Visas

US Visitor Visa concerns.  Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

(Updated 3 November 2020)

Originally published sometime back.  Significantly updated and corrected for my current reader’s information.  Thanks for being a reader, by the way.

Remember one thing:  I am not a lawyer and ecerything you read here is merely personal opinion ased on my understnding of how I “think” things work.  No one except a consulat officer of the Untited Staes can issue a visa. 

Anyone  who tells you that she or he can get a visa issued, “for sure” is either mistaken or trying to scam you.

I have received a lot of queries over the years about the US Visitor Visa (known as a B2 Visa to the US State Department) for Filipinos.

Mainly these questions revolve around the subject of getting a Filipino friend a temporary visitor’s visa allowing them to enter the USA for a short visit.

People want to know, mainly:

1. How do they (the visas) work,
2. How much do they cost,
3. Can my girlfriend get one, etc.
4. I’ve heard they are very hard to get, and why?

It occurred to me today that I hadn’t written about these issues in some time when I opened an email from a reader here with some specific questions:

Here’s a video with some good information.

[Read more…] about Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

Why Can’t My Filipina Wife Get a Tourist Visa To The USA?

(Updated 2 November 2020)

Updated and corrected to bring it up to date

This question comes up frequently.  Often there is a lot of anger attached as a US citizen husband finds out that his lawfully married foreign spouse can’t get a US B2 Visitor (Tourist) Visa, despite having all paperwork and immigration status documents in order.

The Anger Is Fully Justified, In My View

But it doesn’t matter if you are angry, or even if I am angry in support of your position.

In many cases. the Tourist visa just ain’t going to happen.  Why?

The US Visa System Just Doesn’t “Fit” the Way Most Expat Families Live

And it’s not likely to change any time soon.

Everything about the US Immigration system is geared to handle two things:

1. Tourists (Temporary Visitors) Who Have No Attachment To The USA

or

2. Spouses Of US Citizens Who Want To Come To the USA to Establish Legal Residence (Get a Green Card)

There’s Little Room in the Mind f the State Department For Any Other Category

[Read more…] about Why Can’t My Filipina Wife Get a Tourist Visa To The USA?

How Hard Is It To Get a Tourist Visa to the USA From the Philippines?

(Updated 2 November 2020)

Here’s a typical comment that gets posted here at PhilFAQS, where you can learn how to move to and profit in the Philippines.  Over the past 15 years, I have heard and seen so many stories like this that it makes me sad.

There’s nothing I can do except to try to clarify the way the US laws are written and how they seem to be applied to Filipinos applying for visitor visas (tourist visas) to the USA.

Disclaimer:  Remember that I am not a lawyer and I have no connection with the US Embassy or any other agency or company involved in granting or denying US tourist visas.   These are my own personal opinions and are not legal advice.  If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney.

Here’s a Video That May Help.  The Outlook Isn’t Rosey

A Typical Reader Story

[Read more…] about How Hard Is It To Get a Tourist Visa to the USA From the Philippines?

How To Visit the USA From the Philippines.

(Updated 30 October 2020)

Recently I published several articles about the difficulty of Filipinos getting approval for a US Visitors (Tourist) Visa, also known as a B1/B2 Visa.

Here are just a few:

I’m A US Citizen — Why Can’t My Filipina Wife Get a Tourist Visa To The USA?

Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

How Hard Is It To Get a Tourist Visa to the USA From the Philippines?

These will give you the idea of the problem, in case you weren’t already familiar.

What’s the common thread that runs through all tourist visa discussions?

[Read more…] about How To Visit the USA From the Philippines

Help With Getting Her Visa — Rapid Visa

(updated 12 November 2019)

OK, time to talk turkey here (after all, it’s now close to Thanksgiving, isn’t it?).

Query after query come to me here, and via email, about help in getting their Filipino friends, especially Pinay girlfriends, US B-2 Visitor Visas to enter the United States.

Normally this is a situation where I just can’t offer much hope.  It’s difficult, indeed, for a single, marriage-eligible female Philippine citizen to get a US Tourist visa.

But There Is Some Hope For Those Who Feel They Can’t Make The Grade

[Read more…] about Help With Getting Her Visa — Rapid Visa

[Read more…] about Tourist or Fiancee’ or Spouse Visa

Get My Filipino Girlfriend To The USA.

(Updated 10 October 2019)

This is a very frequent question here at PhilFAQS.  There are several different answers, and sadly for couples stuck between the USA and the Philippines, the answers aren’t always easy.

One way that you can get a  Filipina friend to the USA is with a US Fiancee’ Visa, commonly known by its form number, K-1.

Another way s marry the girl and then bring her to the US with a US Spousal Visa (Either a CR-1 or IR-1).

The simplest, although often the most difficult way is to get your friend a US B2/B2 Tourist visa.

I’ve written an explanation of these basic visas here:

Tourist or Fiancee’ Or Spouse Visa.  Which is Better?

Go ahead and read it now if you haven; already, I’ll wait here for you.

[Read more…] about How To Get My Filipino Girlfriend To The USA

Ways To Stay Long-Term in the Philippines. 

(Updated 9 October 2019)

How long an American citizen (or most other foreigners) can stay in the Philippines is always a popular subject.  A while back I wrote an introductory article on this subject where I explained that you can pretty much stay as long as you want to in the Philippines without asking special permission from anyone.

If you haven’t read that you should read it now, because it lays the groundwork for several other more formal ways that a US citizen can live here in the Philippines.

Go ahead and click on the link now, I’ll wait right here for you *smile*.

How long can you stay in the Philippines if you are a US citizen?

Now if you read that article you’ll understand how easy it is for a foreigner to live here but as some readers have commented, renewing a Tourist Visa every two or six months, or going out of the country once a year for a new (free) Balikbayan Privilege Stamp  is not really “Permanent Residency”.

I mean, after all, it’s only worked for me for 14 years, so we couldn’t really call it “permanent”,  now could we?

You Asked, I Answered … Ways to stay Permanently in the Philippines.

[Read more…] about Ways To Stay Long-Term in the Philippines — Part 2

Why Choose the Philippines — Is Malaysia a Better Choice?

(last updated 27 April 2019)

I originally wrote this about 8 years ago.  It was in response to a lot of mail I was receiving on the subject of what country was “best” to live in for US expats.

At the time, Malaysia was advertising The Malaysia My Second Home program and many expats wondered how that program compared with what was available to retirees in the Philippines.

Significantly updated and corrected.  Only a few things have changed in 8 years, mostly making it even easier to stay in the Philippines.

Why choose the Philippines?

That’s a very good question.  Why choose the Philippines instead of the nation of Malaysia for retirement, or just an escape from the western world rat race? [Read more…] about Why Choose the Philippines — Is Malaysia a Better Choice?

Yes, A Filipina Needs a Visa to Enter the USA.

(Updated 27 January 2019)

The title above should be authored by our old friend “Captain Obvious”.  Everybody knows that Filipinos ALL need some form of US visa to enter the USA.  Or at least everybody “should” know that.

But lately, I’ve been getting more and more irritated by at least one website which “does” know that fact, but persists in spreading false information just to try to get cheap traffic (page views) from Google.

Google, You Should Know Better Too!

We all tend to trust Google a lot.  In general, this trust is well placed, but sadly in many areas where there are technical issues inviolved and especially where a simple reading of the publically posted laws and the rules and regulations surrounding the laws is involved, Google falls down badly on the job.

Google is great at telling us which Kardashian has the largest ass. (See: Butts Of The Century: Kardashian-Jenner Sisters!).

But when it comes to important, factual issues, such as ones that are important to 1000,000,000 Filipinos and probably an equal number of Americans and citizens of other countries interested in the subject, Google false flat on its own ass.

Sad performance here, Google.

Go to Google search page or the search feature on your phone or tablet and type in the operative question … does a Filipina need a visa to visit the USA?

The result you get back will look something like this:

 

 

 

 

 

The number one beside the SERP (Search Engine Results) indicates Google thinks this will be the best answer on the whole Internet to your question.

And I have no argument with that choice.  It leads you to a reputable website with correct information and answers the question correctly … Yes, she does.

But Google Returns at Least 10 Results For You To Choose From

And just take a look at what Google consistently chooses for position 2 or position 3.

 

 

 

 

 

The first time I ever saw this I was flabbergasted.  I figured it was an error which would get sorted out.

Well, it has been almost 5 full years now and Google insists on giving the second most prominent space in its search results t this totally false and misleading article.  5 years is enough to time to get the facts straight, Google.

At least in my opinion, anyway.

Here’s how Google ranks my own site, where I have been writing, faithfully and accurately on this subject for more than 15 years now:

 

 

 

 

Now Number 9 isn’t so bad … after all, it’s on the first page.

But to have a site with the headline US Announces No Visa Policy For Filipinos

Which is, by the way, a totally false statement, apparently written to confuse people and get them to talk about and “share” the article so high in the search rankings just mystifies me.

There is no such thing as a US Non-visa policy for Filipinos, and there is no credible evidence of any such policy happening any time soon.

Google, Here’s Your Chance To Make Things Better.

You Can’t Say You Haven’t Been Told About It

Yes, A Filipina Needs a Visa to Enter the USA.