How many people can i call here to visit?

[ziia 9]

Hello everybody.

I recently got my US citizenship YAY and i would like to apply for a turist visa for my cousin and his girlfriend to come visit me here. I have not yet sent them the Invitation and Affidavit of Support because i want first to find out if there is a limit on how many people I can sponsor in a year, for a turist visa. For example, my sisiter would like to visit me next spring and i would have to invite her too. I wouldn't want to find out that i can't bring my sister here for a visit because i have petitioned already for my cousin and his girlfriend. Pls advise.

Also, I trust my cousin very much but i don't realy trust his girlfriend(i have my own doubts, don't hold it against me). If i call her on a turist visa and she decides to never go back(like i said, i don't trust her intentions but my cousin doesn't want to come visit without her, that forces me to apply for her as well), am i financialy responsible for her, for how long and in what way?

Thank you so much!

Edited June 27, 2009 by ziia

[Old Dominion 26]

No one really sponsors anyone for a tourist visa. You invite them by letter and indicate in that letter you are paying all their expenses while here. They must apply for the visas themselves. As far as your financial responsibility, it expires when the tourist visa expires.

In many countries including Romania, tourist visas are not given out very often. Single persons are rarely granted visitor visas.

Edited June 27, 2009 by Old Dominion

[NArocks 13]

Visitor Visa are based on basically the luck of the draw, showing ties to their home country etc. . By all means you can invite whomever you want. The fact of the getting the visa is a whole nother thing all together.

[ziia 9]

No one really sponsors anyone for a tourist visa. You invite them by letter and indicate in that letter you are paying all their expenses while here. They must apply for the visas themselves. As far as your financial responsibility, it expires when the tourist visa expires.

In many countries including Romania, tourist visas are not given out very often. Single persons are rarely granted visitor visas.

Thank you both for responding. Old Dominion, i thought that the "Affidavit of support" would hold me liable for someone for two years if they decide to stay here illegaly. Also pls help me understand this..., what if, supposebly, my cousin's girlfriend is granted 10 year visitor visa? does that mean that if she decides to come back here 3 years later down the road or whenever she wishes, I would still be liable to financialy support her for the length of her stay(presuming she comes back and never overstays but decides to visit every so often) since she got the visa with the help of my original submited Affidavit and Invite?

So, what I'm asking is what do you mean by "when the turist visa expires"? Do you mean my financial responsability expires after her original departure(expiration of length alowd by the officer at the POE) and it is not enforced every time she decides to visit within the 1 or 10 year visas(prsuming she gets that of course). Would I/or someone else have to sign an Affidavit every ime she wants to leave Romania for USA, even though her visa could be of 10 years?

I know, it's like a gamble at the Embassy in Bucharest. They gave my sister one year travel visa two years ago and she was just a student with no income, no properties on her name, no job, no bank accounts. i mean she was the perfect prototype for someone to just come here and never go back. They gave her the visa and that is great, they made the right decision since my sister is one of the very few people that would not even think of coming to stay here, legally or illegaly. Beats me why, my family is strange LOL. None the less, I can't presume single people with no income have very little chanses of getting the travel visas if someone invites them and signs an affidavit. I have seen many cases...approved and denied. Sometimes i think they give visas there according to what direction the winds blows that day.

Anyway, pls help me understand this better.

Thanks a lot

Edited June 27, 2009 by ziia

[Old Dominion 26]

No affidavit of support is necessary to invite someone to visit the U.S. Your promise to support the visitor during the visit is simply a sentence in your letter of invitation. With all of your doubts, it would be unwise to invite the girlfriend because it seems she will be a noose around your neck for quite some time to come. But, the government cannot force you to support her based on that promise in your invitation. I am not aware of tourist visas being valid for ten years; usually they are valid for a year or six months.

Edited June 27, 2009 by Old Dominion

[ziia 9]

No affidavit of support is necessary to invite someone to visit the U.S. Your promise to support the visitor during the visit is simply a sentence in your letter of invitation. With all of your doubts, it would be unwise to invite the girlfriend because it seems she will be a noose around your neck for quite some time to come. But, the government cannot force you to support her based on that promise in your invitation. I am not aware of tourist visas being valid for ten years; usually they are valid for a year or six months.

I think i'm going to take the safest route and not send an actual "Affidavit of Support" form for her. I'm only going to complete one for my cousin and to her i'm going to send just the Invitation letter in which i'll make clear i'm going to be financialy responsible for her from date X to date Y(just in this visist). I hope my cousin will understand I have to protect myself, just in case. If he doesn't, they can both stay home:).

When my parents and my sister came to visit, i sent 3 separate forms(affidavits), along with the Ivite letter. They were all granted visas: my sister was granted a 1 year valid visa and my parents were given visas valid for 10 years, with multiple entries. I will have to apply again for my sister when i want her to come back to see me, and hopefully she'll get the 10 year visa next time, but my parents can come and go as they please for the next 10 years without me having to re-apply for them.

Thank you for your help.

[baron555 934]

No affidavit of support is necessary to invite someone to visit the U.S. Your promise to support the visitor during the visit is simply a sentence in your letter of invitation. With all of your doubts, it would be unwise to invite the girlfriend because it seems she will be a noose around your neck for quite some time to come. But, the government cannot force you to support her based on that promise in your invitation. I am not aware of tourist visas being valid for ten years; usually they are valid for a year or six months.

I think i'm going to take the safest route and not send an actual "Affidavit of Support" form for her. I'm only going to complete one for my cousin and to her i'm going to send just the Invitation letter in which i'll make clear i'm going to be financialy responsible for her from date X to date Y(just in this visist). I hope my cousin will understand I have to protect myself, just in case. If he doesn't, they can both stay home:).

When my parents and my sister came to visit, i sent 3 separate forms(affidavits), along with the Ivite letter. They were all granted visas: my sister was granted a 1 year valid visa and my parents were given visas valid for 10 years, with multiple entries. I will have to apply again for my sister when i want her to come back to see me, and hopefully she'll get the 10 year visa next time, but my parents can come and go as they please for the next 10 years without me having to re-apply for them.

Thank you for your help.

Again as others have told you. YOU do no apply for a tourist visa, THEY have to do that in their country.

And, NO Affidavit of Support form is required or needed. You just send them an invitation and say they will be staying with you and they will return on this or that date.

The rest is up to them and the embassy in their country.

Since you don't trust one of them, then don't invite that one. If your cousin will not travel without her, then I guess he is not coming also. That is his decision.

If you don't want to cause trouble between them, then do not invite them. Very simple

[ziia 9]

Again as others have told you. YOU do no apply for a tourist visa, THEY have to do that in their country.

And, NO Affidavit of Support form is required or needed. You just send them an invitation and say they will be staying with you and they will return on this or that date.

The rest is up to them and the embassy in their country.

Since you don't trust one of them, then don't invite that one. If your cousin will not travel without her, then I guess he is not coming also. That is his decision.

If you don't want to cause trouble between them, then do not invite them. Very simple

Baron555,

Straight and to the point. thank you.

[milimelo 4,477]

I can tell you that in the US embassy in Sarajevo they sometimes do ask for the affidavit of support and I have seen those with my own eyes. A cousin's mother (cousin is USC) never wanted to be a PR so for the past ten years she would just get the tourist visa, one year validity every time - at POE they would grant her 6-months stay - the woman never overstayed.

It happened 2 yrs ago that the US embassy was calling various tourist visa applicants (who got the visas in the past) to check on them. When I called on the woman's behalf and asked why they were checking i got the answer that they picked a number of people and were checking how often they used the visa and if they returned. She was under scrutiny as they know she can become LPR whenever she wanted to and for her regular trips. After that, no problem for her to now get the 10-yr visa with multiple entry.

On the other hand, my sisters never needed the affidavit - I sent them a letter of invitation and both of them got visas without a problem and not a single additional document requested (one was 11 at the time and my twin is 29).

[Old Dominion 26]

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but to my knowledge the affidavit of support requirement (and submission of financial records) for a visitor visa was dropped about five years ago.

[payxibka 10,045]

You may provide a letter of invitation or support. However, this cannot guarantee visa issuance to a foreign national friend, relative or student. Visa applicants must qualify for the visa according to their own circumstances, not on the basis of an American sponsor's assurance.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/denials/denials_1361.html

[ziia 9]

You may provide a letter of invitation or support. However, this cannot guarantee visa issuance to a foreign national friend, relative or student. Visa applicants must qualify for the visa according to their own circumstances, not on the basis of an American sponsor's assurance.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/denials/denials_1361.html

Thank you all so much for helping me figure this out. I am very greatful for all your help. Judging by the tyes they both have to Romania: she has finished school, is unemployed and has no properties whatsoever on her name, it would be a slim chanse to get the visa. My cousin on the other hand has a very well payd job in the IT industry, money put aside and is part of my family-puts him in a better position. But i shouldn't speculate-i'll have to see how easily the US Embassy at Bucharest gives visas. I have to have a talk with my cousin first because if he doesn't want to come see me for a few weeks without her, then maybe i should wait to invite him another time and focus on inviting someone else who actualy wants to come here and spend some time with me...I thought about it...it seems almost like i'm a gateway for two people to come here and entertain themselves, not to see me. Though my cousin is head over hills for that girl, i'd expect for him to leave it alone/give it a rest for a couple of weeks and give some lovin' my way too.

Sorry, i was just thinking outloud:).

Thanks for everything, VJ friends

Edited June 29, 2009 by ziia

[Anh map 2,098]

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but to my knowledge the affidavit of support requirement (and submission of financial records) for a visitor visa was dropped about five years ago.

That's what I was thinking....