Visa question: getting a garoto to come to the US

[Tartegogo]

So I am considering if I could get a garoto to come and visit me in the US for 1 or 2 weeks.

I am reading in a couple of places that visas are really hard to get, even a tourist visa. Is that really that hard?

My garoto already has a passport, but is jobless.

Have you tried before?  If yes, what kind of hoops will he have to go through?

Especially:

- is it often simply just refused, no matter how much paperwork you have done?

- how long do they take to make a decision?

- do they need an invitation letter from me?

- what is the cost?

[Tomcal]

Usually they have to fulfill the following requirements,

 1) have money in the bank,

2) be successfully employed or a student in good standing at a university

3) Be over 25

4) Own property

there are exceptions but if a guy is under 30 and hasn't been employed fulltime(being a garoto doesn't count)the odds are very slim.

I know of two(garotos) who have gotten visas in the last year but one was a architectural student and the other was a semi-pro soccer player so they got their visas.  It also helps if they have traveled out of Brazil several times to other countries and returned on time to Brazil. Other So. American or Central American or European countries.  The US looks at that closely because it shows they follow the rules and return to Brazil.

[Tartegogo]

Thanks Tom! 

Looks like i am fucked, then, and not in the good way. 

[Walker]

In the case of visa refusal, no explanation will be given by the US embassy.

[ferrar]

In the past, the invitation letter carried a lot more weight, and consular officers were given more discretion.   Say if the hosts could credibly convince the officer that they would ensure that the rules were followed.   I wrote a few such letters for visas that were ultimately accepted, but it was a different time.  You were even  sometimes permitted to accompany the locals during their consular interviews.   Just attempt that now!

It got a lot easier around 2008, when Brazil was relatively unscathed by the global economic crisis, and actually 'booming.'  Expats left Europe and the States to look for job opportunities in Brazil!  Meanwhile, Brazilians were buying up Miami, and going to Disney in record numbers.  US visa rejection rates for Brazilians reached an all-time low, as tourism authorities (like NYC) aggressively lobbied for increased Brazil tourism to improve the local economy!   It was nearly  IMPOSSIBLE for Brazilians to get rejected. 

After Presidenta Dilma successfully torpedoed the local economy, that situation turned on its head.  With the present US administration stance on visa issuance  not exactly welcoming,  it would sure seem like  an increasingly tough sell. 

[Tartegogo]

Thank you all, all good intel. I really appreciate that you take the time to provide it .

I may still try, and the only real cost would be that my garoto likely will be disappointed by the rejection, but I hope he can handle it. 

2 more questions: 

- He needs a proof of having a return flight already booked at the time of application, right? So we need to make sure we get a fully cancellable flight? 

- Does the visa request costs less than 100 dollars? (I don’t want to sink too much money into it given the small chances of getting through). 

[Cany10011]

I flew in a guy from Montreal and even he was interrogated about funds, who paid for the trip etc...

 

[floridarob]

Fee is $160 usd for the appointment...non-refundable....don't buy tix ahead of time.  If he is approved then get them (Like Ferrar said...when the economy was good, they were giving them to just about anyone that applied, not the case now).

I've been through this in Mexico and the same "rules" follow.

 

You'd think being somewhat honest is the best route to go...it is not.

You have to tell them what they want to hear.....he lives at home and helps his family pay bills, he is going to Disney World or Las Vegas as a tourist, he doesn't know anyone there (they'll think they are staying if they say yes)...the application is quite long, online and has stupid questions....have him fill it out himself....why is he going alone...he asked his friends and they don't want to go but is his dream to see one of those places....how long is he planning to stay, 5-7 days, how is he paying for the trip...money he has been saving up..... will he return...of course, his family counts on him.

No talk about knowing you or any other gringos.... this is only to get the visa, the roundtrip tix and other questions about funds will be when he arrives in the USA, Immigration will want to know that stuff to let him enter....still no mention of knowing gringos...even with a visa, he can be refused entry at that point...total discretion on the officer's part....so chose your airport of entry/connection wisely,lol

[Tartegogo]

9 hours ago, floridarob said:

No talk about knowing you or any other gringos.... this is only to get the visa, the roundtrip tix and other questions about funds will be when he arrives in the USA, Immigration will want to know that stuff to let him enter....still no mention of knowing gringos...even with a visa, he can be refused entry at that point...total discretion on the officer's part....so chose your airport of entry/connection wisely,lol

Ok so no letter of invitation, then. 

[Cany10011]

I know the interrogation can be tough as i overheard some officers (in secondary screening) review a poor guy's cell phone, pictures, and emails! yikes.

[Tartegogo]

4 minutes ago, Cany10011 said:

I know the interrogation can be tough as i overheard some officers (in secondary screening) review a poor guy's cell phone, pictures, and emails! yikes.

Eeuurgh. 

[Guest jimboivyo]

Do you really want the possibility of being put under that microscope?

[Tartegogo]

Me? No.

But the Garoto might, if it is his once in a lifetime chance of visiting NYC. 

[Cany10011]

1 hour ago, Tartegogo said:

Me? No.

But the Garoto might, if it is his once in a lifetime chance of visiting NYC. 

It's nice you are so kind to invite the garoto to NYC, but i think it is mired in complications... I met a nice guy from Belarus last year while I was in Stockholm and he wants to come visit manhattan but ihe needs a tourist visa and that may be challenging for him to obtain one. Even though he is well educated in his country (Belarus), his occupation as a rentboy in  Stockholm  may preclude him from visiting... don't know. I don't think he can even visit me in London next month as that will require a visa as well. I should have flown him to Barcelona a few weeks ago when i was there, but i was being  a slut in the saunas.

[Latbear4blk]

Tarte, you are having withdrawal syndrome. My advice is forget about it.

I myself had to go through the ordeal of getting a tourist visa back in the 90s, when I started to fly to NYC. Tomcal is correct in his response, he will have to present prove of all those requirements, plus the round trip ticket and whatever the fee is. Not only that, to make it worse having the visa stamped in the consulate does not guarantee they are going to allow you entry. As other friends point out you can be stopped in secondary screening once you landed in USA territory.

That is just the legal issue. Besides that, what are you going to tell to your husband?

[Tartegogo]

@Latbear4blk it would only be if the husband goes on vacation somewhere without me. Short window, but there could be an opening soon. That is why I was thinking about it.

The ticket can be a fully cancelable ticket at low cancellation cost (they still do exist, even if they are more expensive that normal tickets), so that would be ok.

But $160 just to apply for the visa, with so little chances of success, and all the concerns, potential issues: sigh.  You are probably right.

[Lucky]

How did Steven Draker get to come over so many times? Try a Thai guy. I met a great guy there once and he made sure to show me his US Passport! Some guy who owned a restaurant in San Diego brought him over. The guy hit him, according to the Thai guy, and he had to go back to Thailand since he had no other US connections. I didn't bring him, much as I liked him.

BTW, Tartegogo, I thought you had a partner? What would he say?

[Tartegogo]

25 minutes ago, Lucky said:

BTW, Tartegogo, I thought you had a partner? What would he say?

Husband would not know. It would happen while he is away from home visiting family. 

[floridarob]

11 hours ago, Tartegogo said:

Ok so no letter of invitation, then. 

no connections to gringos...invitation letters only work in cases of Student and family visas when they want proof that someone will be financially responsible for the visiting person and can prove it through tax returns.....so do it, what do you have to lose $160 usd.... he already has his passport from Brasil, no?

Tix and other shit isn't bought until the visa is issued.....if you stick to the lies I said to have him tell.....depending on the interviewing officer, he might get it....but you'll never know if you don't try.. Worse thing that happens is they say no, and he can apply again after 6 months and the same officer that denied him can 't do the interview again.

[Tartegogo]

2 hours ago, floridarob said:

no connections to gringos...invitation letters only work in cases of Student and family visas when they want proof that someone will be financially responsible for the visiting person and can prove it through tax returns.....so do it, what do you have to lose $160 usd.... he already has his passport from Brasil, no?

Tix and other shit isn't bought until the visa is issued.....if you stick to the lies I said to have him tell.....depending on the interviewing officer, he might get it....but you'll never know if you don't try.. Worse thing that happens is they say no, and he can apply again after 6 months and the same officer that denied him can 't do the interview again.

Between @Latbear4blk saying I am just causing stress and trouble to myself and you saying what have you got to loose, I am torn now.

[Latbear4blk]

6 hours ago, Tartegogo said:

Between @Latbear4blk saying I am just causing stress and trouble to myself and you saying what have you got to loose, I am torn now.

What do you have to loose? Just time, money, and mental health.

[floridarob]

Regrets in life are usually what we didn't do....not what we did.

If you do it and it gets denied, then you can say you tried....at $160 will not cause a financial crisis. If you do nothing, you'll wonder......

Many people never try to get the visa because of all the negative comments...I've seen street food vendors get approved, depends on the mood of the interviewing officer.

[SolaceSoul]

If you really like him, and you aren’t already married on paper, you can do a K-1 90-Day Fiancé visa. He will be allowed to stay in the USA for only 90 days as your fiancé. If you do not marry him before the 90th day in the USA, his visa has expired and he has overstayed. He will have no other legal options to stay or convert that visa to a legal one other than a marriage to you, that particular sponsor.

It would take about 6 months for approval of the K-1 and it does require an application, proof of a previous relationship in person, and an interview of the foreigner at the embassy or consulate.

There is even a reality show about the 90-Day Fiancé visa.

 

 

 

[tassojunior]

Maybe the easiest way is to enroll in an "English language school" in the US. I learned the routine through my Argentine friend.

The "school" takes your $2000 and certifies to the INS the guy is coming and has enrolled. They help get the visa. Of course eventually in a few months the INS wants to know when classes start, end, etc. In my friend's case they never did, the school was a visa scam and INS revoked the visa. Try to get a legit one, if it matters. 

[docbr]

Well, I know at least one garoto from sauna 117 that got a US visa (tourist probably) to see a rich patron there in California for sometime. Don't know the details, but I'm pretty sure he is unemployed, not a student and didn't own property (he was 26 I think).

Brazil being Brazil, heard the easiest way to get a Visa is contacting a "despachante" or a travel agency (like CVC) that will help with the documentation and with orientation for the interview,  paying a small extra fee. I guess that a visa application in the middle of several ones from a travel agency may raise less suspicion (or maybe the consulate officials in Brazil are doing the brazilian way and receiving fees to facilitate the process, who knows).

Anyway, although its a bit harder now than it was before to get a visa,  the success rate on application for the american visa for brazilians are higher than 80% now, down from a 97% success rate when the economy was booming.