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I will soon be going on a business trip to USA. I will be travelling on a B1 visa. My business will be for 4 weeks there. I would like to spend a week after I conclude my business, with my sister, who lives in US.

For some context, I have been on 3 business trips on the same visa earlier.

My employer's invite letter expects me to provide the exact dates for From and To and the duration. I'm bit confused about what I should mention. Should I mention the 4 weeks that are strictly business, or 5 weeks of my total duration in US? My employer pays me for accommodation, per diem only for the 4 weeks of my trip. This is also mentioned in the letter, apparently.

Will 5 weeks be considered too long for a business trip? In the past, I have always been given a 6 months duration in my I-94. My last trip was in 2011. Not sure if the immigration screenings have become strict since then.

Thanks.

Karlson
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prabhu
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1 Answers1

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First rule of dealing with immigration officers: never lie. Never, ever, ever lie. When applying for the visa, include the invitation letter and add that you want spend one more week. Same at the border. It's perfectly normal and understandable that you want to spend a week on holiday after a business trip. I can't even count how many times I answered to the border official "both" when asked this question -- I am going to the conference and visiting friends. It's fine.