Sons = Children.

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Ashraful Haque

Senior Member
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May 14, 2019
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Student or Learner
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Bengali; Bangla
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Bangladesh
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I'm going to the US embassy to assist my grandma answer the interview questions. I have a few confusions about the following question.

How long will you be staying in the US?
Answer: Her sons want her stay with them in the US permanently. But she wants to come back after six months because she won't be able to stay that long without seeing her grandchildren over here in Bangladesh.

Confusion 1: Both of her sons live in the US. They're about 40 years old. Even though I said 'sons', I wonder if it's wrong to say children when talking about grown ups? I don't know if this question sounds silly, but to parents no matter how old you are, you're always their child.

Confusion 2: "She won't be able to stay that long without seeing her grandchildren over here in Bangladesh." - Does this sentence correctly convey the message that she wants to come back after six months because she'll miss her grandchildren who live in Bangladesh.
 
Answer: Her sons want her stay with them in the US permanently. But she wants to come back after six months because she won't be able to stay that long without seeing her grandchildren over here in Bangladesh.

Confusion 1: Both of her sons live in the US. They're about 40 years old. Even though I said 'sons', I wonder if it's wrong to say children when talking about grown ups? I don't know if this question sounds silly, but to parents no matter how old you are, you're always their child.
You haven't mentioned child or children. You have mentioned only sons, the appropriate word.
 
@Ashraful Haque Try:

She doesn't want to stay longer than six months because she will miss her grandchildren (in Bangladesh).

You have identified them as her sons. That makes the situation perfectly clear. (There is no reason in my humble opinion to refer to them as children.)

(I am not at all sure why you are calling questions confusions.)
 
@Ashraful Haque Say:
.
I'm going to the U.S. embassy to assist my grandma in answering the interview questions

Or:

I'm going to the U.S. embassy to help my grandma answer the interview questions.
 
What kind of visa are you applying for? Permanent residence status is difficult to come by. For people from India, it can take over 10 years to work through the quotas and waiting lists.

She is probably applying for a temporary visa, for visitation. So the answer to the question is "6 months." She wants to stay for 6 months. Usually tourists are allowed for 90 days. Depending on country of origin, of course.
 
I'm going to the US embassy to assist my grandma answer the interview questions. I have a few confusions about the following question.

How long will you be staying in the US?
Answer: Her sons want her stay with them in the US permanently. But she wants to come back after six months because she won't be able to stay that long without seeing her grandchildren over here in Bangladesh.

Confusion 1: Both of her sons live in the US. They're about 40 years old. Even though I said 'sons', I wonder if it's wrong to say children when talking about grown ups? I don't know if this question sounds silly, but to parents no matter how old you are, you're always their child.

It's perfectly fine to refer to them as her children, regardless of their age. As you say, they're always her children, even once they grow out of childhood. 'Sons' of course establishes gender, whereas 'children' does not, but in the context of this sentence, their gender is irrelevant.

Confusion 2: "She won't be able to stay that long without seeing her grandchildren over here in Bangladesh." - Does this sentence correctly convey the message that she wants to come back after six months because she'll miss her grandchildren who live in Bangladesh.

It does, although it's not necessarily the most natural way to express it. It's giving slightly contradictory information that's bound to result in the agent asking for clarification - does she intend to stay permanently, or just six months?

I'm by no means any kind of immigration expert, but I do coach my citizenship students to keep their answers as brief and simple as possible. If the interviewing agent wants more details, they will ask you to elaborate or clarify. Don't talk just out of nervousness's sake. You can unintentionally offer contradicting information that will pique the agent's curiosity.

Answer exactly what is asked, but don't elaborate unless specifically asked to explain in more detail. It's just good advice, especially if you're struggling with the language. You don't want to avoid the question, but you don't want to accidentally dig yourself into a hole, either.

In your grandmother's case, I would suggest leaving out the bit about grandchildren, even if that is the reason for only staying six months. Just simply say "She plans to stay for six months."

Again, if the agent really wants to know and asks why she plans to return after that time, then she could elaborate and say something like "I have to come back and see my grandchildren."
 
What kind of visa are you applying for? Permanent residence status is difficult to come by. For people from India, it can take over 10 years to work through the quotas and waiting lists.

She is probably applying for a temporary visa, for visitation. So the answer to the question is "6 months." She wants to stay for 6 months. Usually tourists are allowed for 90 days. Depending on country of origin, of course.
As far as I know she already has an American passport. She just doesn't want to stay in the US permanently. I'm sure all the grandmothers in the world are the same. Once you become old and retired, it doesn't matter where you live or what car you drive. I guess the only things that matter are the memories and the attachments.
 
If she has an American passport, there is no need for her to go to the embassy or get a visa in order to enter the USA.
 
If she has an American passport, there is no need for her to go to the embassy or get a visa in order to enter the USA.
I don't know anything to be honest. I was just asked to help her because I'm the only one who speaks decent English. And I don't want anything to go wrong because of me, so I thought I should be prepared.
 
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