madeinengland

Hi,

I have a girlfriend in the U.S and I want to be able to visit her regulary but I am concerned about those immigration ofiicers! If they ask me who I'm visiting & I tell them 'my girlfriend' I know they're not going to like it. But I was wondering, there's got to be a way that I can prove to the officers that I'm not going to do a runner & get married! Lets face it, thats what they think is going to happen, right?

I don't have a solid job because I want to remain flexible purely for the purposes of traveling. I have a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design and i intend to use that when i'm ready to settle down. My point is... What else do I need to show Immigration officers to prove i'm coming back to the U.K? Can I admit that I am seeing a girlfriend?

Just to throw a spanner in the works... I also had an interview with a US consular at the embassy in London and was denied a Tourist Visa because my girlfriend 'outweighed' my 'ties' within the U.K!!! ...in a nut shell, they think i'm going to get married without notice, which i have NO intentions of.

I understand the mess i'm in but surely there is something I can do about all of this? Can anyone help?

Many Thanks.

Manc

fly her to England.

Silverdragon102

the problem I see is that you have already been denied a tourist visa so how are you going to visit her in the US...... You can no longer use the visa waiver scheme......

J. J. Farrell

madeinengland wrote:
    > I have a girlfriend in the U.S and I want to be able to visit her
    > regulary but I am concerned about those immigration ofiicers! If they
    > ask me who I'm visiting & I tell them 'my girlfriend' I know they're not
    > going to like it. But I was wondering, there's got to be a way that I
    > can prove to the officers that I'm not going to do a runner & get
    > married! Lets face it, thats what they think is going to happen, right?
    > I don't have a solid job because I want to remain flexible purely for
    > the purposes of traveling. I have a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design and i
    > intend to use that when i'm ready to settle down. My point is... What
    > else do I need to show Immigration officers to prove i'm coming back to
    > the U.K? Can I admit that I am seeing a girlfriend?
    > Just to throw a spanner in the works... I also had an interview with a
    > US consular at the embassy in London and was denied a Tourist Visa
    > because my girlfriend 'outweighed' my 'ties' within the U.K!!! ...in a
    > nut shell, they think i'm going to get married without notice, which i
    > have NO intentions of.
    > I understand the mess i'm in but surely there is something I can do
    > about all of this? Can anyone help?

Applying for a tourist visa was a bad move, particularly since they
refused it. You are now at high risk of being refused entry if you
attempt to enter on the Visa Waiver. You need to declare on the VW
application that you have been refused a visa. That will automatically
get you sent to 'secondary inspection' where you'll be questioned in
much more detail. The Port of Entry officers are often stricter than
the Consulate staff - that is, even if the Consulate had granted you a
visa, you could still easily be refused entry if the PoE officers
thought you were a risk. With a visa refusal because of your
girlfriend, they're unlikely to let you in on the waiver to visit her.

You may be lucky (it comes down to the individual officers at the end
of the day); but detention and flight back is unpleasant and expensive.
I'd recommend meeting up outside the USA.

Ray

JJF ..Is correct .. you may get in if you keep the visits short ...
2 or 3 weeks only ...and build up a bit of trust with the POE

madeinengland

After the US Consulate denied my visa application she said "but you can still travel under the VWP" And that keeps echoing in my head. Why would she say that to me given the circumstances?

There seems to be forms and paperwork for everything else these day's, Is there not a way that say's to the Immigration officers etc, that I AM coming back? I mean this just seems crazy.

My girlfriend is at college & we're not particulary rolling in money so meeting up anywhere else but our own homes would prove difficult. She's coming to see me in December but idealy i wanted to see her before that and, quite honestly after that too!

Does anybody actually know the real reason why having a girlfriend/boyfriend in the U.S is such a big problem? If it's for safety reasons then why can't I just say to them for e.g "If I don't come back THEN arrest me!" Surely that makes sense right? I mean they'd have the address of where I'd be staying, the name of the person I'm with, they've got my finger prints and mug shot already! and every other detail about me that would instantly get me arrested if I tried to pull anything! I just don't get it.

As you can probably tell, I have a lot of questions but I really need some kind of answers so I can understand all of this & find out what my options are.

Many Thanks.

J. J. Farrell

Silverdragon102 wrote:
    > >
    > > I have a girlfriend in the U.S and I want to be able to visit her
    > > regulary but I am concerned about those immigration ofiicers! If
    > > they ask me who I'm visiting & I tell them 'my girlfriend' I know
    > > they're not going to like it. But I was wondering, there's got to be
    > > a way that I can prove to the officers that I'm not going to do a
    > > runner & get married! Lets face it, thats what they think is going
    > > to happen, right?
    > >
    > > I don't have a solid job because I want to remain flexible purely for
    > > the purposes of traveling. I have a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design and i
    > > intend to use that when i'm ready to settle down. My point is... What
    > > else do I need to show Immigration officers to prove i'm coming back
    > > to the U.K? Can I admit that I am seeing a girlfriend?
    > >
    > > Just to throw a spanner in the works... I also had an interview with a
    > > US consular at the embassy in London and was denied a Tourist Visa
    > > because my girlfriend 'outweighed' my 'ties' within the U.K!!! ...in a
    > > nut shell, they think i'm going to get married without notice, which i
    > > have NO intentions of.
    > >
    > > I understand the mess i'm in but surely there is something I can do
    > > about all of this? Can anyone help?
    > >
    > the problem I see is that you have already been denied a tourist visa so
    > how are you going to visit her in the US...... You can no longer use the
    > visa waiver scheme......

He can apply to enter on a Visa Waiver. He has to declare that he's
been refused a visa, which puts him at increased risk of being refused
entry. Whether or not he gets in will depend on his story, evidence of
intention to leave the USA, and luck.

Bob

Because it increases your potential to have immigrant intent, as in, they don't want you to suddenly decide not to bugger off or have the intent to marry and stay.

Silverdragon102

thanks for making it clear....

scrubbedexpat099

The only reason to apply for a B Visa in your circumstances would be to travel for more than 90 days and less than 6 months, so for most people its a no goer.

As has been said there is a question on the I-94W, you need to tick the box saying you have been refused a Visa.

I would not try an entry for more that 2 weeks, make sure that you are in work at the time, have a letter from your employer saying you are required back at a given date, tel them that you applied for a B because you had been told it was the best bet not realising the VWP made you ineligible.

And keep your fingers crossed.

Some have suggested flying through Dublin as your clear Immigration there, but they seem to give people a harder time so not sure.

Meryl

On Sat, 09 Sep 2006 10:01:22 +0000, madeinengland
<member55078@british_expats.com> wrote:

    >> madeinengland wrote:
    >> > I have a girlfriend in the U.S and I want to be able to visit her
    >> > regulary but I am concerned about those immigration ofiicers! If
    >> > they
    >> > ask me who I'm visiting & I tell them 'my girlfriend' I know they're
    >> > not
    >> > going to like it. But I was wondering, there's got to be a way that
    >> > I
    >> > can prove to the officers that I'm not going to do a runner & get
    >> > married! Lets face it, thats what they think is going to happen,
    >> > right?
    >> > I don't have a solid job because I want to remain flexible purely
    >> > for
    >> > the purposes of traveling. I have a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design and
    >> > i
    >> > intend to use that when i'm ready to settle down. My point is...
    >> > What
    >> > else do I need to show Immigration officers to prove i'm coming back
    >> > to
    >> > the U.K? Can I admit that I am seeing a girlfriend?
    >> > Just to throw a spanner in the works... I also had an interview with
    >> > a
    >> > US consular at the embassy in London and was denied a Tourist Visa
    >> > because my girlfriend 'outweighed' my 'ties' within the U.K!!! ...in
    >> > a
    >> > nut shell, they think i'm going to get married without notice, which
    >> > i
    >> > have NO intentions of.
    >> > I understand the mess i'm in but surely there is something I can do
    >> > about all of this? Can anyone help?
    >> Applying for a tourist visa was a bad move, particularly since they
    >> refused it. You are now at high risk of being refused entry if you
    >> attempt to enter on the Visa Waiver. You need to declare on the VW
    >> application that you have been refused a visa. That will automatically
    >> get you sent to 'secondary inspection' where you'll be questioned in
    >> much more detail. The Port of Entry officers are often stricter than
    >> the Consulate staff - that is, even if the Consulate had granted you a
    >> visa, you could still easily be refused entry if the PoE officers
    >> thought you were a risk. With a visa refusal because of your
    >> girlfriend, they're unlikely to let you in on the waiver to visit her.
    >> You may be lucky (it comes down to the individual officers at the end
    >> of the day); but detention and flight back is unpleasant and
    >> expensive.
    >> I'd recommend meeting up outside the USA.
    >After the US Consulate denied my visa application she said "but you can
    >still travel under the VWP" And that keeps echoing in my head. Why would
    >she say that to me given the circumstances?
    >There seems to be forms and paperwork for everything else these day's,
    >Is there not a way that say's to the Immigration officers etc, that I AM
    >coming back? I mean this just seems crazy.
    >My girlfriend is at college & we're not particulary rolling in money so
    >meeting up anywhere else but our own homes would prove difficult. She's
    >coming to see me in December but idealy i wanted to see her before that
    >and, quite honestly after that too!
    >Does anybody actually know the real reason why having a
    >girlfriend/boyfriend in the U.S is such a big problem? If it's for
    >safety reasons then why can't I just say to them for e.g "If I don't
    >come back THEN arrest me!" Surely that makes sense right? I mean they'd
    >have the address of where I'd be staying, the name of the person I'm
    >with, they've got my finger prints and mug shot already! and every other
    >detail about me that would instantly get me arrested if I tried to pull
    >anything! I just don't get it.
    >As you can probably tell, I have a lot of questions but I really need
    >some kind of answers so I can understand all of this & find out what my
    >options are.
    >Many Thanks.

I traveled to the US several times to visit my fella, now my husband.
It was from Australia.
The last time I was his wife.
Each time I had a visa waiver. On earlier trips I said it was for a
holiday. The second time I said accompanying my husband to visit his
family for Thanksgiving.
We had married in Australia.
My advice, make sure you have a return ticket.
Meryl

ian-mstm

You can say that you're coming back, but they are not obligated to believe you. There is no way you can absolutely prove your intent to return after your visit to the US. Plane tickets don't have to be used; jobs and homes can be abandoned; family can be left behind...

Ian

Marika

Meryl wrote:

    > I traveled to the US several times to visit my fella, now my husband.

oh my god


    > It was from Australia.
    > The last time I was his wife.
    > Each time I had a visa waiver. On earlier trips I said it was for a
    > holiday. The second time I said accompanying my husband to visit his
    > family for Thanksgiving.

you got to meet "the family". is that their official name

    > We had married in Australia.

Tell me about it...tell me all

mk5000

'this girl can blow anyone off the stage vocally. there are no tricks
or smoke and lights. she can turn it on and let it go'--morris hayes

Lester Mosley

Did he bring you Vegemite?



marika wrote:
    > Meryl wrote:
    > > I traveled to the US several times to visit my fella, now my husband.
    > oh my god
    > > It was from Australia.
    > > The last time I was his wife.
    > > Each time I had a visa waiver. On earlier trips I said it was for a
    > > holiday. The second time I said accompanying my husband to visit his
    > > family for Thanksgiving.
    > you got to meet "the family". is that their official name
    > > We had married in Australia.
    > Tell me about it...tell me all
    > mk5000
    > 'this girl can blow anyone off the stage vocally. there are no tricks
    > or smoke and lights. she can turn it on and let it go'--morris hayes

Meryl

Why would he? I was in Australia.
Meryl

On 10 Sep 2006 06:48:08 -0700, "Lester Mosley"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Did he bring you Vegemite?
    >marika wrote:
    >> Meryl wrote:
    >> > I traveled to the US several times to visit my fella, now my husband.
    >> oh my god
    >> > It was from Australia.
    >> > The last time I was his wife.
    >> > Each time I had a visa waiver. On earlier trips I said it was for a
    >> > holiday. The second time I said accompanying my husband to visit his
    >> > family for Thanksgiving.
    >> you got to meet "the family". is that their official name
    >> > We had married in Australia.
    >> Tell me about it...tell me all
    >> mk5000
    >> 'this girl can blow anyone off the stage vocally. there are no tricks
    >> or smoke and lights. she can turn it on and let it go'--morris hayes