Help Argentinian visit US

Illinoisjoe

Registered
Joined
Feb 7, 2010
Messages
82
Likes
29
Hi, Does anyone have any experience with Argentinians visiting the US? Here's the situation:
I met a wonderful Argentinian woman last August in the US. She has some type of valid US visa, probably a student one (she was there for a short course) but possibly a regular tourist visa (B2, I believe). Whichever, it is still valid.
I'm crazy about her now: I've been to BA to visit her and we made plans (i.e. bought plane tickets) for her to come visit the US for 2 weeks. However, I am worried about the extremely strict sounding language of US dept. of state and customs/border patrol websites.
Questions:
-Assuming her visa is a student one, does she need to get a different tourist visa for this decidedly recreational visit? If so, is there any chance of getting that done before April 21?
- Is there any other documentation she should have to justify her visit? It sounds like even with a visa she can be denied entry to the US. What would she need to demonstrate that her expenses are covered here for her stay and that she has ties to Argentina that will compel her to return after two weeks? I can write her a letter describing these things if that will help. In terms of ties to Argentina, she is in a PhD program there and has lots of family and friends there and none here.

Thanks in advance for any advice/anecdotes!
 
I doubt that she will run into any problem at the embassy if she is in a PhD programme in Argentina but stranger things have happend
 
If she's coming to the U.S. on a student visa, she would need to provide evidence that she would be coming to study, e.g. university acceptance letter. Without that, she will not be allowed entry.

She will need to get a tourist visa. You should stay out of the picture, as they might believe that you two are a marriage-of-convenience waiting to happen.
 
What ever you do you should at no time in no way say, suggest, imply or let them believe that you two are couple. They will refuse her entry with a big fat stamp in her passport & send her back (after a few hours of hassle. She is visiting "friends" or doing work for her PHD course NOT visiting her "boyfriend".

If her visa is still valid it should not be a problem.
 
mini said:
What ever you do you should at no time in no way say, suggest, imply or let them believe that you two are couple. They will refuse her entry with a big fat stamp in her passport & send her back (after a few hours of hassle. She is visiting "friends" or doing work for her PHD course NOT visiting her "boyfriend".

If her visa is still valid it should not be a problem.

She cannot enter the U.S. to visit friends on a student visa. If she were coming to the U.S. to do work on her PhD, she would have to provide the paperwork from a university or they will send her right back home.

How long may I stay on my F-1 student visa? When you enter the United States on a student visa, you will usually be admitted for the duration of your student status. That means you may stay as long as you are a full time student, even if the F-1 visa in your passport expires while you are in America. For a student who has completed the course of studies shown on the I-20, and any authorized practical training, the student is allowed the following additional time in the U.S. before departure:

  • F-1 student - An additional 60 days, to prepare for departure from the U.S. or to transfer to another school.
  • M-1 student - An additional 30 days to depart the U.S. (Fixed time period, in total not to exceed one year). The 30 days to prepare for departure is permitted as long as the student maintained a full course of study and maintained status. An M student may receive extensions up to three years for the total program.
As an example regarding duration of status, if you have a visa that is valid for five years that will expire on January 1, 2009, and you are admitted into the U.S. for the duration of your studies (often abbreviated in your passport or on your I-94 card as "D/S"), you may stay in the U.S. as long as you are a full time student. Even if January 1, 2009 passes and your visa expires while in America, you will still be in legal student status. However, if you depart the U.S. with an expired visa, you will need to obtain a new one, applying at and Embassy abroad, before being able to return to America and resume your studies.
- SOURCE

She will need to get a tourist visa. She will need to schedule an appointment. So, there's no telling if it's too late. She should get in touch with the consular section ASAP.
 
This needs to be said again, do not under any circumstance let the state department know that you two are a couple. If they know this, there is zero chance of them letting her come to visit. And she needs to make sure that she has sufficient ties to Argentina to convince them that she won't stay and this is much easier said than done. Owning property is the best way to convince them that she will come back.
 
I agree with Bradyhale. If she goes with the story that she is doing work for her Ph.D., it will sound too vague and they will ask for paperwork from an affiliated university. You cannot just enter the US on a student visa to do doctoral research on your own. There's a whole protocol that has to be approved, for instance, for human subjects' study and for that, again, you have to have a link to some university.

She could say she's attending a conference, but then again, she will need to be registered for the conference, have a hotel room, etc....

On a student visa, you have to be clearly affiliated to a university. Period.

On a tourist visa, they may still want to see her return ticket and any other information that gives them the idea that this young woman plans to return to Argentina for sure (employment info, etc.). Young, single, and coming from a country in Latin America are the red flags here for them, in this case.

I am not saying there is no hope. There is! But make sure that she gets all the documentation ready to prove she is coming back to Argentina after her trip.
 
I imagine if she already has a valid student visa as the OP said she is already affiliated with a University. I was also made to understand you can't have two different types of visas.

If her student visa is no longer valid that's a different issue. Either way, she needs to talk to the consulate. They are the only ones who can clarify her specific situation.

I just wanted to make the point NOT to mention the boyfriend/girlfriend thing at all, EVER.
 
mini said:
I imagine if she already has a valid student visa as the OP said she is already affiliated with a University. I was also made to understand you can't have two different types of visas.

Sometimes the student visas are issued for a longer period than the actual studies. At any rate, everything is really dependent upon your time being enrolled in the university, not the validity of the visa (as I posted above).

With the United States, it is actually possible to hold different types of visas at the same time, e.g., a journalist from Brazil who holds a media visa (I) might travel to the U.S. for tourism purposes on a tourism visa (B2).
 
wow, just wanted to thank everyone for all the good advice! I'm definitely freaked out now. I had heard the US was unkind to visitors, but I'm really starting to appreciate it now! I will get in touch with her and confirm what kind of visa she currently has
 
Back
Top