10 things important to know about the b1/2 visa extension.
1. When applying for an extension the most important factors are “ties to home country”. The USCIS would like to know that you have a good reason to eventually return to your home country. Ties to home country can be Real estate you own, A business you own or a job with a letter from employer confirming that you are returning. A letter from your school that you are enrolled for the next year can also be considered as evidence of the “ties to home country”
2. Although there is no requirement to show how much money one has in their bank account – it is important to show that there are funds that can be sufficient to support a full 6-month stay
3. When filing for a successful extension you must include a description of what you have done during the 1st 6 months and what you plan to do in the next 6 month. The description has to be very detailed with dates and places where you have been and what you have done.
4. When extending a B-2 tourist visa, the purpose of the stay must be tourism. The evidence to support the B-2 extension would be photos of you traveling, bookings of hotels/Airbnb or receipts of tourist places like Broadway shows, museums, amusement parks, etc. Usually, Extending a B-2 tourist visa is the popular action most attorneys or paralegals will choose for you.
To extend for a B-2 visa. From tourist status to tourist status. However, if the reason for your stay is not tourism the correct extension would be from B-2 (tourist) to B-1 business visa. The evidence you need to provide from B-2 to B-1 should be tickets to business conferences, speaking events, workshops etc.
5. The market price for extending your B-2 tourist visa would be $500. Paralegals market price is $300. However, there are is a tool called www.visa-extension.com allows you to extend your tourist visa by yourself for just $59. Attorney review would be another $150. The filing fee for the USCIS is currently at $370
6. During 2017 only half of the overall B1/2 visa extensions, have been approved.
7. During 2017 the average time to reply to an extension has been 2.5 months. Which means, that no matter what if you filed for an extension, it would take the USCIS 2.5 months to respond. In the meantime, if anyone who filed bought themselves some additional time in the U.S.
8. You can file for the extension 48 hours before you expire. Just make sure you do it with a FedEx/UPS/DHL or another registered courier that has a tracking number. Keep the receipt as proof that your file has been sent.
9. If your extension got an RFE (request for more evidence) then it can be a good thing. By the time you will respond and get an answer, you’ve already bought in your additional 6 months.
10. If your B-2 visa extension got denied, you should leave the U.S within less than 7 days to no be overstayed.
When you or your attorney will invest properly in the extension, it should be a thick stack of papers.
