R2 visitors visa to the US

GM welcome. There are 2-trains of thought, a. keep it simple and b. go slow. Do not let your imagination get the best of you. E-Mail me a colleague of mine out of NY does these types of visas and actaully married his wife from here. If I may be earnest and frank there are 52 weeks out of the year. Maybe you are here 12 of them. Again go slow. This country oft times may be reffered to as the land of the replacement killer and vice-versa. I always say follow your heart because if you do your head is already in it, BUT do not be by any stretch be a dummy door-mat ATM in one fell swoop. Life comes at you fast. Go Slow.

Greetings LA2 unless you friend can prove that she has a reason not to stay in the U.S. It will be very hard to get her a tourist Visa. It is not easy at all, especially for Dominicans....They have created a bad name for themselves by using tourist or work visas only to not return on the required date. Unless she has a hefty bank account, a house or a long term job, your chances are pretty much slim to none. Immigration will also take your age into account as well. There are many good people in D.R. but a select few have made it hellahard for the honest ones. Give it a shot and see what happens, a good immigration lawyer will give you the odds. Good luck and keep us posted...,,anything is possible 

First welcome to the forums.   You are getting good advice here.,  It is tough to get a visa for  a Dominican to visit the USA.   She will need to show she has reason to return and most of them just don't qualify. 

Better to come visit when you can,  spend time and make sure this is real.  Later on ,  invest the time and money to try to get a visa when you know this is long term.  Be very careful!

Thank you for the advice all. I have asked myself all of these questions many times and finally said go for it. there is plenty of risk here, but nothing that hasn't been accounted for. Money is less of concern for me than is my time. Its an 8-11 hour flight from the west coast and my life literally stops for the 2-3 days that I'm there. If she can't come to me, this relationship will likely not last.    @Clegalbap, she hasn't asked me for money, and I haven't sent her anything. her travel and visa app would be on me, but we are not there yet. I'm not a sucker, but cash won't be the reason I don't get what I want. @Massagewiz I talked to a couple of lawyers and they advised me to go through the process on our own first and call them if it get denied (does this sound right?). @Planner more visits into the summer may be a safe bet. More time will help me make a decision either way.

La2 the lawyers are correct, the application for that travel visa is not that hard, you can go on the U.S. government visa page and get all the info required, you might be able to print the form from the page itself.  My advice to you both is that if she has had friends be successful in the visa arena, she should speak to them and gather as much info as possible. Try to also build a record of being together by taking photos of places you have been together. Her employer might even be able to vouch for her coming out to see you if she has a good working relationship with the company. If there is a branch of a resort that she works for in California, perhaps she can be sent for training for a short period.  Gather as much info as you can and ask many questions. Best of luck

Good to hear you are thinking this through.  Sadly many many posters have not thought anything through.

Good luck and keep us posted!