I-134 savings vs. low income

[jingo 38]

Hey all,

We're waiting for our NOA2 but I cant help but worry about the affidavit in advance.

My fiance is still a full time student and in his part time job makes around $11,000 a year. However, he has $30,000 in his bank account which is inheritance money from his grandmother. Altogether this makes up over 125% of the poverty level.

Will this be okay??

Or is the embassy likely to question where these savings came from?

We dont really have the option of a co-sponsor so this is the only chance we've got.

Any experience or opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated so that I can stop worrying. Thanks so much!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Your shortfall is $7212 ($18212 - 11000.) You need 3 times that in assets so $30k will do it. I think you should document it with bank statements and/or a letter from a bank officer stating maybe how long the account has had that much money. "Average balance for the last 12 months is $____". I think you want to somehow show he didn't recently get $30k paid to him to to get a visa for a foreigner. London isn't so tough, so explaining it would probably be enough. But something to tie it to grandma or that it's not a brand new deposit might be a little extra insurance.

[jingo 38]

The London embassy's website states that I could bring my own proof of savings -

Applicants Own Funds

An applicant who expects to be able to meet the public charge provisions of the law through personal financial resources may submit to the consular officer evidence of funds or income from one or more of the following sources...

Do you know how much this could be? I brought my bank statement for my J1 visa in 2009 and they didnt even look at any of my finances. Could I bring my bank info this time to avoid having to show my fiance's I-134? Or is it compulsory?

[JoannaV 174]

The London embassy's website states that I could bring my own proof of savings -

Applicants Own Funds

An applicant who expects to be able to meet the public charge provisions of the law through personal financial resources may submit to the consular officer evidence of funds or income from one or more of the following sources...

Do you know how much this could be? I brought my bank statement for my J1 visa in 2009 and they didnt even look at any of my finances. Could I bring my bank info this time to avoid having to show my fiance's I-134? Or is it compulsory?

You will still need the I-134 from your fiance. As it sounds like he qualifies there is no need for you to provide your own financial records. If you had a lot (emphasis: a lot!) of savings then you could bring your bank statement just in case, but so long as you have proof of your fiance's income and proof of his savings they will not be interested in yours.

[jingo 38]

Thanks for the advice, I am worried though because the money from his grandma HASN'T been there for very long. But it sounds like its our only option so we'll give it a try!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Thanks for the advice, I am worried though because the money from his grandma HASN'T been there for very long. But it sounds like its our only option so we'll give it a try!

In London, I seriously don't think it will be a problem and grandma probably won't come up. I was just thinking of a worse case scenario. Was there an executor of the estate who could write a statement outlining the inheritance---her name,relationship, dates, exact amount. Then you could have that to pull out if there was a discussion.

Your assets: It pretty much needs to be cash money, not a house that might not sell. I've heard VJ old timers say they got through with very little money...like 3 months worth of support to cover the 90 days your K1 visa buys you in the US. Is that 1/4 of the poverty level? Don't know. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have good documentation of your assets to add to the discussion if needed.

It's probably going to be way easier than you imagine. You're just convincing one person and he's right there to talk to face to face and explain things. Don't lose sleep over it.

[Penguin_ie 5,997]

I think you will be fine; the money from the grandmother may be recent, but is obviously not a loan, and your fiance will have good income potential once he graduates.

[jingo 38]

your fiance will have good income potential once he graduates.

I dont know about that, he's doing a film degree

I think I will bring my bank statement too, just incase. By then I should have almost 9k of savings in dollars, which I'm sure would be enough to support myself. Especially since for my year-long J1 visa I had that much too (back at that interview they didnt even ask to see any of my financial details!)

Thanks guys for the reassurance!