Even literally flying all the way over there to just spend a few hours in the States to see the show then getting the next flight back home.
When the events you want to see can only be seen by travelling long distances then that's what you do.
After England managed to scrape their way to the rugby world cup a few months ago a friend of mine was seriously costing out the options for flying to Japan for only a couple of days just to watch it on a big screen outside the stadium and then fly back the next day.
Other than not seeing my kids for years, one of my huge regrets over screwing up my VWP is that I'll probably never tick off those "bucket list" concerts with artists who never tour outside the U.S.

Not unbelievable though.
When I go to gigs here in Glasgow I often meet up with a couple who regularly travel to the U.S. for concerts.
Even literally flying all the way over there to just spend a few hours in the States to see the show then getting the next flight back home.
When the events you want to see can only be seen by travelling long distances then that's what you do.
After England managed to scrape their way to the rugby world cup a few months ago a friend of mine was seriously costing out the options for flying to Japan for only a couple of days just to watch it on a big screen outside the stadium and then fly back the next day.
Other than not seeing my kids for years, one of my huge regrets over screwing up my VWP is that I'll probably never tick off those "bucket list" concerts with artists who never tour outside the U.S.

Not unbelievable though.
When I go to gigs here in Glasgow I often meet up with a couple who regularly travel to the U.S. for concerts.
Even literally flying all the way over there to just spend a few hours in the States to see the show then getting the next flight back home.
When the events you want to see can only be seen by travelling long distances then that's what you do.
After England managed to scrape their way to the rugby world cup a few months ago a friend of mine was seriously costing out the options for flying to Japan for only a couple of days just to watch it on a big screen outside the stadium and then fly back the next day.
Other than not seeing my kids for years, one of my huge regrets over screwing up my VWP is that I'll probably never tick off those "bucket list" concerts with artists who never tour outside the U.S.

Not unbelievable though.
When I go to gigs here in Glasgow I often meet up with a couple who regularly travel to the U.S. for concerts.
Even literally flying all the way over there to just spend a few hours in the States to see the show then getting the next flight back home.
When the events you want to see can only be seen by travelling long distances then that's what you do.
After England managed to scrape their way to the rugby world cup a few months ago a friend of mine was seriously costing out the options for flying to Japan for only a couple of days just to watch it on a big screen outside the stadium and then fly back the next day.
Other than not seeing my kids for years, one of my huge regrets over screwing up my VWP is that I'll probably never tick off those "bucket list" concerts with artists who never tour outside the U.S.

Not unbelievable though.
When I go to gigs here in Glasgow I often meet up with a couple who regularly travel to the U.S. for concerts.
Even literally flying all the way over there to just spend a few hours in the States to see the show then getting the next flight back home.
When the events you want to see can only be seen by travelling long distances then that's what you do.
After England managed to scrape their way to the rugby world cup a few months ago a friend of mine was seriously costing out the options for flying to Japan for only a couple of days just to watch it on a big screen outside the stadium and then fly back the next day.
Other than not seeing my kids for years, one of my huge regrets over screwing up my VWP is that I'll probably never tick off those "bucket list" concerts with artists who never tour outside the U.S.

Not unbelievable though.
When I go to gigs here in Glasgow I often meet up with a couple who regularly travel to the U.S. for concerts.
Even literally flying all the way over there to just spend a few hours in the States to see the show then getting the next flight back home.
When the events you want to see can only be seen by travelling long distances then that's what you do.
After England managed to scrape their way to the rugby world cup a few months ago a friend of mine was seriously costing out the options for flying to Japan for only a couple of days just to watch it on a big screen outside the stadium and then fly back the next day.
Other than not seeing my kids for years, one of my huge regrets over screwing up my VWP is that I'll probably never tick off those "bucket list" concerts with artists who never tour outside the U.S.

It could easily be remedied.
A-All incoming tourists are asked explicitly at their POE if they intend to marry and adjust.
Then, when they do file for AOS and they are found to have had intent then they get nobbled for lying when entering.
B-Abolish AOS all together. It does make a mockery of the whole system where people who do it the 'correct' way get seperated for months or years and other people just skip the queue.
It would also mean that more B2s would be approved if the possibility of immigration intent is taken away.

Different situation for me but the sentiment is the same.
When I overstayed on VWP I didn't think it was a big deal, at the time I didn't have much choice about overstaying but the length of time I stayed was completely on me. I figured that it wouldn't matter much, I'd just go back to my home country, maybe pay a fine and then everything would be OK.....
 
It didn't work out how I hoped.
This was 16 years ago, I got banned for 10 years, I've been denied a B2 three times and I might never set foot in U.S. soil ever again.
One stupid mistake I made half a lifetime ago will have repercussions for the rest of my life, I've been 100000% honest in all my dealings with the U.S. authorities since then but once you lose credibility it's near impossible to regain any trust.
 
Actions have consequences.

Different situation for me but the sentiment is the same.
When I overstayed on VWP I didn't think it was a big deal, at the time I didn't have much choice about overstaying but the length of time I stayed was completely on me. I figured that it wouldn't matter much, I'd just go back to my home country, maybe pay a fine and then everything would be OK.....
 
It didn't work out how I hoped.
This was 16 years ago, I got banned for 10 years, I've been denied a B2 three times and I might never set foot in U.S. soil ever again.
One stupid mistake I made half a lifetime ago will have repercussions for the rest of my life, I've been 100000% honest in all my dealings with the U.S. authorities since then but once you lose credibility it's near impossible to regain any trust.
 
Actions have consequences.

Different situation for me but the sentiment is the same.
When I overstayed on VWP I didn't think it was a big deal, at the time I didn't have much choice about overstaying but the length of time I stayed was completely on me. I figured that it wouldn't matter much, I'd just go back to my home country, maybe pay a fine and then everything would be OK.....
 
It didn't work out how I hoped.
This was 16 years ago, I got banned for 10 years, I've been denied a B2 three times and I might never set foot in U.S. soil ever again.
One stupid mistake I made half a lifetime ago will have repercussions for the rest of my life, I've been 100000% honest in all my dealings with the U.S. authorities since then but once you lose credibility it's near impossible to regain any trust.
 
Actions have consequences.

Different situation for me but the sentiment is the same.
When I overstayed on VWP I didn't think it was a big deal, at the time I didn't have much choice about overstaying but the length of time I stayed was completely on me. I figured that it wouldn't matter much, I'd just go back to my home country, maybe pay a fine and then everything would be OK.....
 
It didn't work out how I hoped.
This was 16 years ago, I got banned for 10 years, I've been denied a B2 three times and I might never set foot in U.S. soil ever again.
One stupid mistake I made half a lifetime ago will have repercussions for the rest of my life, I've been 100000% honest in all my dealings with the U.S. authorities since then but once you lose credibility it's near impossible to regain any trust.
 
Actions have consequences.

People that come from VWP eligible countries should use that ability carefully and strongly consider never overstepping the use of it in favor of a tourist visa because of the high risk of denial and loss of the previous privileges. ESTA is nothing more than a pre-background check clearance - it gets you on the plane. But applying for a visa overrides this, especially if denial is resulted. The US government position is that 90 days is more than generous, and why should a person from a VWP country require any more except in very narrow and specific circumstances? A B2 is very difficult to obtain if the person was eligible for VWP to begin with.
 
A friend of mine for example could no longer use the VWP after her ESTA was denied due to rule changes regarding a country she was required to be in for work purposes. In this case she was able to obtain a B2, as she had no other option to visit the US, but she still had to prove very strong ties, and her want to visit was only for couple weeks, not months. What was the reason for your friend's denial? Is there something else in their background that may result in a denial? Kids and work are not necessarily strong ties. How does his kids get supported? How can he leave his job for a long amount of time?

Wrong, entering the US on a tourist visa to get married and then go home is perfectly fine. It's using a tourist visa to enter the US with the intent to get married and then stay is fraud.
OP, just go over using the VWP to get married. Be prepared to show proof that you will be returning home afterwards and you should be ok.
Then, when you're prepared to make the move over the pond then your US spouse would petition for you to be able to apply for a CR-1 visa. This process would take about a year.

What would be the point of having quotas for denials?
All countries love genuine tourists who show up, spend money, then sod off!
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever why any country would restrict genuine tourists by having quotas.

There is absolutely nothing you can do to prove that someone else will do anything.
You can provide any amount of letters saying you will guarantee they will leave but other than physically carrying them onto a plane and strapping them to a seat how exactly can you guarantee it?

For all the people who continually come on threads to tell about the thousands of people they know who walked into an embassy waving an invitation letter and got an immediate approval, a bottle of champagne and free Disneyworld tickets...
 
What exactly do you think an invitation letter does?
The US doesn't care why you want to visit, only that you'll leave. 214(b) is all about not overcoming presumption of immigrant intent, there's nothing in there about not having a valid reason to vist.
A line in it about someone covering expenses? Totally worthless as it can't be legally enforced. You can say anything in a letter, nothing will come back at you if you don't go through with it.
 
I can print off hundreds of invite letters promising all kinds of things, doesn't make it true

The idea that there is a quota for issauces and denials has been posted here as a fact several times before.  It is not true -- THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO QUOTA THAT CONSULAR OFFICERS MUST MEET IN TERMS OF DENIALS VS ISSUANCE.  NONE.  ZERO.  ZILCH.  Every case is looked at individually, on its own merits.  Sorry to shout , but this -- obviously -- pushed my buttons.  Rumors like this that are presented as facts contribute to peoples' misunderstanding of the process and its requirements and can, in some cases, lead some to consider committing fraud.
 
The closest thing to a quota that an officer faces is an expectation that each officer will process a certain number of cases per day (i.e., an expectation for the number of interviews each officer will conduct) -- a number that varies from country to country and within a country depending on the experience level of the officer and the category of visas being interviewed.  There is NO set expectation of how many of those cases will be issued or denied. 

What would be the point of having quotas for denials?
All countries love genuine tourists who show up, spend money, then sod off!
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever why any country would restrict genuine tourists by having quotas.

There is absolutely nothing you can do to prove that someone else will do anything.
You can provide any amount of letters saying you will guarantee they will leave but other than physically carrying them onto a plane and strapping them to a seat how exactly can you guarantee it?

There is absolutely nothing you can do to prove that someone else will do anything.
You can provide any amount of letters saying you will guarantee they will leave but other than physically carrying them onto a plane and strapping them to a seat how exactly can you guarantee it?

I beg to differ, or at least add another perspective.
The U.S. Government is very happy to take action against those who overstay AND LEAVE the U.S. 
I speak from personal experience as someone who (significantly) overstayed VWP nearly 20 years ago and has been unable to visit the U.S. ever since and probably never will be able to again.
The ones the government seem to have no will or desire to take action against are those who overstay and never leave, at least not as tourists.
 

Unfortunately there is no magic checklist of ties to home countries, thanks to the extreme lengths that other people have gone to just to get into U.S. soil, leaving behind children, homes, businesses, family.
What it comes down to in the end is the personal opinion of the interviewing officer, based upon the information given on the ds-160 and on the how the applicant answers questions at the interview. The law says the officer must start with the opinion that the applicant is untrustworthy and it's up to the applicant to change that opinion. a
Is it fair? Not really
Is it ideal? Far from it
Do they make mistakes? All the time
Is it likely to change any time soon? Not a chance
You could be denied today by one officer but be approved next month by another.
 
 
Lots of people manage to convince the officers they'll return when they never have intention to and lots of honest people fail to convince the officer and get denied.
It's an unfortunate aspect of international relationships