When To Apply For Visitor Visa

[NeetuSoni]

Hi,

I am planning to get my parents to visit me for 6 months starting May 2012.
Is it okay for apply for visa interview in Feb 2012 or should I wait until early April 2012?

I would ideally like to apply earlier so that I can plan and book flight tickets.

Also what are the chances that my parents will get 6 months visa ? Is there anything that I or my parents can do to ensure that they get 6 months visa ?

Appreciate your help.
Thanks
Neetu

[khasibhatla]

I would start planning and gather all of the documents together. It takes up to a month to get everything ready. FYI, my mother applied in Feb 2012 & got approved till July 2022.

You could refer to the websites below for more info.

http://forum.murthy.com
http://immigrationvoice.org/index.php
http://www.path2usa.com/forum
http://forums.immigration.com
http://www.immihelp.com/forum

So, start as early as you can Good Luck!!

[NeetuSoni]

I would start planning and gather all of the documents together. It takes up to a month to get everything ready. FYI, my mother applied in Feb 2012 & got approved till July 2022.

You could refer to the websites below for more info.

http://forum.murthy.com
http://immigrationvoice.org/index.php
http://www.path2usa.com/forum
http://forums.immigration.com
http://www.immihelp.com/forum

So, start as early as you can Good Luck!!

Thanks for your reply.
I am still not clear. Let me re-phrase my question.

If my parents apply for visa now in Feb 2012. If their Visa is approved, will they get a visa valid for next 6 months so that they could travel in June 2012 ? What decides visa validity duration? Is it always 6 months or do they give it based on my parents tentative travel plans ?

I do understand that visa validity is different from I-94 validity.

[khasibhatla]

If I get it right, you are planning for a visitor's visa for your parents (B2 Visa). Usually, visitors are issued a B2 visa with a validity for next 10 years, and would be multiple entry visa. The max time they could stay in US is usually 6 months; unless you would like to extend their stay for some reason. If you extend, and would like to bring them on, in the next few months; I heard it wouldn't be that easy. So usually, it's better to ask them to stay here for 6 months and take a 6 months break, in India or so.