www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I've been seeing her for near 6 years now and we connect very well. When I'm in CR now I see no one else but her. I visit her 2 to 3 times a year.

That said....I am NOT looking to get married or anything like that. However, I would love to bring her to Calif. for maybe 2 or 3 weeks to visit and see where I live. She does have a CR passport and she has been to Mexico.

The question therefore is: Would this be an Exercise in Futility for her to even try and get a visa to come visit? I realize that it could take time. Maybe a lot. I don't know. But I don't care about the timing. Even if it takes a year. I would just prefer to not spin my wheels if that's a hopeless idea.

Any thoughts?

Some things to keep in mind for the visa. She has to have a job or business in CR also they want property ownership, car ownership, money in the bank, basically a reason to return to CR. Also when filling out the application make sure she states she is the one paying for her trip and not that you are financing the visit. Also keep any mention of P4P out of the conversations or paperwork. They want 10 years of not working in the business before granting a visa, so keep it quiet. Also for the interview, they go to the US Embassy and wait to be called, both times my wife did not even get to say more than a few words, they just handed her a paper and said if your situation changes re-apply, no help on what needed to change and no indication on what the cause was for denial. My wife has been turned down 2 times but now that we have been married for 5 years, we own property, car, have a corporation she should be able to get the immigration visa. We have been waiting for her daughter to turn 18 so there are no issues with her leaving costa rica and she can ride my wifes coat-tails for an immigration visa as well. I should have their visa applications in process before the end of the year.

I heard from a chica that the visa application price rose from $100 to $425 Is this true?

https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-cr/niv/information/fee

The current fee for a tourist visa is $185.

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If you let the devil ride, he's gonna want to drive

Tourist visa will be very difficult. Student visa is still the easiest; but you have to follow protocol. Pay tuition at an approved school, be accepted, maintain health insurance if attending the school, etc... Of course, she doesn't actually have to go to class - BUT, if she doesn't go to class, that particular school will probably not accept her towards a future semester, which will make returning to the country or renewing the visa more difficult. You might have to go to another school, and they may maintain records of her abandoning / withdraw without refund.

Thanks

It's a crapshoot. It's probably 80/20 for a denial. But CR whores have gotten visas so it's a mystery.

The US has quotas; they only let a certain number of people get approved each year. But on the other side of the coin, they don't want to do anything that appears too racists or politically incorrect either. However, that's more informal, as filing an international lawsuit against a US embassy is all but impossible. However, the federal government as a whole doesn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention from groups like Amnesty International or the ACLU. Sometimes they have to make things "appear" as though they are not random, when they really are. Remember, TSA Pre Check members still get sent to the full body scanners "at random."

Sometimes it depends on the particular consular officer in question, and his mood on that specific day. Also, if the applicant is really charming, and knows how to answer the interview questions, the officer may consider them to be less of a liability.