I'm totally amazed

[jm21-2]

After our tourist visa was denied, a congressional aide told me that our chances would have been a lot better if we had already purchased a round trip ticket with a return date. Seems totally impractical to me but that is the advice I got.

[Bill_McC]

That’s all new to me. They must have recently changed the requirements (?).

Normally they insist that you not make reservations or purchase airline tickets until after you have the visa in hand.

If she has a single entry visa, then the 6 months is how long she has to use it to travel here. It has nothing to do with the authorized length of stay, which will be determined later. It sounds like she already requested a 2-week stay on her application?

What did she list as her purpose for the trip? Just curious...

Ray

She only had air and hotel reservations, nothing was paid for at the time of her interview. She made the air reservations two weeks. I wouldn't say that means that she requested a two week stay on the application, but I would surmise that that is the case. Guys I don't have the answers to any of these questions at this point. As soon as I talk to her again I'll get answers to as much of these as I can. That will be tomorrow AM and then only if we have decent internet on her end.

Bill

[z_k_g]

Bill M,

Sound great!  

I know you will have a fantastic time with your pinay.  

Keep the stay exactly as requested, Ray is spot on, maybe that will help other single pinays get tourist visas in the future!

I'd like to hear the update when you get a copy of the visa page!

I've very very curious!

Zulu

[william3rd]

Do you smell a rat

pig

I smell something- they dont require police clearances or medicals for US tourist visas to my knowledge. It doesnt feel right. Sounds a little like those russian scammers-except for the prolonged cam contact. . . .

[piglett]

I smell something- they dont require police clearances or medicals for US tourist visas to my knowledge. It doesnt feel right. Sounds a little like those russian scammers-except for the prolonged cam contact. . . .

I guess we will have to wait & see what the outcome of it is.
I hope they just made changes that we don't know about & it all works out well for Bill.



pig

[z_k_g]

I hope they just made changes that we don't know about & it all works out well for Bill.

pig

Piggie,

Bill is a stand up guy, we all have high hopes.

Waiting patiently for the visa documentation! 

Zulu

[Bob_S]

Now what do I do if I don't want to let her go back home!??!?!?!?

Take a lot of cold showers and send her off.  The last thing you want is for the BCIS to think you might have planned this as a means of circumventing the fiancée or family visa process.  She might get accused of visa fraud, and then where would you be?  Sure, she could stay illegally and no one would ever come to deport her, but she would be effectively permanently cut off from her family.  No trips home ever.  She wouldn't want that, and you don't want to be the cause of that.  Keep it all legal and on the up-and-up.  Bring her back later on a fiancée visa supported by lots of photos of her and you together visiting your family AND visiting her family.

I smell something- It doesnt feel right. Sounds a little like those russian scammers-except for the prolonged cam contact...

I hear what you're saying.  And if she had sprung this on him 8 days in or even 8 weeks in, I'd say 'scam'.  But 8 months in?  It might be legit.  If Bill has the money to spare, it's worth playing it out to see what happens.

[Bill_McC]

It was a pretty bad connection again but here are some of the FACTS.

Its a B/2 Tourists visa. I had her hold it up to the webcam so I could see it. The issue date is 12/27/10. It has her picture and her name on it and looks exactly like a passport page.

The questions that were asked were about any police history. Have you ever had a court action against you, are you currently involved in any court actions. They asked about her family and her job. They asked why she wanted to visit the US and her answer was that she wanted to experience other cultures and to see if ours was as she sees on television. She said she wanted to see Disney Land and Miami beach. The original dates of her air reservations were 12/18/2010 - 1/7/2011 the week before through the week following Christmas and including New Years eve. She told them that she wanted to go to Times Square and watch the ball drop on New Years eve.

She said that the health check up was to see if she had any contagious diseases, AIDS in particular and so that she could get travelers health insurance. She said that the health insurance is required.

She hasn't purchased the airline ticket yet because of all of the New Years celebration, but shes going to reserve it and pay for it on Monday.

This is real and shes going to be coming to visit. The documentation package that she has with all of her paper work is about an inch thick. She has everything there together, the health papers, the reservations, her work history, her Tax ID papers, her passport, the police documentation, everything. She said that the visa might be able to be extended for up to six months once shes here by applying for an extension.

I hear you William. We'll do this the right way. My question about not wanting to let her go back home was kind of tongue in cheek. I mean at this point we've never met face to face and to be making plans like that is pretty silly. After a week she may be saying that I have bad breath and that I pass gas too much and she cant stand being around me. The fact is that there are legal, within the law, options if we do decide that we want to take this to the next level and that was what I was asking about. The first thing is to apply for the extension if we decide that's the way we want to go. Then to do this totally up front and legally. I do not want her stuck here as an illegal never being able to go home, never able to vacation anywhere outside the US and always looking over her shoulder. I wouldn't do that to her.

I think that the best Christmas and New Years I've ever had are just a week or so away.

Bill

[william3rd]

First, you need to see whether the term of stay is actually going to be 6 months. It may be less. The visa is like a pass to disneyland; that lets you into the park, if you pass the attitude test. The park hours (admission) is determined on arrival. Extension of stay will be considered based on the facts declared in the application and evidence of financial support available to fund a longer term of stay.


Best of luck. Make sure she tells the same tale on her entry; they can check that on the computer within a matter of minutes.

She needs to make that trip to Disneyland and Miami Beach!!! It may be important later.

[Capstone]

Hi Bill,

Let me first say a big congratulations! Not everyone is lucky enough to experience the opportunity that you have been given.

As has already been said the actual length of stay on a tourist is determined by immigration at point of entry. The most common type of tourist visa issued is one with a validity of 1 year which is good for multiple entries and for stays up to 6 months. Now the 6 months is the maximum allowable stay which MAY be granted upon arrival. Immigration will determine the allowable stay during point of entry and will stamp this information onto your fiancee's I-94 which will be stapled into her passport - the I-94 will then be surrendered upon exiting the US.

My sister-in-law has one of those multi-entry B-2 visas which are good for stays up to 6 months and she came to visit us for 6 weeks using it this past summer. Upon going through immigration she was asked how long her intended stay was (she replied 6 weeks) and then was asked to show her flight itinerary for her return trip. Based upon this the immigration official stamped her I-94 for a 60 day stay. So even though the visa allows stays up to 6 months, immigration will determine the actual allowable stay based upon the facts/circumstances which are presented at point of entry.

Now just to give you my 2 cents. I would not want to be hasty and decide to marry someone on a tourist visa after meeting for the first time no matter how well you may or may not get along during the visit. I would definitely want to visit her in the Phillipines at least once before making such a decision. That would allow you to meet and visit with her family in friends first and also to get a first hand experience of what her and her family's situation is back home. Now enough of my 2 cents - Good Luck & Congratulations!!

[Bill_McC]

She needs to make that trip to Disneyland and Miami Beach!!! It may be important later.

Our sister plant is in Orlando and we're in the middle of the start up of a totally new 400,000 sq ft facility so I'm scheduled to be sent there for some exposure before the end of Jan. Hotel and per diem are provided by the company so getting her to Disney World and Miami Beach won't be any problem. Effectively it'll be an almost all expense paid vacation there for both of us. Even if the business trip doesn't happen before her visa expires, I'm only 5 hours from Orlando and we can do a weekend trip down. I know for a fact that she really wants to see Mickey and Minnie.

Bill

[piglett]

You are one lucky rascal Bill !!!!
congrats




pig

[Bill_McC]

You are one lucky rascal Bill !!!!
congrats

pig

You can say that again Pig. Shes smart, driven, and a looker. She doesn't take a no as an acceptable answer if it doesn't get her what shes reaching for. I tried everything I could think of to dissuade her because I just knew that trying to get a tourist visa was a waste of her time and resources. This is the 2nd time shes proved to be wiser than her years or me for that matter. When she bought the laptop our talk time doubled, the cost dropped almost in half, and I got to meet her family. I kind of grinned inside when she said she wanted to buy a new camera and asked if it was OK, I mean it's her money, why should I have a say? See the new avatar up there. That's the pay off from her new camera. Yeah I think I'm one lucky guy and not just that she got the visa.

Bill

[z_k_g]

Bill M,

Congrats! I hope her strategy is a template for other single pinays to repeat her success!

I notice that she DID NOT MENTION SHE WAS DATING AN AMERICAN!  Smart move.

I think this calls for a new song if you're a decent writer!

She is definitely a looker!  Nice picture Bill!

Have fun!

Zulu

[Dave H]

Congratulations Bill!

Too bad I moved out in 2009! I will email you the keys to Miami Beach. I changed the locks before I left. Don't shock her by stopping at Haulover Beach (nude) on your drive down to South Beach! 

Dave

[Bill_McC]

I notice that she DID NOT MENTION SHE WAS DATING AN AMERICAN!  Smart move.

Zulu

That's totally truthful, even by omission, we've never been on a date.

Bill

[Bill_McC]

Congratulations Bill!

Too bad I moved out in 2009! I will email you the keys to Miami Beach. I changed the locks before I left. Don't shock her by stopping at Haulover Beach (nude) on your drive down to South Beach! 

Dave

Thanks for the heads up. Since I've never been there myself, that could have been a disaster!!!

Bill

[Jedironin]

Congratulations Bill!

Too bad I moved out in 2009! I will email you the keys to Miami Beach. I changed the locks before I left. Don't shock her by stopping at Haulover Beach (nude) on your drive down to South Beach! 

Dave

Thanks for the heads up. Since I've never been there myself, that could have been a disaster!!!

Bill

Maybe... 

[Bill_McC]

I just finished talking to Cris. Shes up and out of the house and on her way to the travel agent. Shes going to try to get a flight for Wednesday. That would probably put her in here Thursday, but I'm just guessing. I really need to just wait and see what she gets for a flight and what the arrival time will be when she talks to me again in the morning.

I'll take Thu and Fri off work if she gets here on Thu so that we have four full days together before I have to go back to work.

I've been cleaning and dusting and taking care of the house trying to get ready for her, but the time still seems like its crawling along.

The first stop will be for shoes and socks, shes never owned anything but sandals. After that a warm jacket, a couple of pair of jeans and a couple of sweat shirts to get her through until we can do some warm clothes shopping for her.

I've about got all of my bachelor food eaten and made room in the fridge and the freezer for whatever we may need for her to cook. I know I don't have enough rice and I know I don't have enough fish but I have chicken, pork, and burger so theres enough for a few days and that should hold us until we can grocery shop.

I made room in the closet and emptied a bunch of hunting gear out of the dresser so that she has four drawers and some room to hang her clothes. The bathrooms and showers are swept, mopped, and scrubbed and the toilets are clean. I moved all of my toiletries into the second bath because that's the one I prefer, bigger shower, and opened up the other bath so that she can have that one while shes here. My clothes are all washed folded and put away, but I didn't change the sheets, I'll do that in a day or two, just before she gets here.

As soon as I know for sure what day she'll be here I'll order some flowers and have them here waiting for her. She says she wants bacon, over medium eggs, toast, and fried potatoes for breakfast the first morning because thats my favorite breakfast and she wants to see how to make it.

I'd appreciate any ideas as to what more I could do to make her feel welcome when she gets here.

Bill

[robert angel]

Bill,

I know we're all devout altar boys here,  but especially if like you and I, we were bachelors for years before deciding to 're up' again, we sometimes need to 'clean up' our computers (Yahoo archives, etc)  and go through boxes, drawers and other stuff, just in case there's stuff that might strike a female significant other's sensitivity as hurtful or offensive.

There's no pictures of my ex wife to be seen in our house!

When we're off to work and they're alone and bored, 'acclimating' to their new environment, 'curiosity' and the discovery process can be quite interesting!

I'm sure you'll be fine, but just food for thought....

[Bill_McC]

ROFL.. Funny you should say that Robert!!! I was just going through old mail in both of my email accts and dumping old girl friend emails and so on. I have already thought about the search history on the 'puter, but unlike some, I am an angel where surfing porn and the like is concerned. There are a couple of blue movies that will be going into the Tuesday night trash, but thats about it. Thanks for the heads up!

What was the brand of the "big bag" of rice you told me to get and where did you say to get it? I doubt boil n bag will suit her needs.

Bill

[robert angel]

Bill,

Walmart almost always has a brand--my wife put it into a container (for the last five years, we always just left it in the sack) so I can't 'eye ball' it right now, but we recall it's the only rice they sell with the word 'Jasimine' in red cursive writing on it. We usually get the approx. five pound bag, but sometimes they sell a bigger, closer to ten pound or so bag.

For many Filipino households, there's a certain sense of comfort and security with having a really BIG sack of rice on hand, some rain or shine. Some jobs supply workers with a 10 or even 20 kilo sack a month as part of their 'pay'.

Anyways, they should have 'Jasimine' which besides its brand name, is also a 'type' of rice, I believe. Most Filipinos also like the rice most Thai's and Indonesians buy, but stay away from the really long grain rice they use in India. Call us and we'll give you the GPS addresses for a few Asian grocery stores, if we can't get out together and I'm sure you and Cris will have some fun poking around and picking out fish heads, sundry sauces and such things....

[Bob_S]

I just finished talking to Cris. Shes up and out of the house and on her way to the travel agent. Shes going to try to get a flight for Wednesday. That would probably put her in here Thursday, but I'm just guessing.

No, a flight out on Wednesday will put her here on Wednesday.  Holy crap!  Talk about a disasterous first date!  You're a whole day late!   

[Ray]

No, a flight out on Wednesday will put her here on Wednesday.  Holy crap!  Talk about a disasterous first date!  You're a whole day late!   

Bill,

Bob is correct that a flight from Manila to the West Coast usually takes around 15 minutes on the clock due to the International Date Line. You lose a day going West and repeat a day going East. (I lost a birthday once going West on board ship).

I would strongly advise taking off of work for at least 2 weeks after her arrival, if at all possible.

Here's a reprint of my "Filipina Bride Survival Kit": You can pick through it and see what you may need. I put an * by the more important items to get you started.


*****

Considering the culture shock and homesickness that often affects your Filipina bride when she arrives in the States, here is a list of items that you can try to have on hand ahead of time to help her feel more at home. This list is based on my own personal experiences and recommendations from other PL readers. Please feel free to add your own suggestions, especially if you are a Filipina immigrant to the U.S. You may have to find an Asian market in your area for some of these items, but the additional effort will be well worth it.


Required Items:
  *Rice, 20lb min, Calrose or Thai Jasmine
  *Electric Rice Cooker
  Cooking oil, 1 gallon
  *Soy sauce, 1gallon
  *Vinegar
  *Banana sauce
  *Dried fish
  *Dried squid
  Pork chops
  Ground beef
  *Spam
  Vienna Sausage
  *Coned beef, canned
  Sardines, canned, X-large
  *Garlic
  *Onions
  *Celery
  *Carrots
  *Cabbage
  *Potatoes
  *Ginger
  *Tomatoes
  *Eggs
  Bananas
  Lumpia wrappers, frozen
  Pancit noodles (Canton, Bihon)
  Sinigang mix
  Coke
  *Sprite
  *Lactose-free milk
  **Tabo (or 1-qt plastic pitcher)
  Step stool
  Nipa broom w/ 18” handle
  *Flip-flops, size 6, 2-3 pair
  Warm jacket, small
  Warm fuzzy slippers
  Electric blanket
  Woolite detergent
  Clothes pins
  Vick’s Vapor Rub
  Electric fry pan for outdoor cooking
  Prepaid phone cards

Optional Items: 
  Beer
  Rum
  Tabasco sauce
  Bagoong
  Patis
  Ground pork
  Hot dogs
  Fish, whole, with heads (Tilapia or Bangus)
  Nescafe instant coffee
  Pineapple juice
  Green mangos
  Fresh Papayas
  Squid, whole, frozen
  Mung beans
  Sunflower seeds
  Spinach, fresh (or ampalaya leaves)
  Eggplant, Japanese long
  Yellow squash
  Rice dispenser
  Karaoke machine with Filipino love songs
  Large framed picture of Last Supper
  Arnold Schwarzenegger movies
  Bucket, 5 gal

*****


Ray

[Bill_McC]

Wednesday, day after tomorrow, I wonder what she booked. I asked her to text me the details as soon as she knew them, but she always uses the excuse of "you were asleep and I didn't want the phone to wake you". I guess I'll find out soon enough. She won't be flying west coast, she'll be coming into Atlanta. What does that add? Another +/- 4 hours to the flight time? Never mind, I'll just wait and talk to her and get the info from her itinery.

Ray excellent advice. I'll take as much time as I can get off, but with this short notice I doubt it will be two weeks. However if I don't try the answer will be no so I'll at least ask and see what I can get.

I think you need to add a case of bottled water to the list. Cris has drinking water delivered and even though we have good water here I think that bottled water would be a comfort item for her/them.

Bill