Please Help: Need info on applying Visitor Visa for parents

[sirishap_2005]

Friends,

I need info/comments/experiences/tips on applying for Visitor Visa for my parents. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Does the following factors play any role in visa rejection:

1. My father retired from State Govt job few years ago and my mother works as a school teacher for a Govt school and has few more years of service. My father owns a non-profit company (so no tax forms or any paper work). Will his retirement reduce visa approval probability?

2. A significant percentage of parents are applying for the visa in their local languages but not English. Does this improve the chances of getting a visa?

3. Though most visitor visas are issues for 10 years Multiple entries, what is the realistic time frame for the visit in the application (1/2/3 months or so on)?

4. Many websites offer sample sponsor documents (Invitation letter, Visa Request letter etc). Can those sample documents be used with little tailoring or the VOs discard applicants with those sample letters?

5. There are specific times in an year when the consulate is crowded with visa applicants (Ex: Just before the schools in US begin - Fall, Spring). Are there any specific time frames (months, days in a week, etc) to avoid for visitor visa?

Please share your experience. Thanks to everyone who has read this message so far .

Eagerly waiting for responses!

[peace]

You must try to understand what the visa officers have in mind, then you
can better assess where your parents stand.

Two most important issues that the visa officers assess are;

I. the applicant's ties to India that will compel him to return. Two ties are given most value;

1.Annual income and assets
2.Family ties (immediate family: spouse, unmarried children)

II. Ability to fund the trip.

Parents who are retired, who cannot show great income in home country
and have all their kids settled abroad, have a difficult time getting a visa.
Reason; no family or income ties to India.
That does not mean it is impossible. There is a lot of luck involved, some officers are lenient and some will make you try 2-3 times.
In such cases, a better strategy is to send one parent first (ususally the
mother for 2-3 months) and send an affidavit of support I-134 to show funding.

[sirishap_2005]

Thanks a lot for your response. I totally agree that LUCK plays a big role than we want it to be. I have heard of cases where the VO says "I can only issue Visa to ONE of you, who would that be?". Showing elderly parent(s) as "ties" for coming back to India does not work often compared to showing younger kids (may be partially due to the American Culture on how they treat their elderly parents). I would say the initial confidence shown by the parents plays a major role too. Many said the VO hardly asked for any questions before issuing the Visa.

My two cents!