Question on Visitor Visa

[scottyp43]

I have a Chinese friend who has a Visitor Visa and it expires towards the end of April. she is looking at coming to USA in March. she would like to stay for 6 months.

 

The questions I have is this. Should she renew her Visa now in China or wait till she here to renew it?

 

If she renews it in China should she do it soon or should she wait till her current Visa is expired?

 

If she come here can she stay here for the 6 months that they give her when she enters the country or does she have to renew her Visa before it expires.

 

I've read on the net that she either has to renew her visa before it expires and also conflicting reports that she can enter the country before it expires and as long she leaves before her 6 months stamp expire she still legal even though her Visa has expired.

 

let me know what you know on this Topic.

 

thanks....

 

Scott

[Randy W]

I have a Chinese friend who has a Visitor Visa and it expires towards the end of April. she is looking at coming to USA in March. she would like to stay for 6 months.

 

The questions I have is this. Should she renew her Visa now in China or wait till she here to renew it?

 

If she renews it in China should she do it soon or should she wait till her current Visa is expired?

 

If she come here can she stay here for the 6 months that they give her when she enters the country or does she have to renew her Visa before it expires.

 

I've read on the net that she either has to renew her visa before it expires and also conflicting reports that she can enter the country before it expires and as long she leaves before her 6 months stamp expire she still legal even though her Visa has expired.

 

let me know what you know on this Topic.

 

thanks....

 

Scott

 

A quick answer here - Dan may have better information when he wakes up.

 

The visa is good for entering the country through the expiration date. The length of stay is assigned at the POE for up to six months, occasionally less. She can stay until the date indicated on her I-94 stamp.

 

My guess is that as long as she is planning to enter before that expiration date, the best strategy is to wait until she is here to decide whether to extend her stay, or apply for a new visa - or if that's even necessary.

[scottyp43]

The I94 stamp that is what she gets when she enters the country or the Visa.?

[dnoblett]

The I94 stamp that is what she gets when she enters the country or the Visa.?

It is something she will get when entering the country, typically cards are handed out on the plane just before landing in the states, to be filled out, and then provided to the POE officer, it is called the entry/exit record, now a days it is electronic, they stamp passport, and if you need a record, you can get it on the POE website:

 

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/i-94_instructions/

[newacct]

How long she is authorized to stay in the U.S. is not related to when the visa expires. It doesn't matter if the visa expires while she is in the U.S. as long as her I-94 is still valid. How long she is authorized to stay is decided by the immigration officer when she enters the U.S. For visitor visa, they usually give 6 months. But if she has been in the U.S. a lot in the last year, or other factors, they may give less.