How often can I enter on a B-2 Visa?

Hi everyone,
I'm a 24 year-old Australian. I got a B-2 tourist Visa to visit the U.S. for the first time and have just spent the full 6 months allotted on my arrival travelling around here and absolutely loved it.

I just wanted to know when would be possible for me to come back and spend more time here. I'm aware it's good to spend as much time out of the country as you do in it, and perhaps if I return they may either not let me in or give me less than 180 days entry.

So because that is all pretty loose in terms of what are the rules, I'd love to know if anyone has any stories of how soon after spending a long time here they came back? Particularly at my age, my nationality, length between visits, just anything about when you got the 180 days entry again, or if you got sent back, or how long between, or if you got in but less time, etc.

Thank you so much for any help!

Unless some sort of restriction was placed on your visa (extremely unusual for Australians), it is good for multiple entry as long as the visa is valid (one or five years, depending on which one you got).

There is no fixed amount of time you must be outside of the US before re-entering. There is also no maximum on the time you can spend in the US in any 12-month period. Normally, you will be given 180 days on eachentry. The 180 days can be extended, but there's a big fee and you have to show that you can still stay in the US without working and that you really do have plans to leave. One exception: sometimes people who hop over to Canada or Mexico for a very short time are readmitted for the remainder of the original 180 days, instead of being given a new entry.

Nor is there a provision that you must go somewhere that is not Canada, Mexico, or a Caribbean island before you can re-enter. It is all up to the discretion of the immigration official. Obviously, 24 hours in Toronto is going to look very different than three months back in Oz. The main thing is--does it look like you are trying to make a visa run or do you just like to visit the US? Do you appear to be able to fund your trips without working under the table? Seem like a decent upright person with no criminal record? Got a return plane ticket or other convincing evidence that you plan to leave? All that usual stuff that impresses the official.

There is a regular Australian poster here who visits the US very frequently for holidays. His current account is @junglejurd. I am sure he'll show up and give you his perspective.

You can enter the US as often as you want on a B-2, lots of short trips are just fine BUT if you start spending more than half of your time in the US then you can expect awkward questions at the border, you might get away with it once. Unlike the VWP the rules on a B-2 are not prescriptive, it very much depends on the attitude of the immigration officer, if you have just had a full six months (and they will know because they get all passenger manifests on flights out and passport scans from Canada for land crossings, only land border crossings to Mexico are not in their system) then you would be pushing your luck to try and come back within a couple of months.

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