ConOfficer

All opinions offered here are wrong. At every consulate I've worked at I've never seen an officer review proof of relationship before calling the applicant up to the window and starting the interview. It's true that I might take a look at the petition and see that the petitioner has been divorced three times or that there is a 40 year age difference, but I never make a decision before the interview. 
 
As to tourist visas, there is no review prior to the interview. We know absolutely nothing about the applicant until they start talking. 

All opinions offered here are wrong. At every consulate I've worked at I've never seen an officer review proof of relationship before calling the applicant up to the window and starting the interview. It's true that I might take a look at the petition and see that the petitioner has been divorced three times or that there is a 40 year age difference, but I never make a decision before the interview. 
 
As to tourist visas, there is no review prior to the interview. We know absolutely nothing about the applicant until they start talking. 

All opinions offered here are wrong. At every consulate I've worked at I've never seen an officer review proof of relationship before calling the applicant up to the window and starting the interview. It's true that I might take a look at the petition and see that the petitioner has been divorced three times or that there is a 40 year age difference, but I never make a decision before the interview. 
 
As to tourist visas, there is no review prior to the interview. We know absolutely nothing about the applicant until they start talking. 

Totally incorrect. 
 
USCIS does not investigate the relationship. They merely determine whether a legal or biological relationship exists on paper. The consular officer determines whether there is a legit relationship. 

All opinions offered here are wrong. At every consulate I've worked at I've never seen an officer review proof of relationship before calling the applicant up to the window and starting the interview. It's true that I might take a look at the petition and see that the petitioner has been divorced three times or that there is a 40 year age difference, but I never make a decision before the interview. 
 
As to tourist visas, there is no review prior to the interview. We know absolutely nothing about the applicant until they start talking. 

All opinions offered here are wrong. At every consulate I've worked at I've never seen an officer review proof of relationship before calling the applicant up to the window and starting the interview. It's true that I might take a look at the petition and see that the petitioner has been divorced three times or that there is a 40 year age difference, but I never make a decision before the interview. 
 
As to tourist visas, there is no review prior to the interview. We know absolutely nothing about the applicant until they start talking. 

Totally incorrect. 
 
USCIS does not investigate the relationship. They merely determine whether a legal or biological relationship exists on paper. The consular officer determines whether there is a legit relationship. 

I think you're going to age out of the F2A category and fall into F2B as the adult child of an LPR. You still have to wait for your priority date to become current and by that time you will be 24 or 25. 
 
CSPA doesn't provide the same kind of protection for the children of LPRs as it does for the children of AmCits. 

Totally incorrect. 
 
USCIS does not investigate the relationship. They merely determine whether a legal or biological relationship exists on paper. The consular officer determines whether there is a legit relationship. 

I think you're going to age out of the F2A category and fall into F2B as the adult child of an LPR. You still have to wait for your priority date to become current and by that time you will be 24 or 25. 
 
CSPA doesn't provide the same kind of protection for the children of LPRs as it does for the children of AmCits. 

Agree with what's been said. A new consular officer is not going to overturn their colleague's decision unless there has been a material change in circumstances - maybe she got a new job for instance. 
 
I will give people tourist visas if they're facing a 3-4 year wait for an immigrant visa, like the child of an LPR. But a CR1 has to present a really good reason why they need the visa and clear evidence that they will return promptly. 

There's no legal relationship between your wife and her caregivers, thus there's no basis for an immigrant visa petition. 
 
She's too old to be adopted and create a petitionable relationship under US immigration law. Not sure what the law is in Phills.

Does her partner have a visa? I'd suggest he attend the interview - ask the embassy whether non-applicants will be permitted to enter for a visa interview. It's going to be difficult to approve a stay-at-home mom if their spouse does not attend the interview and explain how the family makes a living (unless the spouse already has a visa).
 
Agree that having children is not necessarily a strong tie. People are more than willing to leave their kids with a relative and go work in the U.S. for six months (or maybe stay forever). 

I generally ask about all of their children, how many in the U.S.? How many in the Philippines? Do their other kids have tourist visas?
 
If it seems like the majority of their children are still in the Philippines and they have good jobs (ie, the means to support their parents), I'm more inclined to say yes. Older people have a more difficult time adjusting to the U.S. A lot of IR5s (parents of US citizens) end up abandoning their green cards and moving back home. 

It wasn't appropriate or necessary for the officer to comment on the bona fides of your relationship during a tourist visa interview. 

It wasn't appropriate or necessary for the officer to comment on the bona fides of your relationship during a tourist visa interview. 

I meant that the consulate will not give him a visa until he provides a corrected passport. I can't speak for London, but at the three consulates I've served at we told applicants with errors in their passport to come back with a valid one. They won't print a visa with a first name that doesn't match the name provided on the passport, and they won't print a visa with the name "Sam" if that is not his legal name. 

I would get a new passport. 
 
We generally send people to get a new passport if there's an error in their name because the name on the visa must match the name on the passport. This isn't really an error, but Sam is not the same as Samuel. The passport should match his birth certificate. Maybe the UK passport authority will recognize they made the error and expedite a new one for him. 

Emailing the consulate and asking is probably your best bet. Email the American Citizens Services and Immigrant Visa units. 

I've given a lot of visas to people to have been turned around at the border. Always because they acknowledge to CBP that their intent was to work in the U.S. I've never seen one my applicants get turned around because they changed slightly their purpose of travel. It's a ten year visa, the expectation is that you'll use it for different reasons and different purposes. 
 
Sounds like the first officer you spoke to didn;t really want to assess your situation and take a risk in giving you a visa. so they just refused you 214b. When in doubt keep em out. 

No. You need a joint sponsor. 
 
You also need to move back to the U.S. and establish domicile or at least have a plan to demonstrate clear intent to move home ASAP.

Mainly taking this opportunity to point out that there is no such things as an "IO" or "VO." There are consular officers (COs or ConOffs) that adjudicate visas overseas and USCIS Immigration Service Officers that adjudicate petitions. 
 
As to the main point. Refusal rates for Brazilians are not that high as compared to other countries in Latin America. Not a big deal if someone else is paying for a trip. I'd mainly ask questions about family. If his parents and siblings have visas and seem to be doing well, have professional jobs etc., I'd say yes. If nobody else in his family has a visa I'd say no. 

Your visa ban in Canada has nothing to do with your US immigration process. Although it is true that we can see if someone has been refused a Canadian visa, we don't impose a fraud ineligibility for lying to another government. The misrepresentation must be made to a US government official.
 
Someone mentioned that this may negatively impact your credibility, I guess that's true. But if the relationship is legit I don't see it as a problem. Lots of applicants and petitioners do sketchy/immoral things. 

He was refused primarily because the panel physician who did his medical exam said he has an alcohol problem. Theoretically there is a waiver for this. But if the consular officer also refuses you 214b there is no waiver. It's just easier to also refuse the person 214b. 
 
He can apply again if he wants. But he will always be ineligible because of alcohol use until a doctor decides he no longer has a drinking problem. 

I would refuse a tourist visa, no question. I've seen people get humanitarian parole from USCIS in this kind of situation.