Trying to get B2 visa for 20 yr Cousin

[-gus_TT_showbiz-]

Hello, I (US citizen) am planning to bring my 20 yr cousin to visit for a month during his college summer holidays. I've been reading that his age group typically gets visa denied due to their fear of that age group settling down in US. He has no such plans and just wants to visit for a month. He still has his final year of college to graduate. Would emphasis on this point help in obtaining his visa? What else can I tell him to say/emphasize that would get him approval?

• He is a student entering his final year of UG
• He does not have any finances but his parents are well off and can provide for him. I will also be taking care of him financially if he comes here
• He has a lot of relatives in india and is very close to them, including his parents
• Never travelled internationally before

Given these info, what are his chances roughly of getting visa and what needs to be emphasized or discarded to give him better chances? thanks

[care_candidate]

Based on what you mentioned, chances are low. If you read your #2, that alone will make them deny visa. No one can sponsor visa expenses and as you mention that, it means that you are helping him get here in beginning and then because he is about to graduate, he will try to find job here and stay legally or illegally.

The single most item he needs to project in his application is that he has more inclination to return back to home country than staying in US. He can show that by

1. Strong ties in home country (job, job prospect, family, other)
2. Have strong source of income or source in India
3. Have less or no benefit in staying in US beyond time period.

Understand that it is difficult to convince that he will return when he is about to finish education and have no further plans on doing anything there. An obvious question officer can ask that why he wants to return beyond the fact that he has family to return to in this case.

[User099]

Untill he goes for the interview there is no way anyone can tell he will get a visa or not. All we can say is the rejection rate is very high for people like your cousin. There is nothing you can show as proof that he will come back after a month. Everything you said makes sense, but there is nothing stopping him from changing his mind after coming to US. 

I am sure Noah will have more to add, if you have not already read his earlier posts. 

All I can say is take an appointment, attend the interview, be honest with the CO and just hope he gets a visa. If he doesn't, just forget about it and move on. Did I mention be honest and don't make up a false story for why he is visiting you. 

 

[-gus_TT_showbiz-]

Hi Noah, i visit my cousin once every 2 years or so. I usually stay with him and his family during my vacations and I would like to pay the favor back by having him visit place/surroundings and stay with me for once. As far as having him stay here long term and all that, I neither encourage that behavior nor can I finance him for more than a month/vacation duration. 
 

 

[-gus_TT_showbiz-]

Thanks for the replies. I guess best course of option is to not coach him, have him be honest with the CO and hope that he is fortunate enough to receive it. Thanks again!

[-gus_TT_showbiz-]

I was mainly replying to your question about how often i visit him. Not sure what you took away from that but I’m definitely close with him, even sort of a mentor role, and would like him to see my house and meet my friends as well as take him to all the tourist attractions. If his chances are low then so be it but neither of us have any deceitful intentions about him staying long term. Hopefully the CO sees that too. 

[cyberlord]

It needn't be a problem as long as the VO sees merit in your case. Please post your experience after you have completed your process.

Edited February 12, 2020 by cyberlord

[-gus_TT_showbiz-]

I guess that’s what I’m having trouble understanding. How can he effectively convince a CO while giving brief and to the point answers to only questions that the CO asks? If the CO asks him questions like ‘why are you going?’ ‘How long are you staying?’, how will he able to communicate that he is going to come back? 

[User099]

If there is a genuine reason for the visit, then he will not have to worry much and he should already have answers to those questions. If he is preparing for a story to the VO, then they will know it the first 30 sec's.  Ask yourself, is this a genuine trip? If yes, then you would not be searching for the answers to these questions here.