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Hello, everyone! I have made an account especially to ask some very specific questions regarding an application for a B2 visa for my friend. He is Russian, and I want to help him come to the United States to visit me and my relatives. In this post, my questions are set apart, numbered, and in bold.
The circumstances of his case are as follows. He is a Russian citizen living with his family and working at his permanent, full-time job in Russia. He has enough money in his bank account to pay for his trip, but there is a bit of a catch. He did not really think about it, and closed his old bank account in order to open a new one with a more favourable foreign exchange fee schedule. He of course does not have the statements from his previous bank account, which is now dead, and he no longer banks at all with his previous bank.
1. Does it look to consular officers as if this money is temporary or borrowed? Can he explain the situation to the consular officers at the interview?
If this presents a problem, and perhaps in any case for the avoidance of doubt, I would like additionally to sponsor him using an I-134. There are two options for this: either I can do it, or the relatives with whom I am staying can do it.
2. I work as a self-employed independent contractor (sole propritor) in Russia and am paid for this work into my British bank account. Even though I file income taxes on this foreign income and meet the threshhold, will any of the facts that I am not (1) currently present in the U.S., (2) working for a U.S. employer, or (3) being paid into a U.S. bank account present any problems for my ability to sponsor him? I would of course present all the appropriate documents, including tax returns, bank statements, etc.
If this does present a problem, then I can have my relatives sign the I-134 and send their documents instead, as they live and work in the U.S. and are paid into U.S. bank accounts.
In general, I am attempting to take advantage of the provision at https://travel.state.gov/content/tri...t/visitor.html that, “[i]f [the applicant] cannot cover all the costs for [his] trip, [he] may show evidence that another person will cover some or all costs for [his] trip.”
3. Which evidence do I need to provide?
I have accumulated the following:
The circumstances of his case are as follows. He is a Russian citizen living with his family and working at his permanent, full-time job in Russia. He has enough money in his bank account to pay for his trip, but there is a bit of a catch. He did not really think about it, and closed his old bank account in order to open a new one with a more favourable foreign exchange fee schedule. He of course does not have the statements from his previous bank account, which is now dead, and he no longer banks at all with his previous bank.
1. Does it look to consular officers as if this money is temporary or borrowed? Can he explain the situation to the consular officers at the interview?
If this presents a problem, and perhaps in any case for the avoidance of doubt, I would like additionally to sponsor him using an I-134. There are two options for this: either I can do it, or the relatives with whom I am staying can do it.
2. I work as a self-employed independent contractor (sole propritor) in Russia and am paid for this work into my British bank account. Even though I file income taxes on this foreign income and meet the threshhold, will any of the facts that I am not (1) currently present in the U.S., (2) working for a U.S. employer, or (3) being paid into a U.S. bank account present any problems for my ability to sponsor him? I would of course present all the appropriate documents, including tax returns, bank statements, etc.
If this does present a problem, then I can have my relatives sign the I-134 and send their documents instead, as they live and work in the U.S. and are paid into U.S. bank accounts.
In general, I am attempting to take advantage of the provision at https://travel.state.gov/content/tri...t/visitor.html that, “[i]f [the applicant] cannot cover all the costs for [his] trip, [he] may show evidence that another person will cover some or all costs for [his] trip.”
3. Which evidence do I need to provide?
I have accumulated the following:
- bank statements;
- bank letter;
- tax returns;
- receipts and confirmations for plane tickets; and
- letter showing that my relatives will house, feed, and transport us.
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