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Tourist Visa for Colombian Fiance

Hello there!
My name is Jake Johnson i have been with my fiance for about 2 years ever since she came to the U.S. for an exchange program. Now we are going to try to get 2 birds with 1 stone. Right now im in Colombia bogota and cant really send in the K-1 Forms from here,

So when i go back on Aug 29 i have to take care of a problem i have for about a month then i can send in the Forms. while i am doing this she will have her tourist visa appointment on september 7, is there any advice for her to get a tourist visa easily?

We are planning the tourist visa for November as thats when all the college people get out and they are more likely to Issue the visa then. I also heard that the k-1 takes about 4-6 months so if she can get like a 3-4 month Visa then the k-1 forms should be done with or at least sent back to me that says she can stay in the U.S. for another 90 days to get married and stay.

Her Reason for getting the Tourist Visa is to visit her Exchange host family she had there.

Any Advice would help here as yall are the experts and have the most Experience, so any easy way ot cracks to fall through we would like to know out it so itll make our process easier to be together.

thx for reading!
Jake

By Shadowknight on Aug 17, 2007, 11:51 in Visa & paperwork.

msaucey says on Aug 17, 2007, 13:28:

For the tourist visa, a letter of invitation to visit the U.S. would help... She'll also need to provide that she is financially stable enough to leave Colombia, but with the intent of returning... I.E. A letter from her job, stating that she can be gone for a month or a letter from her school, noting when they will be resuming classes... If her Visa is granted, it will be granted as of Sept 7th... No pushing it out til November, that detail should be in the invitation letter... Along with a notation that all health care items will be covered by the host family... But, the main focus is going to be on financial status... So, she needs to bring along her bank account records to indicate that she has $$ to travel...

Tourist Visa's are NOT easily attained... So, best of luck... It's pretty much the luck of the draw...

It took a long time to get my grandmother her Tourist Visa... and a lot of paperwork prooving she was financially independant and that she would not be putting a strain on the U.S. economy... So, I had to send in all my information as back-up, including bank statements, stock information, title to my house....

Good Luck...

The trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. - CS Lewis

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deathnova says on Aug 17, 2007, 14:31:

If she's your fiance there is immigration intent. That means it is now fraud for her to apply for anything except a K-1 (or K-3 if you want to marry there).

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Conchale Vale!! says on Aug 17, 2007, 16:52:

if you are planning on a K1 soon the tourist vise is risky. If this is the plan do NOT send a letter of invitation. It could later be interpreted as mentioned as a fraud. The letter won't really help anyway.

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muchacho_escondido says on Aug 17, 2007, 16:58:

BEWARE!!! BEWARE!!! BEWARE!!!
You seem to be not very familiar with the immigration law. The latter does not forgive that!

Make sure you don't try to get married in the US while she is there on a B visa. That can be interpreted by the USCIS as *visa fraud* because the condition for issuing a B visa is that the person goes home. If she has a boyfriend/fiance in the US, she has an immigration intent (as far as US government is concerned) and would have to *lie* about that at the interview to be granted a B-visa. If she is accused of visa fraud she might be barred from the country for 10 years.

Besides, a B visa application MUST be denied if a K visa application is pending.

If you love each other, just wait a little bit and do it the RIGHT way. Meaning that you are in the US, she is in Colombia and you file for the K-1 fiance visa (or K-3 wife visa if you marry in Colombia). Wait for 5-10 months and you're together.

And hire a lawyar if you can afford that or at least buy a NOLA book on Fiance/Marriage visas and read it very, very carefully. The process can be tricky. Someone said something to the effect of: an American citizen has no idea how few rights he has until he tries to marry a foreigner. Very true: the US immigration system is unforgiving, even to immediate relatives.

Finally: I hate to break the news to you but many exchange programs require that she stays in Colombia for 2 years. This is the so-called "2 year rule" that applies to many J (exchange) visas. I'd first see if her visa has that requirement. If it does, your relationship will be up against a great test. Waiving the 2-year requirement is very difficult. Marriage to a US citizen does NOT help. However, if she was an au-pair/edu-pair (lived in an American family in exchange for teaching them about her culture and helping kids with school) she most likely does NOT have the 2 year restriction. But do check-- the visa itself should say that even though it's not always correct.

AND PLEASE, TAKE THIS *VERY* SERIOUSLY. SPEND A FEW WEEKS STUDYING THE LAWS GOVERNING IMMIGRATION OF RELATIVES.

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jinksmiester says on Aug 17, 2007, 18:30:

A visiters visa will be tough sell to immigration.... a long shot at best...be prepared to prove on her merits alone...she has money for such a trip...provide bank statements...proof of property in colombia...and to convince immigration she will return without question before the visa exspires..if she has a boyfriend...or even a HUSBAND its unlikley they would grant a tourist visa (RED FLAG GOES UP)for the simple fact that( hey...she has a husband or boyfriend and might not return)...as muchacho mentions above..be careful of visa fraud...Getting hitched in the u.s. still does,nt mean she can ignore her tourist visa and stay...and if she overstays illegally she may get deported and i don,t imagine it would help her situation for a different visa in the future...There is no EASY tourist visa for colombians...they don,t exist...you try and take your chances and its a lottery.
If you decide to get married in colombia instead you wait in line like everyone else and immigrate her as your wife...but its legal and your not screwing with immigration laws....or if you are planning to marry in the u.s.perhaps a fiance visa....Thats what you should be seeking...unless you are unsure about ACTUALLY getting hitched...

A man is not old until regret takes the place of dreams

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jinksmiester says on Aug 17, 2007, 18:33:

A man is not old until regret takes the place of dreams

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Gator says on Aug 17, 2007, 18:44:

¡¡¡CUIDADO!!!!

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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miamimike says on Aug 18, 2007, 07:04:

If she has an appointment for a Tourist Visa, tell her to go for it. If she receives it, great, if not you can do the Fiancee Visa. The fact she was denied a Tourist Visa will have Absolutely NO bearing on whether she recives a Fiancee Visa. The only exception to this would be if put down Info less then truthful on her part of the Fiancee Visa and if she isn't truthful completely, you probably don't want her as a Fiancee to began with,,,

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.

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MaSep says on Aug 18, 2007, 17:29:

hi!
I had the fortune to get the turist visa, my fiance gave me a letter that explained that I wanted to meet his parents in USA, well wasn´t that difficult after all, I travel many places with him for two months and during my travel we sent the aplication for the fiance k1, so I came back to Bogota to plan the big wedding....
I bought the dress, flowers etc...so one day my fiance called the DHS, what a big surprise for both of us!! we could not get married in Bogota after I get the fiance, so the wedding in Bogota was cancelled, we have to marry in a court law after I get to USA.. I´ve been in Bogota for 3 months and still waiting the embassy give me a call, I should be planning my wedding in here instead being freaking out about if we can be together soon or not!
so becarefull if you planning weddings with the fiance visa!

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Robert Jorge says on Aug 18, 2007, 22:34:

Exactly. By definition, a K1 visa is a FIANCE visa. Which means, you can't be married. If you get married in Colombia, you can / could have then gone through a K3 visa, which is a spousal visa. It takes about the same time as the K1. But that doesn't matter now anyway, as you have started the K1 visa. Sorry for your disappointment, but maybe your story will stop somebody else from making the same mistake. Good luck to you.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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