i134 Form and Affidavits? Who can fill it out? Confused...

[vgogems]

Hello,

I am a US citizen, and I have a friend from Argentina coming to visit me on vacation this Christmas. He is already in the process of applying for his B2 visa. His interview will be at the end of this month. We are currently working on collecting evidential "ties" to his country and proof of financial support. While looking at what documents count as proof of the things listed above, I've heard about the i134 affidavit form. My question is, who can fill out this form? Here is my situation:

I will be the one sponsoring his trip and paying personally for the largest fee, his plane ticket. He/his family is paying for everything else. (Spending money, visa, reciprocity fee, etc.) Both of us are currently unemployed, but have had money saved up for this vacation. (I was employed last year.) We are both dependents because we both live with our families. Since I am the "sponsor" of his trip, is it my place to fill out the i134 form? And if so, what can I put under employment/yearly income? Because I am a dependent, I share the household income with my family. For this reason, I do not have much money in my own name, and I do not own property.
Also, because he is a dependent in his family, he too shares yearly income with the household. Is it possible for the head of his household/primary financial provider to fill out or write an affidavit or other document? How can they present proof of financial support? He does not own property or keep money in his name personally. But we do still have the required substantial budget for his trip.

With all of that being said, is it more helpful if I do or do not fill out the i134 form? What else can we do to prove his intent/stability and help him get his B2 visa?

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[daggit]

Anything you send your friend.. an invitation, affidavit of support i134 is not legally enforceable.. is unlikely to be looked at by a CO. Your friend's family can be the source of funds, and that's something best indicated on the ds160, or at the interview.

His lack of a job, or any strong ties to home will likely be a hindrance in pursuit of a B2 visa. But stranger things have occurred in the past. His best option would likely be to secure funding for the duration of stay in the US, and present a general but clear plan to the interviewer about his intentions while in the US.

COs love to hear things along the lines of "..I plan to get back to doing so and so once I return home..".

[vgogems]

Anything you send your friend.. an invitation, affidavit of support i134 is not legally enforceable.. is unlikely to be looked at by a CO. Your friend's family can be the source of funds, and that's something best indicated on the ds160, or at the interview.

His lack of a job, or any strong ties to home will likely be a hindrance in pursuit of a B2 visa. But stranger things have occurred in the past. His best option would likely be to secure funding for the duration of stay in the US, and present a general but clear plan to the interviewer about his intentions while in the US.

COs love to hear things along the lines of "..I plan to get back to doing so and so once I return home..".

Hello, I've just now been able to respond to your message - and I'd like to thank you for your initial knowledgeable response. You mentioned that his family can be like an anchor, or a source of proof of income. In what way could he [acceptably] present proof of that information? Documents, word of mouth, bank statements, physical cash? And similarly, how could I provide proof that I am able to pay for his ticket, and if necessary, financially support him while he is here? In the interview he will be asked to state information about me and my financial situation. How else could he present information about me other than simply saying I am not currently employed or in school? (For example, I am no longer working for a company at the present time, but I do still have semi-static personal income from pet sitting and other "favor" type small/community jobs. Would that be considered acceptable to present?)

I look forward to your response and thank you again.