Returning by VWP after 60 days?
I spent 3 months in the USA over the Christmas period on the VWP and left Feb 06 last. I stayed with a friend for that period; I had wanted to visit my other friend in Washington but he was taken ill. Now my problem is this: I want to return to visit my now-well friend in the next couple of weeks, and stay for a month. I realise I will be questioned; I was on my first visit. As a general rule, will I be denied access via the VWP by using this method twice in a row in such a short period or, generally, is this an okay method? Or, is it a no-go?
Best Answer
There are few hard and fast rules about VWP re-entry. It's going to be up to the individual CBP officer who processes you. The rules are that the VWP is for "short and occasional" visits, and that you must not be trying to live or work in the US. It's up to you to convince the officer of this. However your story isn't an unusual one.
The key things to convincing the officer are going to be knowing your story and having evidence to back it up. So:
- Make sure you have a return ticket, and are able to produce it.
- Have your friend's contact information handy
- Know details of your friend's sickness, like what the illness was, which hospital he was in. Be able to tell them how you know him.
- Be able to say how you know this friend.
- A bank statement may or may not help. It won't hurt (unless it's an account with a US bank).
I think that if you convincingly tell this story it's very likely you will be let in. That is of course just an opinion, and I'm assuming there is nothing else about you or your history that might cause them suspicion.
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