Brazilian living in Japan, permanent resident, and visiting my American boyfriend in the US — should I be completely honest?
I’m Brazilian, but I’ve lived in Japan since I was 1 year old. I have permanent residency here, I’ve been at my current job for 2 years, I live alone and my apartment is under my name. I also own a car that’s registered under my name.
My boyfriend is American and serves in the military. We met here in Japan while he was stationed at a military base. Unfortunately, he’s going back to the US in about a month, and I would like to visit him and his family toward the end of the year.
I’m thinking about applying for a B2 tourist visa, but I’m really nervous about being honest about visiting my boyfriend. I would be staying with his family for a few days, so obviously I would have to put that on my application. I’m worried that having an American boyfriend and staying with his family could make the officer think I have immigrant intent and deny me.
At the same time, I’m scared to lie or hide the fact that I’m visiting him and then have problems at the border. My boyfriend thinks I should just tell the truth, but I’m still really worried about being denied.
I genuinely intend to return to Japan after the trip. My whole life is here. I’ve lived here almost my entire life, I have permanent residency, a stable job, my own apartment, and my own car.
What do you guys think? Would you be completely honest about the boyfriend and staying with his family? Has anyone been in a similar situation, especially someone who applied from Japan as a permanent resident?
I’d really appreciate honest opinions, even if they’re not what I want to hear 😭