How hard is it to get your Filipina girl a US Tourist Visa?

[Horahngee]

I am wanting my girlfriend from the Philippines to come and visit me here in the US.

I have went online about a month ago to apply for my girlfriend's US tourist visa, the B2 form.

So far, the status online states that the visa application status is still pending.

For those of you who had girlfriends or guests from foreign countires applying for US tourist visa....how long did the entire process take?

My girlfriend is the one living in the Philippines.

[CannedHam]

I don't mean this to come off as negative (this is mostly for those applying in the future): as someone very familiar with the visa process, just want to warn you that it is insanely difficult for young single females from most countries to get a B1/B2, multiply that difficulty by 3 is she is from the Philippines. Even if by some miracle she gets it, there's a non-trivial chance she will be turned back at the airport. Look up the USA entry denial statistics, they are insanely high for Filipinos. They are notorious for overstaying, illegally working, etc. Expect to write off the application fee if you already paid it.

My wife had a B1/B2 and I believe it took something like 2 weeks from the time she filled out the application until she had the interview, but she got hers a while back, well before we met.

[Horahngee]

I don't mean this to come off as negative (this is mostly for those applying in the future): as someone very familiar with the visa process, just want to warn you that it is insanely difficult for young single females from most countries to get a B1/B2, multiply that difficulty by 3 is she is from the Philippines. Even if by some miracle she gets it, there's a non-trivial chance she will be turned back at the airport. Look up the USA entry denial statistics, they are insanely high for Filipinos. They are notorious for overstaying, illegally working, etc. Expect to write off the application fee if you already paid it.

My wife had a B1/B2 and I believe it took something like 2 weeks from the time she filled out the application until she had the interview, but she got hers a while back, well before we met.

What?! Are you kidding me, Cannedham?
I am kind of sad and upset now that you have told me these pieces of information.

I am actually going to have my girlfriend re-do the 160 form because I filled it out, and I BS-ed that my girlfriend is still in nursing school, when she has already graduated six years ago. She could not find a job in the Philippines so she has worked in Saudi Arabia for two years, then returned back to the Philippines,....only to not being able to find a job. Hencee, she has been unemployed for the last 18 months,....and that I think, will affect her chance of getting a US B2 Tourist visa. Because of her unemployment status (although it's not her fault because the economy and job opportunities up north is sh--ty)

The payment process for the US B2 tourist visa is ridiculous! I wanted to help pay the $160 dollar fee for my girlfriend. However, on the US Manila Embassy website, it states that payment is only done at Bank of the Philippine Island (BPI) or for those with bank accounts with BPI. I myself can't even open up a BPI bank account online - I have to be present at one of their branches with a photo ID to open up a bank account. Hence, my girlfriend will have to make that payment for her B2 Visa.

I have watched YouTube videos on advice for Filipino nationals who want to apply for a US Tourist B1 Visa. The theme in most of the video's that I have watched is "be honest, do not lie."

So CannedHam...what is your advice? Should I just marry her, and just apply for the spouse visa? And then after that, let her visit the US?

My goal was to have her to get the B2 tourist visa so that she could come to the US, visit my city, and see if she likes living here in the US.

What's the sense of her coming to the US if she will get homesick, or cannot adjust to the different culture of the US?

Going through the I-130 Spouse visa process is costly and what's more costly is the attorney fee that I will have to come up with (around $2000-$2500) to help me with the paperwork process.

[OutWest]

I don't mean this to come off as negative (this is mostly for those applying in the future): as someone very familiar with the visa process, just want to warn you that it is insanely difficult for young single females from most countries to get a B1/B2, multiply that difficulty by 3 is she is from the Philippines. Even if by some miracle she gets it, there's a non-trivial chance she will be turned back at the airport. Look up the USA entry denial statistics, they are insanely high for Filipinos. They are notorious for overstaying, illegally working, etc. Expect to write off the application fee if you already paid it.

My wife had a B1/B2 and I believe it took something like 2 weeks from the time she filled out the application until she had the interview, but she got hers a while back, well before we met.

What?! Are you kidding me, Cannedham?
I am kind of sad and upset now that you have told me these pieces of information.

I am actually going to have my girlfriend re-do the 160 form because I filled it out, and I BS-ed that my girlfriend is still in nursing school, when she has already graduated six years ago. She could not find a job in the Philippines so she has worked in Saudi Arabia for two years, then returned back to the Philippines,....only to not being able to find a job. Hencee, she has been unemployed for the last 18 months,....and that I think, will affect her chance of getting a US B2 Tourist visa. Because of her unemployment status (although it's not her fault because the economy and job opportunities up north is sh--ty)

The payment process for the US B2 tourist visa is ridiculous! I wanted to help pay the $160 dollar fee for my girlfriend. However, on the US Manila Embassy website, it states that payment is only done at Bank of the Philippine Island (BPI) or for those with bank accounts with BPI. I myself can't even open up a BPI bank account online - I have to be present at one of their branches with a photo ID to open up a bank account. Hence, my girlfriend will have to make that payment for her B2 Visa.

I have watched YouTube videos on advice for Filipino nationals who want to apply for a US Tourist B1 Visa. The theme in most of the video's that I have watched is "be honest, do not lie."

So CannedHam...what is your advice? Should I just marry her, and just apply for the spouse visa? And then after that, let her visit the US?

My goal was to have her to get the B2 tourist visa so that she could come to the US, visit my city, and see if she likes living here in the US.

What's the sense of her coming to the US if she will get homesick, or cannot adjust to the different culture of the US?

Going through the I-130 Spouse visa process is costly and what's more costly is the attorney fee that I will have to come up with (around $2000-$2500) to help me with the paperwork process.

If you are serious, your best bet is a fiance visa. The chance if her getting a tourist visa is very very slim. If you can do your own taxes, you can complete the fiance visa application. However, you will need to show proof of income as part of the application, as it is assumed that you will support her, at least initially.
I do not want to rain on your parade, but if comming up with a few thousand bucks is very hard, I would not advise you to bring her to the USA. Your other option might be to live in the Philippines. You need to know the truth so you can be realistic.

[CannedHam]

I don't mean this to come off as negative (this is mostly for those applying in the future): as someone very familiar with the visa process, just want to warn you that it is insanely difficult for young single females from most countries to get a B1/B2, multiply that difficulty by 3 is she is from the Philippines. Even if by some miracle she gets it, there's a non-trivial chance she will be turned back at the airport. Look up the USA entry denial statistics, they are insanely high for Filipinos. They are notorious for overstaying, illegally working, etc. Expect to write off the application fee if you already paid it.

My wife had a B1/B2 and I believe it took something like 2 weeks from the time she filled out the application until she had the interview, but she got hers a while back, well before we met.

What?! Are you kidding me, Cannedham?
I am kind of sad and upset now that you have told me these pieces of information.

I am actually going to have my girlfriend re-do the 160 form because I filled it out, and I BS-ed that my girlfriend is still in nursing school, when she has already graduated six years ago. She could not find a job in the Philippines so she has worked in Saudi Arabia for two years, then returned back to the Philippines,....only to not being able to find a job. Hencee, she has been unemployed for the last 18 months,....and that I think, will affect her chance of getting a US B2 Tourist visa. Because of her unemployment status (although it's not her fault because the economy and job opportunities up north is sh--ty)

The payment process for the US B2 tourist visa is ridiculous! I wanted to help pay the $160 dollar fee for my girlfriend. However, on the US Manila Embassy website, it states that payment is only done at Bank of the Philippine Island (BPI) or for those with bank accounts with BPI. I myself can't even open up a BPI bank account online - I have to be present at one of their branches with a photo ID to open up a bank account. Hence, my girlfriend will have to make that payment for her B2 Visa.

I have watched YouTube videos on advice for Filipino nationals who want to apply for a US Tourist B1 Visa. The theme in most of the video's that I have watched is "be honest, do not lie."

So CannedHam...what is your advice? Should I just marry her, and just apply for the spouse visa? And then after that, let her visit the US?

My goal was to have her to get the B2 tourist visa so that she could come to the US, visit my city, and see if she likes living here in the US.

What's the sense of her coming to the US if she will get homesick, or cannot adjust to the different culture of the US?

Going through the I-130 Spouse visa process is costly and what's more costly is the attorney fee that I will have to come up with (around $2000-$2500) to help me with the paperwork process.

The whole visa system is one big headache. The barrier to entry for filipinos is insanely high, thanks in part to them being notorious overstayers and working illegally. An unemployed single female from the Philippines is pretty much an auto-deny at the embassy, and likely be heavily scrutinized at the airport if she manages to get a visa. It's kind of crazy that filipinos are given such a hard time, yet the southern US border is left wide open. At the very a least a filipino overstayer would have been vetted by the US embassy, airport security, US immigration/customs upon arrival etc. whereas who the f**k knows what's flowing over the southern border.

A "trial" visa for potential spouses would be ideal but there isn't one. The K1 fiance visa give you guys 90 days to get married upon arrival to the US, but the process is a slog and the wait times are super long now. Not worth it unless you're 100% sure you'll marry. One thing that helped me come to terms with this type of situation is that it's all a huge gamble: bringing over a foreign spouse, going to live with her in her country, marrying a woman in the US, staying single forever etc. all have potentially big downsides that come with the upside.

If I were you, sure, give the B2 a shot, you could be one of the few lucky ones. If you're denied, don't bother applying again and just suck up the $160 donation to the US gov't. The B2 denial won't affect her chances of getting a K1 or CR1 visa down then road. At that point you two should decide which way to go. One positive thing to keep in mind is that filipinos in general do very well assimilating in the US compared to other nationalities, and are generally happy to be here. My opinion: spend as much time with her to make sure she's "the one", and then go the K1 route.

One final piece of advice: do not under any circumstances misrepresent something (i.e. lie) in any visa application. Getting caught can lead to a permanent ban from the US. They can easily ask her to show proof that she's enrolled in a university.

[xtravel]

I am actually going to have my girlfriend re-do the 160 form because I filled it out, and I BS-ed that my girlfriend is still in nursing school, when she has already graduated six years ago.

So her visa application has lies on it?

You've screwed her over.

No tourist visa for her. No K-1 or K-2 either.

[Master]

Best bet for U to go over there.

That way if you hit it and get bored youve got other choices.

If she comes here theres a big shot she'll turn the tables. Get bored of you, get americanized, and kick you to the curb!

[CannedHam]

I am actually going to have my girlfriend re-do the 160 form because I filled it out, and I BS-ed that my girlfriend is still in nursing school, when she has already graduated six years ago.

So her visa application has lies on it?

You've screwed her over.

No tourist visa for her. No K-1 or K-2 either.

It's only a lie if they get caught...

[Master]

he said that because its way more likely that they will.

[Horahngee]

If you are serious, your best bet is a fiance visa. The chance if her getting a toyrist visa is very very slim. If you can do your own taxes, you can complete the fiance visa application. However, you will need to show proof of income as part of the application, as it is assumed that you will support her, at least initially.
I do not want to rain on your parade, but if comming up with a few thousand bucks is very hard, I would not advise you to bring her to the USA. Your other option might be to live in the Philippines. You need to know the truth so you can be realistic.

Hey guys. I am back. Been busy with work and online school.

Anyhow, I have spoke to an immigration attorney, and she advised me that the spouse visa (I-130) is the faster and cheaper route to bring my future Filipina wife to the US.

The attorney went over the I-129 with me, the Fiance Visa, and she said that with Trump as president, it will take much longer to process and it will be more expensive for me to go that route.

Hence, I plan on getting married to my girlfriend (after engagement this summer time) some time this fall season.

You have mentioned that another option is for me to move to the Philippines. I would not mind doing that. However, with the profession field I work in, they tend to get paid 5x's LESS than what I would make here in the US. Plus my mom would be very upset with me if I moved to the Philippines (she still thinks that the Philippines is a 3rd world country....sigh).

[Horahngee]

So her visa application has lies on it?

You've screwed her over.

No tourist visa for her. No K-1 or K-2 either.

Bwahahahaha! You're kidding me, right?

I can always fill out another online application for my girlfriend. Or....I can have her go online and have her fill out her own tourist visa application.

Each time a person files a US tourist visa application online on the US Dept of State website, the system generates a different application number.

All my girlfriend has to do is complete another tourist visa application on her own, generate her own application number, use that application number when paying for her tourist visa at Bank of the Philippines Island (BPI), and use her new generated application number to schedule her interview at the US Embassy.

[Horahngee]

Best bet for U to go over there.

Nope. The job i work here pays very well over here in the US, but very very little over in the Philippines. My parents, moreso, my mom, will get really upset if I relocate to the Philippines. If I were to relocate to S. Korea or Singapore or Japan, meh,...she would be fine. But if I relocate to 3rd world countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam, she would be really upset with me. I don't have to listen to her. It's just that I don't know what kind of job/occupation I can do if I live in the Philippines.

If she comes here theres a big shot she'll turn the tables. Get bored of you, get americanized, and kick you to the curb!

^^ LOL! So funny that you brought that up. One of my mom's business clients, a Filipino guy (he's probably jealous of me), told my mom to not have me marry my Filipina girlfriend. He said that once they come to the US, they change their minds and attitude.

I do trust my honey Grace. She attends church, and is more of the shy and timid type of Filipina. Not the boisterous loud=mouth bar girl type of Filipina's that I have encountered in Hawaii and in Los Angeles. I also don't like American-born Filipina's. They tend to dislike Asian-American men when it comes to dating.

[Horahngee]

The whole visa system is one big headache. The barrier to entry for filipinos is insanely high, thanks in part to them being notorious overstayers and working illegally. An unemployed single female from the Philippines is pretty much an auto-deny at the embassy, and likely be heavily scrutinized at the airport if she manages to get a visa.

Aw shucks. I am upset that the US government discriminates heavily against Filipino immigrant applicants. Especially those applying for tourist visa's.

Are you dead serious? Even if my GF got a US tourist visa granted to her at the US embassy in Manila, she could be denied entry at the airport? Shit, I will chimpout if that ever happened!

It's kind of crazy that filipinos are given such a hard time, yet the southern US border is left wide open. At the very a least a filipino overstayer would have been vetted by the US embassy, airport security, US immigration/customs upon arrival etc. whereas who the f**k knows what's flowing over the southern border.

I whole-heartedly agree with you, canned ham. So many drugs coming into the US from mexico, gangbangers invading the US, immigrants from mexico refusing to learn English and speak American language. Yet, the US government is so tough on immigrants from Southeast and East Asian nations.

This is why the US,...while may not collapse in the future, will not be a global super power in the future. But I digressed off topic. LOL!

The K1 fiance visa give you guys 90 days to get married upon arrival to the US, but the process is a slog and the wait times are super long now. Not worth it unless you're 100% sure you'll marry.

I have met with an immigration attorney two months ago. She recommended that I go the I-130 route. The Spouse Visa route. I would have to get married to my girlfriend in the Philippines, which is what I intend to do some time this fall season. The attorney told me that the Spouse Visa process is faster, and less expensive than going the K-1 / I-129 Fiance visa route. She told me that the Fiance visa route takes longer now since Trump is the president, and the layout and timeline that she explained to me makes the I-129 a more expensive process.

If I were you, sure, give the B2 a shot, you could be one of the few lucky ones. If you're denied, don't bother applying again and just suck up the $160 donation to the US gov't. The B2 denial won't affect her chances of getting a K1 or CR1 visa down then road. At that point you two should decide which way to go. One positive thing to keep in mind is that filipinos in general do very well assimilating in the US compared to other nationalities, and are generally happy to be here. My opinion: spend as much time with her to make sure she's "the one", and then go the K1 route.

Yeah, I am going to visit my girlfriend again in June. I also plan on getting engaged to her during that time.

I am not heavily relying on the US tourist visa. I will explain things to my girlfriend when I visit her. If her tourist visa happens to get denied by the US embassy somewhere in the near future,...well...it's not the end of the world. She will just have to come visit me when her Spouse visa gets approved by the US Dept. of State or Immigration officials.

One final piece of advice: do not under any circumstances misrepresent something (i.e. lie) in any visa application. Getting caught can lead to a permanent ban from the US. They can easily ask her to show proof that she's enrolled in a university.

Yes, this is why I am having my girlfriend complete another US tourist visa application. Each time a person completes an application, the computer system generates a new application number.

As long as she uses her new application number, with the correct information in the tourist visa application, I think she should be fine.

I told my girlfriend to forget about the application that I had completed online, because it had false information that she's still in nursing school, when she's actually not employed at this time (due to the economic situation in the province she lives in).

[LFL]

One final piece of advice: do not under any circumstances misrepresent something (i.e. lie) in any visa application. Getting caught can lead to a permanent ban from the US. They can easily ask her to show proof that she's enrolled in a university.

Yes, this is why I am having my girlfriend complete another US tourist visa application. Each time a person completes an application, the computer system generates a new application number.

As long as she uses her new application number, with the correct information in the tourist visa application, I think she should be fine.

I told my girlfriend to forget about the application that I had completed online, because it had false information that she's still in nursing school, when she's actually not employed at this time (due to the economic situation in the province she lives in).

Well, it seems you have outsmarted the U.S. Government and you have everything figured out... unless, of course, they have the ability to search on her or you and the system retrieves that previous application with false information. But you're probably right, that seems beyond the capability of the most powerful country in the world. On the other hand, you didn't ask the immigration attorney this question ?

[Master]

Best bet for U to go over there.

Nope. The job i work here pays very well over here in the US, but very very little over in the Philippines. My parents, moreso, my mom, will get really upset if I relocate to the Philippines. If I were to relocate to S. Korea or Singapore or Japan, meh,...she would be fine. But if I relocate to 3rd world countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam, she would be really upset with me. I don't have to listen to her. It's just that I don't know what kind of job/occupation I can do if I live in the Philippines.

If she comes here theres a big shot she'll turn the tables. Get bored of you, get americanized, and kick you to the curb!

^^ LOL! So funny that you brought that up. One of my mom's business clients, a Filipino guy (he's probably jealous of me), told my mom to not have me marry my Filipina girlfriend. He said that once they come to the US, they change their minds and attitude.

I do trust my honey Grace. She attends church, and is more of the shy and timid type of Filipina. Not the boisterous loud=mouth bar girl type of Filipina's that I have encountered in Hawaii and in Los Angeles. I also don't like American-born Filipina's. They tend to dislike Asian-American men when it comes to dating.

Something tells me shes not for you. If your mother doesnt want you to go to a third world country then you shouldnt marry a third world girl either. I concur. A third world girl is only going to bring you hardship. Your not even married and seeing the likes of how hard it will be.

Money isnt everything. At a certain point if you really like the girl. You'll live dead broke in a dump if necessary. Ive done it. Its a lot of fun. But the trick is you gotta be in love like candy if not its not worth it. Chances are she is not if your bringing this up before it being brought up. If you make good money why mix up with a phillipine and not an american? there are plenty of good phillipines, asians, and others in the US.

Its no laughing matter. They will get americanized theres no way around that and chances are that they will kick to the curb once their claws grow. Unless you live in a good part of the country and have some control of her whereabouts. How long have you know this girl? how much do you trust her? are you okay with her going to the US you having a good time and her leaving you later?