Visitor's visa for wife to U.S.

[KevinNelson]

Here is the situation:

• I'm getting married to a fantastic woman at the end of this month, in China
• I will be teaching in a university in China associated with a university in California.
• My wife has had her job for 15 years with the same work unit. After marriage, she will continue to work with that unit. She is an elementary school teacher
• I will most likely continue working at the same university for at least two additional years, maybe much longer
• While we eventually want to come to the States for her to get her green card and probably also citizenship, that is a plan for no sooner than three years in the future
• She owns a house
• She has a son who has just finished his second year in a university. He is dependent up her/our income for continuing his studies
• She has parents that are in their late 70s, early 80s.
• My father is 87
• She has never been outside of China, though she has had a passport for about 8 years

Okay, that said, my son is getting married at the end of June, 2015. I would like for my wife to attend the wedding with me. Then, spend maybe a week or two touring the local area of northern California before going back to China, to sizzle in Xi'an.

 

So, I know it is not impossible to get a visitor's visa, but not easy. Any suggestions as to how to approach things so as to make it more possible?

[dnoblett]

Study topics tagged B-2 http://candleforlove.com/forums/tags/forums/B-2/

 

But here is one person that was able to get a visit visa for wife.

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/45943-wife-has-received-tourist-b1b2-visa-documents-needed-to-apply-for-green-card/?p=603683

 

It really is a matter of documenting ties to China, satisfying the visa officer's concern about immigration intent, showing that you and her both have jobs in China that you intend on returning to is strong ties to China.

[dan1984]

Here is the situation:

• I'm getting married to a fantastic woman at the end of this month, in China
• I will be teaching in a university in China associated with a university in California.
• My wife has had her job for 15 years with the same work unit. After marriage, she will continue to work with that unit. She is an elementary school teacher
• I will most likely continue working at the same university for at least two additional years, maybe much longer
• While we eventually want to come to the States for her to get her green card and probably also citizenship, that is a plan for no sooner than three years in the future
• She owns a house
• She has a son who has just finished his second year in a university. He is dependent up her/our income for continuing his studies
• She has parents that are in their late 70s, early 80s.
• My father is 87
• She has never been outside of China, though she has had a passport for about 8 years

Okay, that said, my son is getting married at the end of June, 2015. I would like for my wife to attend the wedding with me. Then, spend maybe a week or two touring the local area of northern California before going back to China, to sizzle in Xi'an.

 

So, I know it is not impossible to get a visitor's visa, but not easy. Any suggestions as to how to approach things so as to make it more possible?

 

 

Hmmmm, I don't have any magical suggestions or super helpful tips, but the one thing I would say is be honest. Explain the situation as you just did here. Say that this is your wife and you would not noting more than her to be there for your son's big day. In the future you two do plan to eventually move to the US, but right now your lives, jobs, and everything is in China. Hopefully they will understand and give you the visa, but if not, well, such is the game.

Of course being honest is always the best method, and as you do plan to go the immigration route in a few years, definitely don't want to do anything to put that whole process in jeopardy.

So, I'd say just explain everything as you did here, and hope for the best.

Not sure if anybody else here will have any other more concrete suggestions.

Good luck!

[dnoblett]

I will add, apoly for it NOW, the visa if valid year so will be valid next June. This will allow for a couple retrys if denied.

 

My mother in law was denied once, and had to reapply after which was approved on second try.

 

Worse case, if the consulate seems to be determined to deny the B-2 others have had to resort to filing an I-130 for a spouse visa DCF travel to USA and later give up the resulting green card and get a visit visa after that.

 

Example: http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/45297-conditional-green-card-holder-not-living-in-the-usa-i-751/

[Beachey]

I will add, apply for it NOW, the visa if valid year so will be valid next June.

 

I was thinking the same thing, You don't want to deny the relationship but I might have her refer to you as her boyfriend not fiance. Once they know you are intending to marry they might look at this as a shortcut in the immigration process even in DCF is typically pretty quick. Once you show the pattern of entering and leaving as per the visitor's visa, subsequent visas tend to be straightforward.

 

Is your fiance a member of the Communist Party? The problem there is at adds significant time to the visa approval process and might flag her as higher risk.

[KevinNelson]

Okay, based on a few of the comments above, I have another detail to add, as well as a few questions. Yes, she is a member of the communist party, but just rank-n-file, no leadership position ever.

 

Question: Once she gets the visitor's visa, how long is it good for? Second, once the application is put in, how long does it usually take to get an answer?

 

Another thing: She would be going there with me, not with a tour group. That may make getting a visitor's visa more difficult to get if she tried to pose as merely my boyfriend.

[dnoblett]

Okay, based on a few of the comments above, I have another detail to add, as well as a few questions. Yes, she is a member of the communist party, but just rank-n-file, no leadership position ever.

 

Question: Once she gets the visitor's visa, how long is it good for? Second, once the application is put in, how long does it usually take to get an answer?

 

Another thing: She would be going there with me, not with a tour group. That may make getting a visitor's visa more difficult to get if she tried to pose as merely my boyfriend.

Typically CCP does not pose problems for B-2 visitors visa, it does cause a delay for immigrant visas.

 

A B-2 is a 1 year multi-entry visa.

 

You will deal with CGI site for applying for a visit visa, typically you can schedule an appointment to interview for a visit visa a week or so after paying the fee. As for post processing, there has been a delay on printing the visas, some SNAFU at DOS.

 

http://www.ustraveldocs.com/cn/index.html?firstTime=yes

 

I recall Kyle's wife visited the USA with him before marriage.

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/41037-applying-for-a-b2-visa-after-marraige-with-us-citizen/?p=546377

[Joecy]

congratulations on marrying a fantastic Chinese women!

[KevinNelson]

Oh, another question. My primary language with my wife is Mandarin. We speak on Skype for hours each day in that language. She does have a receptive level of English reading roughly that of an American high-school freshman, but has little confidence in her English (at least she has a lot less confidence in her English than I have in my Mandarin. Would that pose to be a problem for the interview? (Once we are permanently together in about two week's time, that confidence level of her's will probably change, but how fast and how much is hard to say.)

[dnoblett]

Oh, another question. My primary language with my wife is Mandarin. We speak on Skype for hours each day in that language. She does have a receptive level of English reading roughly that of an American high-school freshman, but has little confidence in her English (at least she has a lot less confidence in her English than I have in my Mandarin. Would that pose to be a problem for the interview? (Once we are permanently together in about two week's time, that confidence level of her's will probably change, but how fast and how much is hard to say.)

Nope, the interviewing officers speak Mandarin.