khushi- (guest from USA)    •   08/04/2004 00:21:39 AM

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hi ,

need to knwo how important is affidavit letter to be one of the document required for visa , My dad and mum want to visit usa to meet my sister and brother in law. we have all the required documents ready for the interview , except the affidavit letter for my dad.

i want to know what information is required to be mentioned in the affidavit letter that i need to arrange for my dad.

thanks to immihelp team

khushi

A Roy- (guest from Boston, MA, USA)    •   08/04/2004 09:45:49 AM

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Friends!
I found this site extremely helpful. I was worried about my uncle & aunt's tourist visa approval. This is rare too. I spend few hours to gather important tips and planned how they should face interview (based on our situation). My letter to the consulate general was focused on the key points like - sure return (dependents in India, financial good condition), religious & cultural ties. In the interview with consulate general my uncle and aunt faced questions exactly what I expected by going through this site.
Take your time to read feedbacks and good luck!

asn- (guest from , IL, USA)    •   08/03/2004 17:05:07 PM

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First, Have to thank the guys at immihelp for making efforts to keep the site up and running.
My parents got visas with a 10 year validity thru the US Consulate in Mumbai. My father is over 60 and mother is under 60.

the officer asked my father:
1) What does your son do in the US?
  he is a ......
2) How many children do you have?
 xx
3) What does your daughter do?
 She works for so and so company...
4) What are you yearly earnings?
 xxx amount.

The officer then asked for all the documents I sent to my folks. He checked each and every document properly.

The officer then said ' Enjoy your holiday'.

From what my father described, the consular officers are very smart and ask questions to the point.

Best of luck to all the parents trying to visit the US.

Suganthi- (guest from Greensboro, NC, USA)    •   08/03/2004 14:14:30 PM

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My parents got the visa in their second attempt.

The first time when they went, we did not ask for the translator. When they went there, the interview asked my dad a question which my dad could not understand... so he was asked to get another interview with the translator.

So we got the second interview yesterday. This time we chose tamil as the language. The interviewer was an American who spoke in broken tamil, my dad says. He was friendly...
He has asked
WHere are you going?
To my son in law and daughter's house.
How long did you stay last time?
3 months (this is wrong as they stayed only for 6 weeks)
How long do you want to stay this time?
6 months
Thats all...approved...
We had consulted one visa consultant before my parents went for the second time. He is really good... he arranged the papers in order, prepared them for the interview... This gave my parents confidence to face the interview. One of the main suggestions by the consultant is to maintain eye contact with the interviewer and speak with confidence...
We all are relieved, thrilled, excited...

It was frustrating as we had to wait for around 2 months to get the second interview date.. but now it feels like the wait, tension, palpitation, prayers - is all worth it!!! :-)))

Raj- (guest from USA)    •   08/03/2004 13:30:42 PM

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Parents' visas refused under 214(b) on May 21st @ chennai consulate though they were told the refusal was because of not having my W2's for the last 3 years.

They took the interview again on Aug 3rd and got their visas approved. Looks like this time the counselor was a woman and she was very congenial and asked quite a few questions about every family member.

The additional documents I'd sent were copies of my W2's and a rewritten consulate letter.

PS: Though they had an appointment they were made to wait in a queue(outside the consulate) for about 1 1/2 hours.

vvab123- (guest from USA)    •   08/01/2004 21:50:25 PM

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I just thought I should share that my brother, his wife
and sister all three got a 10-year Multiple entry visitor visa
at Mumbai consulate on July 30th.

o All of them are age < 30 years
o All are employeed
o They were asked only one document - I-134
o They were all separately (but at the same window)
asked about:
- Job profile
- Salary
- Duration of visit
- Any travel earlier to overseas
I had provided all standard documents listed at various
websites which were *NOT* asked for at all.

I hope this helps one one looking to make similar apps.

Delax- (guest from USA)    •   07/29/2004 21:49:53 PM

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have been a regular reader at this forum and have got valuable tips from the experience of others. Its time now to return the favor. My parents applied for a visitor visa on Mar 10 2004 at Mumbai and got a 10 yr multiple entry. My dad is 63 years old and my mom is 58. Both of them are retired for the last 2 years. Although my dad qualified for the drop box they both had to go for an interview since my parents are planning to travel together. I sent them the following documents:

1. Form I-134, notarized - 1 each for mom and dad
2. Letter to consulate
3. I-797 Status copy
4. Copy of my entire passport & I-94
5. Bank statement - last 5 months
6. Bank letter notarized-showed a balance of 10k plus
7. Letter from employer showing position, salary and start date
8. Tax returns including W2 forms for 2003, 2002 & 2001
9. Recent pay stubs - 5 months
10. Original Birth Certificate
11. Copy of degree certificate and original US transcript (I came here on F-1 to do MBA)
12. Invitation Letter

PS : I got my F-1 also at Mumbai for Fall 2000 valid for a period of 5 yrs

In addition to this, my parents carried a 2 inch box file that contained their asset papers namely Flat, shares, FDs, Pension letters, etc. I created a one page asset summary in US$ as the first page of this file. All supporting original documents were below this first page. On arrivng at the consulate they were put thru a security check and then were told to deposit their passports at Window # 1 where they were given a pink token and told to wait for their number to be called. When their number was called they were asked to go to Window # 2 and were asked the foll questions.
1. Who is there - My son
2. What does he do - He is an energy analyst
3. What has he done - He has done his MBA(Fin) from Univ of ........
"OK We are giving you the visa - Enjoy your holiday"

The consular officer DID NOT SEE A SINGLE DOCUMENT. The only document that my parents submitted to the consulate were their application forms which clearly stated that they are going to the US to visit their son and his family and had my name and all contact details. I don't want to sound grandfatherly but be as open and clear about every thing when dealing with the consulate on Visa issues. I do have a younger brother working in India but the consulate had no way of knowing that unless specifically asked by them at the time of interview. I dont think that single parent only child is an issue. So take heart and All the Best

Nachi- (guest from USA)    •   07/29/2004 21:49:14 PM

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My mom went for the interview on July 27, 2004 and got a 10 year multiple entry vistor's visa.

She was rejected once before. She used to work then and wanted to come and spend a month with me. They rejected her under potential immigrant clause. She is a widow and i am her only son.

She reapplied again after she retired , and this time she showed that she is a pension earner and has a property in chennai.

Also last time when she took the interview , she asked for an interpreter(even though she knew to speak english she was worried abt the accent etc) , but this time she did not and she felt the person interviewing her was really nice and spoke in such a way she understood everything.

The questions asked to here were

1. What is your son doing.
2. How long you intended to stay - she replied 6 months
3. What are you doing now - she replied back that she is a retired bank employee and she earns a pension. She specified that she also has a house in her name.

Her visa was approved.

From my side , i sent her an invitation letter mentioning that where all i am planning to take her(tourist places) etc.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL.

Thanks

Nachi

Mapara- (guest from Jersey City, NJ, USA)    •   07/28/2004 09:50:49 AM

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My parents requested 4 months visa and they got 6 Months visa.
Following questions were asked to my Father:
(1)How many children do you have? What do they do?
(2)What do you do?
(3)What is your annual income? My father is retired officer. So he told his pension per annum.
(4)Show me your affidavit of support
Consulate officer didn't ask any question to my mother.
immihelp site was really helpful. Thanks immihelp.
Best of Luck to everyone who plans on having their parents visit them in US.
Mapara
USA - July 28, 2004

Madhuker- (guest from Reston, VA, USA)    •   07/27/2004 18:42:39 PM

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I graduated in the spring quarter and I am currently working in my OPT. Also my H1 is under processing. I might or might not be able to get my H1 papers by the 1st week of October. It could be late also.
My mom's appointment is fixed during the last last week of October and my dad is a bank employee.
How are the chances of my mom getting her visa as I am working on my OPT and I might or might not get the papers by the end of Oct? What are the other possibilities?