Help Argentinian visit US

[mini]

Hi all, thanks for all the useful info. It turns out she has a multiple entry B1/B2 Tourist visa that's good for 10 years, so that's good news. However, I am still concerned about the fact that a visa is no guarantee of entry into the US and it all depends on the customs interview. Given that she has a valid visa, a return ticket, and a gig (PhD program) in BA, is there anything I can or should do to help the situation? Write a letter of support or something? I've heard of such things, but I am not sure if they are mostly for the visa application process (which is already completed) or for the customs interview upon arrival in the US. and don't worry, the message is definitely received regarding NOT implying any romantic involvement. I have no trouble withholding information about my personal life from my government, since it really is non of their goddamn business!

There seems to be no shortage of strong opinions on this subject, and I certainly appreciate them, but I am especially interested in those of you who have personal experience or know actual stories about valid visa holding Argentinians who have visited the US. What kind of issues have they had and what do they recommend. I have already scoured US .gov websites on official policy and I am curious about actual practice.

The big problem is actually getting the visa. Since she has a valid multiple entry visa she will have no problems. You are worrying for nothing.


However she should under no circumstances say she is visiting a "boyfriend". Oh, & she should have money & credit cards on her.

 

[mini]

Will do.
good to know, will do.
hmm, might be problematic: She has no credit cards and I'm wondering how much a graduate student savings account is going to impress a US customs official, let alone an Argentinian one. hopefully two outta three aint bad, right?

I don't know... She should have enough money for the length of her stay. Say US$100 a day in her account & some of it on her person. She should not ever say anyone bought the ticket for her (if that is the case). Is her debit card a "Visa" or "MasterCard"?

Basically, if she doesn't have enough money to support herself for the duration of her stay, they could think she will be looking for work. Of course this is all IF she even gets asked anything at immigrations.

 

[Futboljunkie]

How long is she planning to stay?

Ask her parents or siblings for an extension of there CC

 

[porteña]

Maybe she can get one of her professors at the program, or the Dean - even better - write a letter stating that she is indeed enrolled in the program and actively working on blahbhahblah... because, if she is enrolled at the (public, free) UBA, there is no sure way of knowing if she is attending or not by just showing the student ID... the private universities, though, do control this by showing that you have paid your fees...

If she could get a letter from someone, on top of the ID or some other admin paperwork, maybe it would help (?).

Best of luck!

 

[Illinoisjoe]

How long is she planning to stay?

Ask her parents or siblings for an extension of there CC

She's staying for 2 weeks. I'll ask about the CC extension possibility. seems like credit cards aren't very common in Argentina. I've heard most charge a monthly fee?

 

[Futboljunkie]

Most middle class Argentines have various CC's

 

[pikto99]

Listen, not to ruin anything or playing jerk: do your homework, check what kind of study she was in (if she ever was), which educational institution, etc. Bc to me a combination of "wonderful" and PhD is quite suspicious.
I've never met PhD woman alive and those that I do know remotely (PhD ones) are definitely out of such description,

 

[mini]

Listen, not to ruin anything or playing jerk: do your homework, check what kind of study she was in (if she ever was), which educational institution, etc. Bc to me a combination of "wonderful" and PhD is quite suspicious.
I've never met PhD woman alive and those that I do know remotely (PhD ones) are definitely out of such description,

Huh??? WTF does that mean?

 

[Katie]

"On the day of his appointment I went to the embassy as well.'

It really surprises me that you were allowed to accompany your fiance. How did you manage that?

This is the second person that has asked me this question recently, so I thought I'd post and clear it up. I was allowed into the embassy because I'm a U.S. citizen. They told me at the door that citizens have the right to enter the embassy at any time and for any reason. I simply brought my passport and waited in line with my fiance. The employees outside of the embassy (while we were waiting in line) weren't sure if I would be able to listen to the interview, but I wanted to be there anyway for moral support. In the end I simply approached the window with my fiance when his number was called and I was able to be a part of the interview.

Honestly, the interview process is a lot less scary than it sounds. It's more like going to the DMV or post office in the U.S.: there are windows with only small partitions separating interviewees. You stand during the entire interview and shove any documentation under the window. There's no separate interview room or anything like that.

Keep in mind that we went through the process last October (2009) so if anyone has tried it recently and had a different experience they may have changed the policy.

 

[sesamosinsal]

Several friends said that they were treated disrespectfully however this was several years ago. Maybe things have improved.

Jennifer Noronha, U.S. Public Affairs FSO in Buenos Aires:

"There is this myth out there that it's difficult to get a visa and that we treat people poorly; none of that is true," says Noronha with numbers in hand: 95% of visa requests are approved. "And we have surveys that indicate that 94% of the people who request a visa believe that we treat them well or very well. If there's one complaint, it's that they have to wait outside in the rain sometimes while they wait to enter the building. However, we've received funds from the government to put up a roof and fix this issue," she adds.

~Rest of the article (in Spanish)