Thinking about inviting parents over to the US?

May 2nd, 2004 admin Posted in Information |

There are many websites that an intelligent Google search normally brings up, regarding information about inviting parents over to the US. I am doing my bit to add to the archives, my experience. There are many aspects to organizing the visit - air tickets, health insurance, shopping and, most importantly, the Visa. Your parents will need a visitors-Visa stamped on their passports at the US Consulate nearest them. At this time interviews are required for all travelers below 60, and in the case of my parents, my dad also took an interview to give company to my mom although he, being over 60, did not have to take one. It is a pretty painless process, with only routine questions asked. The main thing is to have all the necessary documents.
There are documents that I, being the host, sent to my parents. Then they had to get some more documents readied, before they had the total package required for the Visa. I will breifly describe the docementation I sent them. I will then list the additional documentation they carried on their own.

What I sent to my parents in December 2003 for their US visitors Visa. You will most likely need similar documentation:

1. Notarized affidavit of support (Form I 134). Notarized means a member of the “Notary Public” should attest the copy. You take it to them and sign it in front of them, show them your ID and they will sign it and place their stamp. This service was available to me from my bank.
2. Statement from your employer, on their business stationery, showing the following – Data and nature of your employment, Salary paid, whether position is permanent or temporary. (Example letter provided after this list)
3. Letter from your bank, on their business stationery, showing the following – date account opened, total amount deposited for the past year, present balance, average yearly balance. Note that if the bank cannot provide this precise information, similar information would be fine, for example, 6 monthly numbers instead of yearly numbers.
4. Copies of your last one or two bank statements. If you receive e-statements, then printouts of the last one or two such statements.
5. Letter from yourself, addressed to the US Consulate, mentioning that you will be taking care of your parents during their stay. (Example letter provided after this list)
6. Personal letter of invitation to your parents. (Example letter provided after this list)
7. Copies of recent pay stubs (one or two). If you get e-stubs then printouts of those would work fine too.
8. Copy of recent income tax returns. ( I put in both the Federal and State returns)
9. Copy of all pages of your passport, including blank pages.
10. Copy of your H-1B Visa approval notice (I 797)
I sent two copies of each of the above documents. One bundle for my father and one for my mother. I am not sure if this redundancy is an overkill, but at least this way no last minute photo-copying would be necessary.

The following are examples of some of the letters I mentioned in the above list:

Example: Personal letter of invitation to parents (two copies made, one for each parent)
Date:
From :
To:
Sub: Invitation to visit the USA
Dear Mother and Father,
I would like to invite both of you to the USA to stay with me for six months. It would be very nice to have you spend time with me.
During the course of stay we will visit various tourist places in the USA such as New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Niagara Falls and if possible Las Vegas, Disneyland and Florida. During your stay in the United States, I will bear all your responsibilities including, but not limited to, financial responsibilities, return air ticket fare to travel from India to USA and back, travel expenses within USA, medical insurance, housing and food. You will stay with me in my house located at the above-mentioned address. During your stay here you will also get an opportunity to see and experience the western culture, meet different kinds of people and taste different varieties of food. You will also enjoy the nice weather and the nice city I live in.
We would have a nice time together after a long time. So please begin planning for the trip. I am eagerly waiting for you to visit me.
Yours lovingly
XXX XXX
Example: Letter to the US Consulate General, for mother’s Visa (Similarly formatted letter for father required)
Date:
From:
To:
Re: Request for Tourist Visa for my mother, XXX XXX
Dear Madam/Sir,
This is to notify you that I am inviting my mother, Mrs XXX XXX to visit me in the United States of America for a pleasure trip. She will be with me in the US at the above-mentioned address for a maximum period of six months. I agree that I am willing and able to receive maintain and support her if necessary, guarantee that she will not be a public charge during her stay in the USA. During her visit I confirm that all her expenses related to living and medical insurance will be borne by me. She will maintain a non-immigrant status and will depart prior to the expiration of her authorized stay in the US. I am including herewith the following support documents.
1. Affidavit of support
2. Employment verification letter
3. Financial verification letter
4. Copies of my H1B visa approval notice and passport
My mother will apply for her tourist Visa at the US Consulate in Chennai, your co-operation and assistance is highly appreciated. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me, at the above-mentioned address.
Sincerely
XXX XXX
Example: Employer’s letter verifying employment and informing the consulate about mother’s visit. (Similarly formatted letter for father required)
Date:
To whom it may concern
Mr. XXX XXX is a regular employee of XXXX division at, address of employer. Mr. XXX XXX has been employed as XXX ( position), since XXX(date). While his mother, XXX XXX, is visiting the United States, XXX will assume all financial responsibility for her expenses.
XXX’s current salary is $XXX yearly.
Sincerely,
XXX XXX
(designation and address of HR Manager or your manager etc)

My parents also prepared the following documents.

1. Individual passports. These must be valid for travel to the U.S. for at least six months after the date of entry in to the U.S. My father tells me that a passport takes about 15 to 20 days in Visakhapatnam to arrive, after applying for it. There is an accelerated process to get the passport which takes about 2 to 3 days, but costs more. I am not going to detail the process of getting a passport here, but a cursory glance at the requirements for one, indicate the requirement of a birth certificate, a certificate of your education level, proof of name, name changes due to marriage and proof of residence.
2. A fully completed and signed Visa Application Form - DS-156. By fully completed, it is meant that all questions should be answered, with “none” or “nil” to indicate absence. Do not say n.a. Do not draw a line. Respond fully to each question. For example, No. 27 is “What is the purpose of your trip?” If you are going on a tourist visa to see your son who is working in Detroit, don’t just put “tourist” as an answer, put ” “going to visit son in Detroit”. If you are a student, don’t respond to “purpose of trip” with ” to study”, be specific - for example “going to study for B.E. degree at Louisiana State”. Provide details whenever it is useful.
3. All male applicants between the ages of 16 and 45 must also submit a fully completed and signed Supplemental Application Form DS-157. My dad did not require this form.
4. Passport size photograph, 2 inches X 2 inches with a white or off-white background. The photograph should be recent (less than 6 months old). If you wear spectacles, there should be no glare. My parents simply too off their spectacles. This is a picture of the head primarily, not the bust. The head (top of the hair to the bottom of the chin should measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches. Stick to a white background.
5. Demand Drafts for the fees. The fees for my parents were as follows. Visa Application fee (non-refundable, meaning you will not get it back even if your Visa is declined) was Rs. 4600. Visa Issuance fee (not to be paid if the Visa is declined) was Rs. 2300. Courier fee (paid to TT Services to courier back the documents and stamped passport back to your permanent address) was Rs. 400. The Demand Drafts should be drawn on a nationalized or international bank. My parents used the UCO Bank. But banks like State Bank of India, Andhra Bank, Syndicate Bank, Punjab National Bank would work. The DDs were payable to “American Consulate General, Chennai”. The Courier fees of Rs. 400 was made payable to “T.T. Services”. The name and Passport number of the payer should be mentioned on the back of each DD.
Important: Please write your complete name and passport number on the back of each draft.
6. Movable and immovable property value estimates prepared by a Charterd Accountant. This is basically to prove to the Consulate Office that there is enough property that my parents own in India to make them return after the trip to the USA.
7. Copies of income tax returns for the last three years. In this case since only my father was the earning member he had to take these documents.
The Visa forms DS 156 and DS 157 are available at http://travel.state.gov/visaforms.html
More information about the consulates are available at the US Embassy website http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/ . From here you can navigate to the websites of the three consulates in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Parents’ Experience

If the applicant is above 60 years of age, the interview appointment is not required. He or she may simply post all these documents to the T.T. Services. More information about T. T. Serives can be found in this webpage http://www.ttsvisas.com . Infact there are travel agencies in most indian cities, that make it even simpler by taking care of this process and making sure that you have all the required documents. They charge about Rs. 800 per person for their services. In the case of my parents, since they would have to go Chennai anyway, since my mother would have to appear for an interview, my dad chose to go along with her and present the documents directly at the Consulate. So they did not post the documents and they did not use the services of a travel agency. They did get some suggestions from Frontline travels in Visakhapatnam regarding the documents they would need, but this was done without charge to my parents. I really appreciate their foresight and goodwill. They landed a good deal since I chose them to provide air tickets for my parents visit. Anyway, so my parents set up an appointment for an interview online at the T. T. Services website. They could see the available slots and they chose one based on their convenience. They needed to take a printout of the appointment showing the date and time. This would be proof that you have arrived at the right time for the interview. Then it was a matter of reaching the Consulate about 1 hour ahead of the slated interview time. Outside the Consulate, there was a T. T. Services counter. The personnel there checked all the documents. They stamped a “Checked” mark on the interview date/time appointment printout that they were carrying. Then they were allowed to enter the embassy. Inside, they first paid the Courier Fee DD at another T. T. Services counter. Then they stuck some numbered stickers on the passports. Then the next counter accepted the Visa Application fee DD and a receipt/a card was handed back. This card contained the interview call number. At that same counter all the documents were taken, checked and a file was made with the required documents and the remaining documents are returned. Then my parents went into an interview hall with 7 or 8 counters. They waited for about 30 minutes (since they were a little early), before their file numbers were called. File number refers to the numbered card which they received at the counter before entering the waiting hall. The interview itself was for about 5-10 minutes, and was together for my father and mother. The questions asked were
“What is the purpose of your trip?” - they said something like, “To visit our son and see the US.”.
“Who is going to take care of you during your stay?” - they said something like, “Our son will.”.
“How many days do you intend to stay in the US with your son?”, - they said something like, “We intend to stay for about six months”.
“Is there anyone else in the US who you know?” - to which they replied, “Yes, our younger son, who is studying at University of Virginia, and lot of friends”.
“What property do you have in India?” - at which point my father showed the officer the documents he had prepared for this.
“Do you have any other commitments here in India, like dependents?” - for which my father replied that his mother-in-law, who is quite old, was staying with them, and for who they have been able to arrange caretakers for this period.
My mother was specifically asked, “So when did you last see your sons?”, “Do you have any other children in India?”. That was all. Then the officer said that their Visa would be sanctioned, and asked them to pay the Issuance fee at the appropriate counter down the same hall.
After about 2 days they received the Passports with the stamped Visa at Visakhapatnam. The Visa was issued as a multiple-entry Visa valid for 6 months. The next time they apply for a Visa I am hoping they get a 10-year multiple-entry Visa.