Canadian & Us Tourist Visa For Novio

[la_guachita]

My boyfriend and I are planning to take a trip to the US & Canada this summer. I am worried about him being able to get the visitors visas only because I know others who have had problems if they are deemed a 'flight risk'. He is completing his grad degree, owns property here, has a government contract here and also traveled once out of the country for a scholarship program, but he speaks 0 English and has no kids (which I understand can help to get a visitors visa because they reckon you will return).

Any one who has visited with their significant other have tips on how to successfully get the visas? Any problems we should anticipate? It would be a bummer if he can't get either one of the visas.

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[ajoknoblauch]

My boyfriend and I are planning to take a trip to the US & Canada this summer. I am worried about him being able to get the visitors visas only because I know others who have had problems if they are deemed a 'flight risk'. He is completing his grad degree, owns property here, has a government contract here and also traveled once out of the country for a scholarship program, but he speaks 0 English and has no kids (which I understand can help to get a visitors visa because they reckon you will return).

Any one who has visited with their significant other have tips on how to successfully get the visas? Any problems we should anticipate? It would be a bummer if he can't get either one of the visas.

Thanks for your suggestions!

If he owns property and has a job, those are points in his favor. The US consulate, though, may ask for proof of his solvency.

 

[trennod]

I cant help you too much from US point of view but when I was working in Canada, we got my girlfriend a visa and she was studying at that time, had no job and lived with her parents. We then got her a tourist visa to come to Australia (same situation, similar requirements) I can understand your concerns, but on the face of it it sounds fine.

You should note that the what they want to make sure is that hes not going to stay/overstay, ie that he has sufficient reasons (ties) to return to Argentina. They also want to be sure he has enough money to cover his trip.

What you should do is:
- write an invitation letter inviting him to come to Canada and visit you (to meet your family etc etc)
- provide in your application the evidence of him owning property (property titles?) and the fact he has a job to return to (letter from employer)
- provide bank statements, credit card statements whatever to show there is enough $ to cover the stay. If you are going to be helping him out then include that in a letter, the applicatiuon and then include evidence of the finances from your end.

If you need any other help let me know. .

PS 0 english - you really should teach him some

 

[DontMindMe]

Hi there,

I was lucky in that when I met my boyfriend, he already had the tourist visa to the U.S. He got it just because he thought he might like to go there fairly soon, and finally did when he met me. He had no friends in the U.S. and no American girlfriend yet when he went through the process, so no letter of invitation, nothing like that. No car, no property, no kids, no family in Argentina, minimal English. He did have his work contract in Argentina and all the other required documents, but that's it. The interview was done in Spanish. They asked him things like why are you in Argentina (he's not Argentine but has residency), how long have you been working here, how much do you make, what do you want to do in the U.S., fairly expected questions. I think it definitely worked in his favor that he had already moved from his home country to Argentina to work a white collar job and that he'd been there for a few years.

BUT-- Those on the paranoid side would recommend that your boyfriend not mention having an American girlfriend during the visa application process at all, and that when he lands stateside, keep lying at customs and say he wants to [insert touristy activity here] if they ask, and not mention you. Whether lying could bring up complications later on is another issue--I really have no idea--but this tactic has worked (provided it had any influence at all) for several people I know. Obviously, this recommendation is irrelevant if you're not American, but I can't tell from your post.

 

[irina]

BUT-- Those on the paranoid side would recommend that your boyfriend not mention having an American girlfriend during the visa application process at all, and that when he lands stateside, keep lying at customs and say he wants to [insert touristy activity here] if they ask, and not mention you. Whether lying could bring up complications later on is another issue--I really have no idea--but this tactic has worked (provided it had any influence at all) for several people I know. Obviously, this recommendation is irrelevant if you're not American, but I can't tell from your post.

I second the advice of him not mentioning his American or Foreign girlfriend. My now husband/then boyfriend applied for his US tourist visa to go to the states with me and they really badgered him about his relationship situation, he ended up saying he had a girlfriend but lied and said I was argentine and he was going to visit friends. They asked a lot of questions about it like does he live with this girlfriend, why isn't she travelling with him, when did they meet etc, and then at the end of the interview they doubled back and asked again all the same questions. They were really fixated on his relationship status and I'm sure saying he was going to meet his girlfriends family in the US would have thrown up all sorts of red flags.

Also again as Dontmindme said, make sure he doesn't mention you in immigration once in the States (can't speak for Canada) or if he does just make sure he has his itinerary printed and on him so he can show his onward travel. My hubby let his guard down and happily said "I'm here for my wedding!" and they (understandably I guess) wanted to see his onward travel...which I stupidly had with me in the citizens line...well a long interrogation and a missed connection and they let him through but a huge hassle

 

[Ceviche]

Interestingly, the Canadian embassy wants payment of the visa fees via a local debit card. So you better have that in hand! Crazy rules!

For US embassy, be prepared to stand in a mile long que early in the winter morning. Go with a heavy winter jacket!

 

[la_guachita]

Awesome tips! Thanks so much. Don't know about the not mentioning me. He twitches his eyeball when he lies anyway. I wonder if it will help that I've lived here nearly ten years, so it may not seem likely that we were doing a visa-->marry scam. The formal invitation is a good idea perhaps. Cheers!

 

[StuckLikeGlue]

Awesome tips! Thanks so much. Don't know about the not mentioning me. He twitches his eyeball when he lies anyway. I wonder if it will help that I've lived here nearly ten years, so it may not seem likely that we were doing a visa-->marry scam. The formal invitation is a good idea perhaps. Cheers!

On that note... my boyfriend is Argentine and we were already dating when he applied for the tourist visa and wanted to come to the States with me for a visit, everyone told him not to mention having an American gf but he didn't feel comfortable lying so he just went ahead and told the truth: that I currently live in Argentina and he was going with me to spend Christmas with my family and then we'd return together... at the time he wasn't employed, wasn't studying, no property, etc... and they gave him the visa with nothing more than a warning that if he ever wanted to stay in the U.S. he'd have to apply for a different visa. They asked him a few questions about me and my family just to be sure he knew where he'd be staying, and now a few years later we're applying for the fiancé visa so they've got it all on record.... I personally think it's best to just be honest!

 

[Crema Americana]

I think the one thing that sets off red flags is if they think you're lying or hiding something. My advice would be to tell the truth.

 

[citygirl]

I agree. The consulate officers are very aware of all the tricks and they're heard all the stories. Just tell the truth - it will always go over better.