My Niece Got A Visa To Visit The Us

I'm posting this so it will show up if others do a search.

My wife and I wanted our niece to come for a visit in the US. She is 15, will turn 16 before her visit. She speaks English very well. But we were both uncertain how difficult it would be for her to get a visa. I had a feeling that since she is young, that it would be easier since her entire family would be staying in Thailand. But because her family does not have a great deal of money, I was worried they may consider her a risk if she came to the States.

I did a little research online and found some sites that outlined a procedure that seems to work for getting tourist visas for alien relatives. The steps were simple:

o Write a letter addressed to my niece inviting her to come to America and list some planned activities that she couldn't do in Thailand. (Visit the Grand Canyon as an example).

o Write a letter addressed to the embassy staff stating that I would take care of all of her expenses.

o Include an affidavit of support (I-134, the same as for the fiancée visa) backing up my claim that I would take care of all expenses.

My niece would then go through the standard application process including my letters as "evidence". She also got a letter from her school stating she was a student and she will have a break during the time of her visit.

Last month she filled out her visa application and was given an appointment date of December 6. She was told by the Thai staff at the embassy that my affidavit was of little use and she needed financial information from her parents.

She brought the requested information to her interview. She was asked how she knew me and my wife. She explained it, then was told to come back on the 8th. On the 8th, she was given her visa.

I'm not sure if my affidavit helped or not, even though the Thai staff claimed it was of no use. But overall, the procedure for her went very smoothly. I do not think it would have been as easy if she were a university student. I'm sure they would fear she would want to stay and work. But given her age, it seems it is not that difficult to get a tourist visa.