Open ticket for visitor

jrao124

Registered Users (C)
Hello,

My parents just got their 10 yr mult entry tourist visa to the US (first time).

We are thinking of getting a 1 yr open ticket on Air india for them. Apparently it is available at no extra cost.
Now I have heard that there is a danger in getting an open ticket because at the airport they may think that they may not go back and stamp for a very low time period like a month or so.

Is this true, that an open ticket is not very safe, that it is better to get a fixed date ticket?

Need to book urgently.

any help will be welcome.
Thanks a lot
J
 
Hi J,

Which consulate did your parents go to? My parent's interview is scheduled for April 12th and if possible, please let me know what questions were asked and what documents you had provided to your parents?

Thanks
 
well, they had gotten rejected twice, so we were not very hopeful.

but the interviewer (chennai) asked a lot of questions, a lot of them regarding ties to india. who is here, what do u do here, what do ur children do in the US? where do they work? just std stuff.

we didnt send anything special, exactly what they have on immihelp.com.
the form, pay slips, tax returns, etc.
 
An open ticket (or return date) will certainly invite more questions than a firm departure date. Having said that, an open ticket does not neccessarily mean a "restricted" I-94.

Is this true, that an open ticket is not very safe, that it is better to get a fixed date ticket?
 
An open ticket (or return date) will certainly invite more questions than a firm departure date. Having said that, an open ticket does not neccessarily mean a "restricted" I-94.

Triple Citizen,
What is a "restricted" I-94?
Is there a way to know by looking at the stamp on your passport if you have a restricted I-94?
 
restricted I-94 could mean several of the following things.

1. a shorter duration than usual 6 months.

2. specifying no EOS and/or COS That means you cannot extend the stay or change your status while in the country.
 
Suresh_Colo,
A "restricted" B-2 I-94 is basically any B-2 I-94 that does not get its default six months validity. At times POE inspectors do grant such I-94 if they are not fully satisfied/comfortable with an entry seeking applicant's answers/intentions. I once saw someone being given an I-94 valid for just three days with "No AOS/COS/EOS" written in bold red font.
 
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He was seeking entry to have his ankle injury checked out by a specialist. The "specialist" was the husband of the applicant's sister. The inspector wasn't buying the reason for him coming to the US for his ankle injury. The applicant was carrying an official appointment from his brother-in-law's hospital for an appointment the next day. The inspector was confident that the doctor and the sister were "part of the plot" to get the applicant into the country and then get him married to a US citizen. So after a few minutes of going back and fro whether to grant or deny entry, he settled for an I-94 with a 3 day validity with no room to change, extend or adjust his status.

What did he say to get that I-94 :eek:?
 
so if you get a I-94 with "No AOS" and you marry an USC... then what happens?

Did you work for the CBP? how do you "know" these things? :)
 
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Probably the only safe option is for the spouse to leave the US after marriage and then pursue consular processing for GC.

I was a witness to this episode. I was in secondary waiting for my AP to be taken care of. The applicant's command over English wasn't the best and the officer working there asked if anyone can speak "Indian". I offered my services and thus was able to watch this episode take place.
 
I speak one (Urdu) of India's 27 major languages. Apart from that I speak the "Queen's English" since I was educated primarily in the UK. American and Canadian are foreign languages to me :)
 
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