Hi everyone:

I am graduating in May 2010 and I am planning to have my parents apply for visas to come to the US for my graduation. My problem is that I don't want to call my parents here before I can find a job and have a steady income. I am thinking about having my parents apply for their visas right before my graduation; but I only want to call them here after a few months or may be a year after graduating. Since the US embassy issues 5 year visas, I don't think this would be a problem. I just want to make sure that I am not missing any point. Do you guys think that we could face any kind of problem regarding visa and entry to the US? Is there a requirement which says that once you get a visa, you need to leave the country in a certain number of days.

Generally, the visa holders are expected to enter the States within the designated time (e.g., before your graduation date), but once your parents get the visa, they might wait until you get the job or something and then come to the US with your separate letter of invitation (not the one from your alma mater). In case the immigration people have any information online, your parents then say that they could not come to your graduation and are instead coming now to see you. This is what one of my friends' parents did, and I hope the same thing might apply to your parents too (unless the immigration system has changed for the past one year or so).