Tourist Visa - Ties - Show Money

[LynAndArt 2]

Hi,

I am trying to help a friend come to the US for a visit on a tourist visa.

A little background on my friend:

She is married , has 2 young kids, and has a job that she has

held for the last 10 years.

She wants to come for a 4 week visit.

I hope the fact that she is married, has 2 kids and has a job there for the

last 10 years would indicate enough ties to her home country to satisfy

that part of the requirement.

She will be making the trip alone and will say with me part of time and an

other friend the other part of time.

The thing that concerns us is that they do not have bank accounts, and hence will

not have 3 months bank statements to bring to an interview.

Is it really necessary to have a bank account with some balance in it in order

to travel to US on a tourist visa from Philippines?

I know the purpose of this requirement is to prove that she can pay for

entire stay, but, all she really needs is a plane ticket and few hundred

in spending money.

According the US Embassy Website in the Philippines they say they are less

concerned about how the trip will be financed and more concerned about the

binding ties. Is this true? Or does she need to get a bank account, put

some money in it and wait 3 months?

I traveled to Europe for two weeks in 07 with only a plane ticket and $500 cash.

I stayed with friends the whole time, no hotel, expensive hotel meals and services,

etc.

Can a Filippina do the same thing?

A

Edited May 29, 2009 by Art1

[Rocky_nBullwinkle 6]

Hi,

I am trying to help a friend come to the US for a visit on a tourist visa.

A little background on my friend:

She is married , has 2 young kids, and has a job that she has

held for the last 10 years.

She wants to come for a 4 week visit.

I hope the fact that she is married, has 2 kids and has a job there for the

last 10 years would indicate enough ties to her home country to satisfy

that part of the requirement.

She will be making the trip alone and will say with me part of time and an

other friend the other part of time.

The thing that concerns us is that they do not have bank accounts, and hence will

not have 3 months bank statements to bring to an interview.

Is it really necessary to have a bank account with some balance in it in order

to travel to US on a tourist visa from Philippines?

I know the purpose of this requirement is to prove that she can pay for

entire stay, but, all she really needs is a plane ticket and few hundred

in spending money.

According the US Embassy Website in the Philippines they say they are less

concerned about how the trip will be financed and more concerned about the

binding ties. Is this true? Or does she need to get a bank account, put

some money in it and wait 3 months?

I traveled to Europe for two weeks in 07 with only a plane ticket and $500 cash.

I stayed with friends the whole time, no hotel, expensive hotel meals and services,

etc.

Can a Filippina do the same thing?

A

I don't think so. It's a tough job applying for a tourist visa at the US Embassy in Manila. Your friend must convince the consul that she has a strong tie to the Philippines. Being employed for 10 years is not a guarantee that she will be granted visitor's visa. But your friend can try. A bank account can help her establish her strong ties. Who knows? She might get lucky.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Rocky_nBullwinkle

[T_and_A 3]

It's all a matter of convincing consul that she will come back to the Philippines for a tourist visa. My mother was able to get three international tourist visas (1 in US and 2 in Australia) without showing as many financial proofs before. She was never even asked for any. Either she's really lucky but doing it three times and all approved I can say that it's really a tough good luck that is hard to find. Of course, she never ever abused it and never overstayed while on tourist visa and ever will. I am hoping she could get approved again so she can come visit us, my husband and her future grandson (one coming very soon!)... I really hope she gets approved again and my papa too.

Good luck on us!!!

[tallcoolone 102]

Tourist Visa are more commonplace for old people

The younger you are the more difficult it is to get one

[LynAndArt 2]

Hi,

I am trying to help a friend come to the US for a visit on a tourist visa.

A little background on my friend:

She is married , has 2 young kids, and has a job that she has

held for the last 10 years.

She wants to come for a 4 week visit.

I hope the fact that she is married, has 2 kids and has a job there for the

last 10 years would indicate enough ties to her home country to satisfy

that part of the requirement.

She will be making the trip alone and will say with me part of time and an

other friend the other part of time.

The thing that concerns us is that they do not have bank accounts, and hence will

not have 3 months bank statements to bring to an interview.

Is it really necessary to have a bank account with some balance in it in order

to travel to US on a tourist visa from Philippines?

I know the purpose of this requirement is to prove that she can pay for

entire stay, but, all she really needs is a plane ticket and few hundred

in spending money.

According the US Embassy Website in the Philippines they say they are less

concerned about how the trip will be financed and more concerned about the

binding ties. Is this true? Or does she need to get a bank account, put

some money in it and wait 3 months?

I traveled to Europe for two weeks in 07 with only a plane ticket and $500 cash.

I stayed with friends the whole time, no hotel, expensive hotel meals and services,

etc.

Can a Filippina do the same thing?

A

I don't think so. It's a tough job applying for a tourist visa at the US Embassy in Manila. Your friend must convince the consul that she has a strong tie to the Philippines. Being employed for 10 years is not a guarantee that she will be granted visitor's visa. But your friend can try. A bank account can help her establish her strong ties. Who knows? She might get lucky.

So, let me get this straight.

A bank account with 3 months of activity is a stronger tie to the Philippines than a husband, a 2 year old, a 4 year old, and a permanent job as a

High School teacher?

I sorry, but the logic of that escapes me.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Art1

[LynAndArt 2]

It's all a matter of convincing consul that she will come back to the Philippines for a tourist visa. My mother was able to get three international tourist visas (1 in US and 2 in Australia) without showing as many financial proofs before. She was never even asked for any. Either she's really lucky but doing it three times and all approved I can say that it's really a tough good luck that is hard to find. Of course, she never ever abused it and never overstayed while on tourist visa and ever will. I am hoping she could get approved again so she can come visit us, my husband and her future grandson (one coming very soon!)... I really hope she gets approved again and my papa too.

Good luck on us!!!

Well, what she will tell them is that she as an opportunity to visit the US but can only stay for 4 weeks, then must return to tend to her children.

The 4 year old is started pre-school, her sister will be taking care of the kids but can only do so for 4 weeks.

Her husband is listed on the DS-156 and the kids on both DS-157 and DS-158.

She has lots of pay stubs, last 3 months of course, to prove that she is working, a marriage certificate to prove that she is married and

the birth certificates for both kids, all on the NSO paper.

The thing that is missing is a bank statement for show money to say how the trip will be paid for. Is that a requirement for her to visit.

[sunandmoon 450]

It's all a matter of convincing consul that she will come back to the Philippines for a tourist visa. My mother was able to get three international tourist visas (1 in US and 2 in Australia) without showing as many financial proofs before. She was never even asked for any. Either she's really lucky but doing it three times and all approved I can say that it's really a tough good luck that is hard to find. Of course, she never ever abused it and never overstayed while on tourist visa and ever will. I am hoping she could get approved again so she can come visit us, my husband and her future grandson (one coming very soon!)... I really hope she gets approved again and my papa too.

Good luck on us!!!

Well, what she will tell them is that she as an opportunity to visit the US but can only stay for 4 weeks, then must return to tend to her children.

The 4 year old is started pre-school, her sister will be taking care of the kids but can only do so for 4 weeks.

Her husband is listed on the DS-156 and the kids on both DS-157 and DS-158.

She has lots of pay stubs, last 3 months of course, to prove that she is working, a marriage certificate to prove that she is married and

the birth certificates for both kids, all on the NSO paper.

The thing that is missing is a bank statement for show money to say how the trip will be paid for. Is that a requirement for her to visit.

The following documents are not considered helpful:

In general, affidavits of any sort will be of little value to an applicant (exception: student visa applications). The affidavit of support is a requirement only for immigrant visas. We encourage the interested third parties to save their time and money and not to prepare such. The interviewing officer is less concerned about how the applicant will be supported during his/her stay in the United States than in whether s/he has reasons to return home.

http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhniv7.html

the point being made is family ties and employment alone may not be enough to convince a CO she will return to the Philippines.

[sasha414 0]

it will all depend on the mood of the consul. my cousin in her 20's was given a 10 yr multiple entry even if she didnt have any bank account and she didnt have a job. another relative in his 60's was denied even though he had millions in his account . lesson here, we can never tell exactly what the consuls want or what they look for in an applicant. just let your friend try for the tourist visa, if the consul is in a good mood, she could be approved.

[Matt & Bing 56]

She wants to leave her 2 young kids for 4 weeks!

[LynAndArt 2]

It's all a matter of convincing consul that she will come back to the Philippines for a tourist visa. My mother was able to get three international tourist visas (1 in US and 2 in Australia) without showing as many financial proofs before. She was never even asked for any. Either she's really lucky but doing it three times and all approved I can say that it's really a tough good luck that is hard to find. Of course, she never ever abused it and never overstayed while on tourist visa and ever will. I am hoping she could get approved again so she can come visit us, my husband and her future grandson (one coming very soon!)... I really hope she gets approved again and my papa too.

Good luck on us!!!

Well, what she will tell them is that she as an opportunity to visit the US but can only stay for 4 weeks, then must return to tend to her children.

The 4 year old is started pre-school, her sister will be taking care of the kids but can only do so for 4 weeks.

Her husband is listed on the DS-156 and the kids on both DS-157 and DS-158.

She has lots of pay stubs, last 3 months of course, to prove that she is working, a marriage certificate to prove that she is married and

the birth certificates for both kids, all on the NSO paper.

The thing that is missing is a bank statement for show money to say how the trip will be paid for. Is that a requirement for her to visit.

The following documents are not considered helpful:

In general, affidavits of any sort will be of little value to an applicant (exception: student visa applications). The affidavit of support is a requirement only for immigrant visas. We encourage the interested third parties to save their time and money and not to prepare such. The interviewing officer is less concerned about how the applicant will be supported during his/her stay in the United States than in whether s/he has reasons to return home.

http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhniv7.html

the point being made is family ties and employment alone may not be enough to convince a CO she will return to the Philippines.

From the US Embassy Website in Manila, the complete definition of evidence of ties is as follows:

EVIDENCE OF TIES

Ties are the aspects of one’s life that bind him or her to his or her place of residence, including family relationships, employment and possessions. In the case of younger applicants, who may not have had an opportunity to establish such ties, interviewing officers may look at educational status, grades, the situation of their parents, and the applicant's long-range plans and prospects in the Philippines. As each person's situation is different, there is no set answer as to what constitutes adequate ties.

The following supporting documents may or may not be requested from the applicant and are only required at the discretion of the consular officer:

1. Bank statements for the last three (3) months and both current and former bank account passbooks

2. Employment certification including salary, tenure and position

3. Form W-2

4. Income tax return with Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) or bank stamp

5. Audited financial statement with BIR or bank stamp

6. Pay slips for the last three (3) months

7. Credit card statements for the prior three months

8. Vehicle registration with official receipt

9. Land titles (no certified copies please)

10. Pictures of family, home or business

11. Wedding photos

12. Marriage certificate printed on the Philippine National Statistics Office security paper, if applicable

13. Birth certificate printed on the Philippine National Statistics Office security paper

14. For students, certificate of school registration

15. Certification of membership to legitimate organization(s)

Due to the large volume of applications processed each day, consular officers may not always look at supporting documents, unless there are points in the application forms or in the interview that need clarification.

This is the list of possible documents from the US Embassy Website Manila. I could argue that non of these are truly compelling for a person that was determine to leave no matter what.

So it seems like it may be more a quesiton of appearance and behavior than supporting documenation that makes the difference.

The ability to convince the counsel that you are returning at the end of your stay is maybe, more important than money in the bank, family ties, etc..

I can tell you that she does intend to return after her trip and resume her life.

Well, she will schedule her interview and we will see what happens.

Wish her luck.

A

[Bluerose001 4]

Hi!

It depends on the mood of the consul.

I was able to visit my bf last Dec using B1/B2 visa.

I was employed at that time in a multi national company for just 3 years. I did have a bank account and a property but the consul didnt even asked for any bank statement nor evidence of my property.

It depends on how good your friend is in communicating her PURPOSE on said visit.

Sample questions:

1. What is the purpose of your visit?

2. How long will you stay ?

3. Who will pay for your visit?

4. How can I be sure that you will come back to the Philippines?

Goodluck!

Bluerose

[LynAndArt 2]

Hi!

It depends on the mood of the consul.

I was able to visit my bf last Dec using B1/B2 visa.

I was employed at that time in a multi national company for just 3 years. I did have a bank account and a property but the consul didnt even asked for any bank statement nor evidence of my property.

It depends on how good your friend is in communicating her PURPOSE on said visit.

Sample questions:

1. What is the purpose of your visit?

2. How long will you stay ?

3. Who will pay for your visit?

4. How can I be sure that you will come back to the Philippines?

Goodluck!

Bluerose

Thanks.

It really does seem like it is more about appearance, presentation, and communication skills.

Given the fact the most banks allow for online access to accounts having a bank account does not mean I have

to return to some home country to get my money out.

Anyway, thanks for the advice.