Sponsor Letter For The Us And Or Canada

[meme]

My parents are providing sponsor letters (one lives in the US and one in Canada) for my boyfriend (who's Thai) who will be visiting the US for one week and Canada for 3 weeks ( I hope!) As I have lived in Thailand for the past two years and now am living temporarily in Korea. I do not live in either the US or Canada. What should the letters say. Also is it important that I am able to prove how long I have been with my boyfriend (a year and a half). I also was told that it is important that my parents express that this is a gift to my bf? Any more information about our situation is posted under "getting a visa for the US and Canada for my bf" or something like that. in this forum

[cbatson]

For the U.S. portion of the visit, consider using USCIS Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, available here:

http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-134.htm

Good Luck,

Chuck

[Smokin Joe]

For the U.S. portion of the visit, consider using USCIS Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, available here:

http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-134.htm

Good Luck,

Chuck

That is incorrect. Do not use the I-134 (for thr US) . It is not for Tourist Visas because you cannnot "Sponsor" a tourist. What you want is simply a letter inviting him to stay as their guest while in the US and either stating directly or implying that they are providing lodging and any other expenses they may wish to offer such as use of a car etc.

Since it may come back as a flame, I do know that a link was posted to a US Embassy or consulate in some other country that actually referenced using a I-134 for a tourist visa. I'm pretty sure that someone made a mistake in doing that. If you are applying in Thailand for you must use the rules from the US Embassy here. The forms to use are the DS-156 and DS-157.

I'll be in Bangkok with my girl tomorrow (the 7th) for a visa interview. If I'm wrong, or get any new insights or advice, I'll post it.

[qsxd]

I-134 is recommened by not only American Consulate in Mumbai but also recommend by countless Immigration Attorny websites when a tourist VISA applicant has a sponsor.

However, there is no official website that states that the I-134 is not for tourist VISA nor tourist VISA appcliant can not have a sponsor.

So use your own judgement. Based on your own research, if you feel like I-134 is useful, submit it with your application. Otherwise, don't submit it.

I don't understand why some of forum members firmly believe I-134 is useless when offical US site clearly demand it as a support document. Again, there is no official source states that I-134 is useless for tourist VISA application.

Remember, I-134 a support document, not required document. However, if sponor is serious, the sponsor should be able to provide it.

This is just like showing the proof of property you own. When you show them your assets, you prove it with translated notarized documents, not simply list the assets in a letter without hard proof. Do translated notarized documents required? No, but this is common sense that when you claim something, you need some proof.

Telling them you have a sponsor without I-134 is just like telling them your assets without showing any proof. If you want to tell them that you have a sponsor, show them proof.

[Smokin Joe]

qsxd, I know you and i will not agree on this but I still believe that submitting an incorrect form is not a good idea. It may not hurt but I doubt that it can help. There are more than a billion other forms that the embassy does not say not to submit. They instructions only say which ones you should submit, and the I-134 is not one of them (for a tourist visa).

If the Embassy says to submit Form A and B and you submit C it just doesn't make sense to me.

Bottom line is you CANNOT sponsor a tourist, even though we are all going to submit documents that show we will be paying their way.

The I-134 does nothing to show you have any assets anyway. The proof of assets can be available for the interviewer whether a form is attached to it or not, That is what I will do tomorrow, have my financial info available if they want to see it.

Did I mention that you CANNOT sponsor a tourist. We all know the way things will really be, but when you insist on using the wrong terms for official documents and procedures it just confuses matters and makes it harder to get correct advice from others. Happens all the time with posters who refer to entry stamps as a"Tourist visa on arrival" etc.

I will make a point of asking the interviewer about the use of the I-134 for a tourist visa app if I get a chance. Maybe I'll be eating my words

[qsxd]

Smoking_Joe, who said a tourist cannot have a sponsor? Please provide the official source. American Consulate in Mumbai doesn't count as an official US site? In fact, I have provided the official source that backs up my idea, but you don't have any official source that backs up your idea.

[Carmine6]

From trying to figure this out before, I found an OLD Dept of State form with the same OMB number and form number that seemed to be for this purpose. But the new referenced form is a USCIS form, which would put it into the immigration area. It's one of the forms listed that may be requested for a fiancee or marriage visa and some other situations.

I remember a Filipino friend's family submitting something like this when their relatives visited, but this was maybe 20 years ago.

If it was used for such a purpose before, I wouldn't be surprised if this form is still listed and accepted as a form for a tourist visa in some places. This is the US Govt. we're talking about, where the IRS's own help line answers about 1/4 of tax questions incorrectly.

I've never found any govt. source that specifically says this form can be used for a tourist visa, however there are many places that say a tourist must qualify on their own. For example, this Dept. of State website for the below quote and others on the left side:

http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/visiting.html

"People often ask how they can help a family member, relative or friend get a visa to visit them in the United States. We appreciate their desire to help and do understand that sometimes the need for a visit can be urgent.

Under U.S. law, however, applicants for visitor visas must qualify on their own for visas to visit the United States."

Edited February 6, 2006 by Carmine6

[Smokin Joe]

meme, sorry about getting offtrack on your thread a little bit.

qsxd, you might want to actually read the I-134.

"I acknowledge that I have read Part III of the Instructions, Sponsor and Alien Liability, and am aware of my

responsibilities as an immigrant sponsor under the Social Security Act, as amended, and the Food Stamp Act, as amended."

A tourist is not an immigarnt. Good luck though, to everyone concerned.

[qsxd]

meme, sorry about getting offtrack on your thread a little bit.

qsxd, you might want to actually read the I-134.

"I acknowledge that I have read Part III of the Instructions, Sponsor and Alien Liability, and am aware of my

responsibilities as an immigrant sponsor under the Social Security Act, as amended, and the Food Stamp Act, as amended."

A tourist is not an immigarnt. Good luck though, to everyone concerned.

You read only a part of I-134. Why don't you read the whole I-134?

See I-134, item 5 in the first page.

"That I am willing and able to receive, maintain and support the person(s) named in item 3. That I am ready and willing to

deposit a bond, if necessary, to guarantee that such person(s) will not become a public charge during his or her stay in the

United States, or to guarantee that the above named person(s) will maintain his or her nonimmigrant status, if admitted

temporarily and will depart prior to the expiration of his or her authorized stay in the United States.

"

This form can be used for sponsoring both immigrant (K1 fiance for exmaple) and nonimmigrant.

Also, read the definition of Affidavit of Support in the official site.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/glossary...idavitofsupport

" Affidavit of Support: A document promising that the person who completes it will support an applicant financially in the United States. Family and certain employment immigration cases require the I-864 Affidavit of Support, which is legally binding. All other cases use the I-134 Affidavit of Support. Go to our I-864 information to learn more."

There is some misunderstanding about sponsoring tourist. Tourist visa applicants must qualify their own, whether applicants have sponsors or not.

However, if applicants don't have sponsors, applicants must show both

1. Strong tie to their country

2. Show enough money to travel in America

If applicants have sponsors, applicants only need to show

1. Strong tie to their country

Again, this is pretty much pointless argument. Since the offical site does NOT clear state the list of useful supporting documents, I-134 can be interpreted as useful supporting doc or I-134 can be interpreted as useless doc.

So use your own judgement.

If you believe Smoking_joe or some of forum members, don't use I-134.

If you believe countless immigration websites and Immigration attorny sites, use I-134.

I made my own choice, which is believing American Embassy in Mumbai + countless immigration attory sites. Just search google with "I-134 tourist VISA", you will be surprised how many different websites state that I-134 is need for tourist VISA if applicants have sponsors.

Well, if you want to believe all those websites are wrong, that's your decision.

[Carmine6]

...

If applicants have sponsors, applicants only need to show

1. Strong tie to their country

...

If you have first hand knowledge of this working with the Bangkok office, it'd be very interesting, as the funds part is the reason I haven't had my girlfriend apply. She's a student, so obviously on a limited budget, but I could qualify to support several people. Plus another thread has an application that was turned down because the boyfriend was supplying some funds and the applicant didn't have enough on their own.

[meme]

My father visited the State department in Portland. They told him not to use the I-134 form. They said that a visitor to the US has to make it on his or her own merit and nothing he or I do would help his chances. However if anyone has written a sponsor letter for the US or Canada please let me know what to include, I think I should still have them regardless of what the State department said.

[daveh]

For the U.S. portion of the visit, consider using USCIS Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, available here:

http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-134.htm

Good Luck,

Chuck

Recently my 15 year old neice (wife's sister's daughter) applied for and was granted a ten year visa to the US. I too found some anecdotal evidence online that a I-134 would help. When she submitted her forms, the person at the embassy gave this form back to her stating they needed financial information from her parents. She did keep my invitation letter which stated I would pay for all of her expenses.

I'm not really sure that her parents financial records show that she could afford a trip on her own, so they must have taken my offer to pay into account. But I'm guessing they don't actually want the affidavit.