The essential concern is fraud. Here is an example of a common question and answer concerning a B visitor visa application. The answer is clear, but long. It takes a bit of explaining to help explain our immigration rules and how things work.

Question

I have been e-mailing a from Yekaterinburg, Russia. We have become good friends. She said she had an appointment for a B visitor visa coming up and the Visa approval officials in Russia require her to have $2000 to be able to get Visa to the USA. She wants an airplane ticket and to send her $2000 by western union. She says she will give back most of the money minus travel expenses when she arrives in the U.S. She said she can leave right away once she receives the $2000.

My question is what is the possibility this is true or not true? If I send her $2000 what is the chance she will come?

Answer

Andrew, I do not have enough information about the case to decide. There is too much information to discuss so it is difficult to give a short answer without being misleading. There is a concern her about the way you are going about this. Allow me to give you some information, then you can call to discuss if you like.

Part of the answer is, “Yes, she will likely need to show she has enough money to pay her way in the U.S.” A U.S. consulate officer wants foreigners to come to the U.S., spend money on our tourist industry, and then go home. If she has no spending money, she likely cannot support our tourism. The U.S. will not have a reason to issue her a B visitor visa. Also, an airline passenger agent in Russia will likely check to see if she has money before she boards the plane. Even if a foreigner has a B visitor visa, this does not mean a U.S. border agent will allow her entry to the U.S. If her entry to the U.S. is blocked for any reason, then the airline can be responsible for returning her back to Russia. This will become a problem for the airline and so the ticketing agent will want her to have money on hand when she boards the flight.

Another answer part answer could be that you can give her a letter stating you will care for her needs in the U.S. If she is coming to stay with you, then you can indicate you will meet her at the airport and care for her needs when she arrives in the U.S. This is an invitation letter essentially. She will stay with you. Even then, having a bit of money for her is important just to get her on the plane and past immigration officials so it makes sense to give her money for the trip. The problem with this approach is that when she discloses her relationship with you, there is a high chance a consulate officer will not issue her a B visitor visa to the U.S. If she already has a B visitor visa, then your invitation letter might result in her being blocked by a U.S. border agent upon her arrival at a U.S. airport. B visitor visas are generally issued only where the foreigner has strong ties to Russia. The foreigner must show she has no incentive to overstay her welcome in the U.S. B visitor visas will generally not be issued if a U.S. immigration officer believes there is a significant risk that the foreigner might overstay her welcome as a visitor. A visitor visa is not to be used for remaining in the U.S. to marry a U.S. citizen. When a couple is dating, the risk of overstay alone is enough to deny the B visitor visa.

The essential problem as I see it may be that she is trying to obtain a B visitor visa without disclosing your relationship. If you have a serious interest in dating her, you may be making a big mistake trying to pursue a B visitor visa like this. Often, “agents” will fake documents to make her look like she has money in Russia. They make her look like she is only coming to the U.S. to spend money on our U.S. economy and will then return home to her mansion in Russia. They will make it look as if she is wealthy by faking the documents. Later, when he marries her immigration officers will look back at the B visa application to detect any false information or documents. A misrepresentation on a B visitor visa application is grounds for a permanent bar from the U.S., married or not. You would lose the relationship due to fraud.

We handle B visa applications in this office for a small fee. I am U.S. licensed and do things correctly. I am not sure the advantage if he is working with an unlicensed and unregulated travel agent in Russia who is not responsible for decisions on a case. When things go wrong, the agent in Russia will do nothing. Please consider. You are welcome to call to discuss if you have an interest in working together on your fiance’s immigration filings.