ryano77

Hi there,

I'm currently planning a trip to the US in February. Basically i'm looking to set up a base in NY and do various road trips to visit friends up and down the east coast to start off with but also head down into central america/mexico for an undefined amount of time.

I will also be going across to the west coast to attend various music festivals and also visit friends in LA.

So bascially the trip planned at the moment will be larger than the 3 months for the VWP so i was just wondering what the chances of receiving a B-2 tourist visa for 6 months?

I will have enough funds to cover me and i believe compelling ties at home to ensure i will leave the country.

I have no convictions and have been working professionally for 4 years since graduating from university but feel its time to do a good stint of travelling.

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE.

I have moved your thread into the US Immigration forum. No doubt someone will be around to help you before long. In the meantime take a look through the titles in this forum you will find many threads discussing the B2 visa.

jeffreyhy

Be sure to make a good presentation of your itinerary, to demonstrate that the amount of time you want to spend in the USA is consistent with the purpose of your visit. You've made a good start with your description in your post here.

Be prepared to convincingly demonstrate why you are able to spend so much time in the USA, away from "working professionally", which you have not done here.

Finally, be able to demonstrate your financial resources, and that it will be enough to see you through the itinerary you put forth.

Regards, JEff

scrubbedexpat099

Low

fatbrit

STOP!

Chances are you won't be visiting at all in the near future should you apply for a B2.

materialcontroller

At a rough guess, less than 50%.

Everyone says that, but not everyone gets a B2.

In and of itself, is probably not a good enough reason for wanting to spend longer than the 90 days you could have in the USA on the VWP.

marbella-james

It would be far easier to go down the vwp route and just take a round trip out of the US when you come close to the 90 day mark. Going out and coming back in will suffice and give you another 90 days. btw coachella is well worth it! Good luck

DavidLemon

That is not the greatest advice to give. It is not a guarantee that the OP will be successfully re-admitted to the US if they travel for the maximum allowed time back to back. People do it for sure, but not a guarantee it will work.

If the OP wants to travel for 180 days, then they should consider two trips I agree, but separate them by a little more than a round trip, say possibly by 90 days.

Also you need to not only leave the US but ensure your travel is not to one of the contiguous countries. They do not reset your 90 days and then could incur an overstay which could result in a ban.

Regards

Duncan Roberts

My prediction should you apply is the day after your interview you will be back saying you have a trip booked, have been denied the B-2 and your ESTA application has been rejected so are asking for help.

Just remember that unless you are spending tens of thousands a day, extending your time in the country from 90 to 180 days means nothing to the US and only you benefit. It's a tough sell at your age.

marbella-james

Your right, There is no guarantee but its a heck of lot easier than a obtaining B2 visa and there are plenty of countries that you could do short trips to-from the east coast, I've used Bahamas and the Dom Rep before. Your allowed upto 180 days total in a year on VWP in the US however you decide to spread it-once you leave the US your time stops, how could it possibly continue??

I have colleagues that are backwards and forwards to the US using the VWP with no problems, i think the worst was a few questions. But everyones experience is different.

civilservant

Care to point to the law that supports that statement? You can't - because it dosent exist.

OP - Do NOT follow this advice.

DavidLemon

With all due respect your advice to pop out and back in to reset the clock is dangerous advice for the OP. You are correct that people do it, but the risk of getting denied is increased when you do this. The OP is not talking about two short trips. Advising that they can achieve two back to back trips to get around the 90 day limitation is not sound advice.

Not sure where you get the 180 days a year from. The only reference I know is that after 180 you are subject to taxes, but this does not affect the use of VWP at all. You are allowed to use VWP for as often as you are eligible. However if the officer at POE thinks you are abusing it, you can be denied entry and sent back from whence you came. At this point you might be no longer eligible to use the VWP ever again.

So to define something as easier does not make it good advice, and neither does it make it a safe alternative. Your advice can result in a negative affect on not only the OPs vacation, but possibly their future attempts to visit the US in future.

DavidLemon

+1

ian-mstm

Bzzzt... wrong!

Ian

marbella-james

I have entered the U.S. on the VWP but now find I need to stay longer than the 90 days. Can I transfer to another type of visa without leaving the U.S.?
No, you cannot transfer from the VWP to any other type of visa, and you cannot extend the VWP 90 day admission period. You must leave the U.S., Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands within the VWP 90 day admission period, and either apply for a visa relevant to your new situation, or re-enter on the VWP if your next stay will be less than 90 days and you still meet the other requirements. Re-entering on the VWP is however at the discretion of immigration officials at the port of entry, who can deny admission.

Can I extend the 90 day limit of the Visa Waiver Program?
No, the 90 day period of admission is not extendable.

Is there a limit to how many times I can enter the U.S. on the VWP? Must there be a minimum period between one period of travel on the VWP and the next?
No, but entry or re-entry into the United States is at the discretion of immigration officials at the port of entry.

The above is from the CBP.

180 days in a calender year is regarded as the maximum number of days you can stay but not continuously of course. I'm in no way suggesting anyone stay more than 90 days on VWP in one go. That would be illegal.