Visitor visa personal doubts..please help!

happygolucky22 · Feb 27, 2014

Hi friends,
i am pregnant and we are planning to invite my parents for a stay of 6 months on tourist visa valid for 10 years. My in-laws will not be able to come to help in my delivery as they have a house construction going on and also my younger SIL lives with them and goes to a regular college. My husband is planning to fill and start visa application process for my parents and his parents together and wants to have them all interviewed together at the same date and time. He also wants to go with 10 yrs validity instead of the usual 6 months.

Just to clarify i am talking about US Tourist visa and I live in US.my husband is on H1 and I am on H4.

Now I am worried since he is the only one sponsoring everything what if the visa interview officer thinks this is just too much for one guy to invite all 4 persons together and becomes extra picky and rejects one of them. This could affect my parents visa more as they are living alone in in India and are retired and frankly officer may think that they don't have any reason to go back to india. Since only they could come for my delivery i am more worried what if they don't get the visa.

Please help me friends if this is a good idea to file all visas together and to give interview on the same dates and time. Please share if you have any knowledge or good or bad experience of yourself or of your acquaintances.also if anybody has filed 10 year visa versus a 6 months single entry one. Is 10 year one more difficult to get?

thanks in advance

Divyavignesh · Feb 27, 2014

Hi,
I don't think you can "ask for" the validity or duration of visitor Visa. It is decided by Visa officer.
Yes the best thing is first you can sponsor your parent's visa and then in-laws as they are not going to travel any soon.

Generally in the visa invitation letter and to the visa interviewer we would say that the stay in the USA will be purely on tourist purpose for 3 to 4 months.
Generally they give visa for 10 yrs( yes my parents recently got 10 yrs visitor visa). They mentioned in the interview that they are going to stay here for 3 months.

Never mention that they are coming here to help you in your Delivery

ramyaramani · Feb 27, 2014

When going for the visa interview the visa officer decides the visa period i.e 10 years/5 years/1 year etc. When a person travels after visa has been approved then at the port of entry the immigration officer decides the length of stay and number of entries etc based on return ticket and other information.

I think you are confused between the visa approval time period and length of stay.

It is not a good idea to send everyone together. It is better to take different appointments for your parents and in laws.

happygolucky22 · Feb 27, 2014

Yes I didnt know that visa officer decides the length of the visa..good to know thanks for clarifying..

happygolucky22 · Feb 27, 2014

Awaiting more replies...please reply friends with your experience and any tips

mathiravi · Feb 27, 2014

we got visa for both our parents and Ils. However, they attended their interviews separately almost 6 months gap. Validity of the visa is however determined by the visa officer. don't worry, if your parents are retired. They can carry their bank pass book, property papers, if you have any siblings who are working and unmarried, tey can carry their ID cards too. You have to just make the visa officer trust that you have strong backgrounds for returning home.

Both our parents got 10 years validity visa. Let your parents go to visa interview first. once their visa is approved, your Ils can go. In that way, you can avoid tension.

superwoman09 · Feb 27, 2014

Visitor visa is generally granted for 10 years but the max a person can stay in US at a time is six months. As mentioned by others at the port of entry the officer will decide what time max to be given, usually they give six months unless they find something unusual in that case only they reduce. Make sure they do not mention anywhere regarding post delivery care neither in the interview nor at port of entry. Just ask parents/ILs to say that they are coming for visiting purposes. If possible do not mention other relatives who have settled down over there because that again raises a doubt of people settling down. Answer only what is asked, no extra information or gloating (many have the habit of show off). If parents have property, rental or young or old ones to take care of mention that as a reason for them coming back. Carry documents or photos for proof. In short make it appear that they are just going to stay for a period of 4 months or so, visit places and return back to take care of their routine here.

Better if one set of parents go at a time.

happygolucky22 · Mar 4, 2014

Thank you all... Based on suggestions here I have finally convinced my DH to have different interview dates separated atleast by a month. Hopefully everything will go well.