10-year visa - when can I return to USA?

[cuppaT]

I have a 10-year visitors visa for the US that allows me to stay for up to 6 months per entry for 10 years, but I have never been able to find any guidance on how long I have to stay out of the US before I can return on another visit. Can anyone tell me where I can find out? Is it up to the officer at my POE? thanks.

[raghvi]

I have a 10-year visitors visa for the US that allows me to stay for up to 6 months per entry for 10 years, but I have never been able to find any guidance on how long I have to stay out of the US before I can return on another visit. Can anyone tell me where I can find out? Is it up to the officer at my POE? thanks.

You might be having a 10 Year Visitors visa but there is no hard and fast rule saying that you can stay upto 6 Months per Entry for 10 Years. Your Entry to US depends on the visa but your stay in US depends on the I-94 issued at the POE by the officer at that time. Generally the Visa Officers grant a 6 Month stay for initial few visits but if the visits become too frequent and each of the past visits last for over few months VO start viewing it with suspicion as to what exactly the person is "visiting" in US for so long for so many days multiple times. A misuse of B1/B2 can lead to cancellation of visa, deportation, problem with other visa types. You have to understand that when you are saying you are going to visit, in common parlance it means for a few weeks or a month or two irrespective whether its business or tourism purpose (B1 or B2) beyond this no one does meetings and tourism and when the visits lasts longer it gives rise to suspicion that either the visitor is working on a B1/B2 or maintaining a relationship, or staying with children/grandchildren (maintaining dual intent) which is not the purpose of B1/B2. This is my opinion not legal advice.