Tourist visas for family members?

Question

I am a US citizen and I want my family (mom, 22 year old brother and 15 year old brother) to be able to visit me here, none of them wish to immigrate, none of them have ever been in the US... now that I am a US citizen how can I bring them for a short visit so they know where I live and etc? should I have them apply for tourist visas? ... will it be easier for them to get visas now that I am a US citizen?, or does it make it harder?. Thanks.

Answer 1

They could have come and visited you regardless of if you were a citizen or not.

All they will need to do is to schedule a B1/B2 visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in their country of residence and bring with them a completed Form DS-156, DS-157 (for the two brothers only) and DS-158. They will each need to complete each of these forms, except your mom does not need to complete DS-157.

They will also need to pay three visa payments of $133 (total of $399).

Your citizenship will make very little difference in their visa application, although obtaining a tourist visa for the purpose of visiting family member(s) is completely valid.

If you so wish, you could write each of them an invitation letter, stating that they will be staying with you and state your relationship to them and how long they will be staying for and then post them to your family for them to take to their interview.

Answer 2

If they just want to visit, it is best for them to apply for tourist visas, provided they meet the requirements.  They will need round-trip plane tickets, hotel reservations, and sufficient funds for all the normal tourist-stuff like signtseeing.

If they don't have money and vacation time from work, coming to see you immediately raises red flags of prospective overstays and illegal immigration.