Visitors Visa, ten year visa, spouse VISA US

mountainannie · #1 08-26-2009, 09:58 AM

Can you just give me some general information? I just got a PM from someone who said that as an American he was turned down for a two week visitor's visa for his wife, even though they have lots of ties to the DR.

I thought that if you had about $10,000 US in the bank, or if you were married to a US citizen it was pretty easy to get a US visa.

AnnaC · #2 08-26-2009, 10:20 AM

Seems that every country is getting tough on visitor visas. There is no guarantee even if you have everything they require. The applicant still has to convince immigration that they will return.

It's third party but there is much you might not know, such as, how long have they been married, is she in the process of Immigrating, is the 10,000 in her account or his, did it suddenly appear in her name just before applying etc.

USCIS - Business or Pleasure Visitors

windeguy · #3 08-26-2009, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainannie

Can you just give me some general information? I just got a PM from someone who said that as an American he was turned down for a two week visitor's visa for his wife, even though they have lots of ties to the DR.

I thought that if you had about $10,000 US in the bank, or if you were married to a US citizen it was pretty easy to get a US visa.

On the contrary. I have personal experience in this matter. A Dominican married to a US Citizen will almost never get a visitor's visa to the US. They make this very difficult to cut down on visa fraud. It is insulting to the US citizen? Yes it certainly is.

To get a spouse into the US, you can go through the residency procedure, then either live happily ever after in the US or trade in residency for a visitor's visa if you don't want to live in the US. I don't know of any other way, other than a miracle, that a Dominican spouse will get a visitor's visa to the US.

El Viejo · #4 08-27-2009, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by windeguy

On the contrary. I have personal experience in this matter. A Dominican married to a US Citizen will almost never get a visitor's visa to the US. They make this very difficult to cut down on visa fraud. It is insulting to the US citizen? Yes it certainly is.

To get a spouse into the US, you can go through the residency procedure, then either live happily ever after in the US or trade in residency for a visitor's visa if you don't want to live in the US. I don't know of any other way, other than a miracle, that a Dominican spouse will get a visitor's visa to the US.

I'm a retired US citizen living in Sosua and married to a Dominican. In May I was thinking of a visit to the US so we applied for a B1 / B2 visitors Visa for my wife, Miguelina ( her first one). Her appointment at the Consulate was July 8Th and they told her at that time that her VISA was approved. Imagine my surprise the following week when they delivered her passport with a 10 year VISA in it.
She does not work or have a bank account here in the DR with US $10,000. in it. I think it is the supporting documentation and how you answer the questions that determine whether or not you receive the VISA

Rick aka: El Viejo

mrland · #5 10-13-2009, 03:30 AM

I also know of retired US Citizens who's spouses have visitor's visas. However, if you aren't a retired US Citizen the chances of your spouse getting a B1/B2 are 1 in 100! I feel it's a fluke in the system because a citizen could apply for the spouse to immigrate thus live permanently in the U.S. So why not be able to visit? Some spouses may even visit and decide they'd rather not live in the U.S. Perhaps, the rules should be changed to make the K3 a spouse non-immigrant visitor's visas for non-intending immigrants of U.S citizens then only after entering the the U.S.A for more than 180 days the U.S citizen may apply for a permanent visa for the spouse if that is what they want. That way the foreign spouse gets to see the U.S first before going through the process of applying for and receiving a permanent visa.

In my particlular case my wife visited the U.S and decided to return to her country (Mexico) and will not immigrate anytime in the near future, if ever. I know very few people in the U.S besides two relatives and have spent a great deal of my life abroad. At this stage of my life I'm not intending to reside in the U.S but just because I'm a U.S Citizen the odds are that my wife would not receive a B1/B2 visa which she would only use for occassional visits, say a weekend in Vegas. I feel it's an un

fair policy.

zoomzx11 · #6 10-13-2009, 09:50 AM

Yesterdays NY Times wrote that the US has no system in place to track people who enter the US. They dont know if they stay, go, or hide illegally. Imagine that - they dont know if you ever return to your home country or not. Of course they are not going to issue visitors visas. The US consul told me they operate from a "no" basis and its up to you to convince them you will return. My wife was turned down flat. We have a long list of DR ties that make it absurd that we would not return including a four year marriage, kids, property and on and on. We wanted to go to LA for two weeks vacation. We paid the $160 US, waited five hours, were asked four questions (three of which we already answered online) and were told "no".
They give no reason. "In the eyes of the interviewer your wife was not qualified". Ok, what do we need to do to make her more qualified? "I cannot tell you that as it is up to the interviewer" (US consul). They only give out a visitors visa once in a while so they are able to deny the fact that they do not give out visitors visas. I know of one couple who got the visa on their fifth try. Nothing changed between the first no and the fifth final yes. It is an insulting demeaning process that is made more hurtful by the fact that the illegals are pouring into the US while the people who act lawfully are abused.
In the five hours that my wife waited she did not see one person get a visa. They processed 4 or 5 hundred people in that time. Do the math at $160 per person. It even pays for them to turn you down! They have to be funding the entire immigration operation with this money even as inefficient as government operations usually work. Want to give it a try, best of luck. My wife refuses to go again. That of course is exactly what they want. Pay the $, get turned down then go away. There is no shortage of hopefuls who think its a fair system and they have a chance, its not and they dont!

windeguy · #7 10-13-2009, 10:37 AM

xoomzx11 has discovered the sad truth about visitor's visas to the US. As I mentioned, from personal experience and also research, it is practically impossible for a Dominican spouse of a US Citizen to get a visitor's visa. They do give out one occasionally to keep up the appearance that they grant visas such as the one mentioned in this thread above. Please do not get false hope from one success story out of many attempts. The visitor visas scheme is a nice business, where they collect $160US from hundreds of people weekly and say no in a few minutes during the so called "interview" to virtually all of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoomzx11

Yesterdays NY Times wrote that the US has no system in place to track people who enter the US. They dont know if they stay, go, or hide illegally. Imagine that - they dont know if you ever return to your home country or not. Of course they are not going to issue visitors visas. The US consul told me they operate from a "no" basis and its up to you to convince them you will return. My wife was turned down flat. We have a long list of DR ties that make it absurd that we would not return including a four year marriage, kids, property and on and on. We wanted to go to LA for two weeks vacation. We paid the $160 US, waited five hours, were asked four questions (three of which we already answered online) and were told "no".
They give no reason. "In the eyes of the interviewer your wife was not qualified". Ok, what do we need to do to make her more qualified? "I cannot tell you that as it is up to the interviewer" (US consul). They only give out a visitors visa once in a while so they are able to deny the fact that they do not give out visitors visas. I know of one couple who got the visa on their fifth try. Nothing changed between the first no and the fifth final yes. It is an insulting demeaning process that is made more hurtful by the fact that the illegals are pouring into the US while the people who act lawfully are abused.
In the five hours that my wife waited she did not see one person get a visa. They processed 4 or 5 hundred people in that time. Do the math at $160 per person. It even pays for them to turn you down! They have to be funding the entire immigration operation with this money even as inefficient as government operations usually work. Want to give it a try, best of luck. My wife refuses to go again. That of course is exactly what they want. Pay the $, get turned down then go away. There is no shortage of hopefuls who think its a fair system and they have a chance, its not and they dont!

windeguy · #8 10-13-2009, 11:14 AM

Here is the short answer on how a Dominican spouse of a US Citizen can get a US visitor's visa. Apply for US Residency for your spouse ( and children if you have them and want them to visit as well). It takes much more time to process and several times more money than $160 US, but will most likely be granted as long as you have a real marriage. Then turn in the residency/green card for a 10 year visitor's visa. Sound ridiculous? It certainly is, but because of what zoomzx11 has posted, it is just about the only way to get a Dominican spouse a visitor's visa. In the long run it will actually be cheaper and much less frustrating than applying over and over again for a visitor's visa.