Short trip to US with Tourist Visa while Green Card Petition is already filed and pending

[rdmo]

I would like to know if anyone knows or has any experience about petitioning a family member, in my case my mother and sister, and after filing the petition, having them visit the US on a tourist visa, not with the intention of staying, just to visit for a few weeks.

I'm looking at possibly file their petitions before the end of the year. They have their tourist visas in order, and have had tourist visa pretty much their whole lives, and visit the US regularly (once or twice a year). My question is if it'd be OK for them to visit for the holidays, while the petition is already filed. They would of course return to their country until the petition is approved.

Anybody can shed some light on it? Thank you!

 

[BigJoe5]

It depends...

I would like to know if anyone knows or has any experience about petitioning a family member, in my case my mother and sister, and after filing the petition, having them visit the US on a tourist visa, not with the intention of staying, just to visit for a few weeks.

I'm looking at possibly file their petitions before the end of the year. They have their tourist visas in order, and have had tourist visa pretty much their whole lives, and visit the US regularly (once or twice a year). My question is if it'd be OK for them to visit for the holidays, while the petition is already filed. They would of course return to their country until the petition is approved.

Anybody can shed some light on it? Thank you!

Your mother and sister can only be petitioned by you because you arc a USC. That means that your mother would be a the immediate relative of a USC and will process faster. This reality often leaves such a person unable to travel tot he U,S as a tourist because they will be getting an Immigrant Visa so soon. That said, it is always on a case-by-case basis. She might not get past ESTA.

Your sister is in a preference category and will not get a visa for 10 years or more. She should not have a problem coming as tourist for at least a decade due to the I-130 that you will file.