Sponsoring my wife's parents for a visitor visa

[BFHammer 0]

I found this site http://www.path2usa.com/visitor-visa-guide/documents-for-sponsor which talks about all the documents needed to Sponsor a Visitor Visa for family members.

I feel a little funny sending all my financials to my wife's parents when I don't even show my own parents this information. Has anyone sponsored their spouse's parents a visitor visa? Should her parents be able to get a visa without all of the financial information?

Thanks!

[Darnell 8,478]

china tourist visa wannabees must prove up that they have strong ties to china.

see http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/niv_issuance.html#niv3

[BFHammer 0]

china tourist visa wannabees must prove up that they have strong ties to china.

see http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/niv_issuance.html#niv3

Are you saying I don't need to worry about sponsoring them, besides maybe an invitation letter, and them having to prove strong ties is the important part?

[pushbrk 12,114]

Are you saying I don't need to worry about sponsoring them, besides maybe an invitation letter, and them having to prove strong ties is the important part?

Don't know about Darnell but that's what I would say, yes. If they don't have substantial property or other factors tying them to China very firmly, you might find it's a futile exercise.

[Eric & Jin 10]

I found this site http://www.path2usa.com/visitor-visa-guide/documents-for-sponsor which talks about all the documents needed to Sponsor a Visitor Visa for family members.

I feel a little funny sending all my financials to my wife's parents when I don't even show my own parents this information. Has anyone sponsored their spouse's parents a visitor visa? Should her parents be able to get a visa without all of the financial information?

Thanks!

My in-laws applied for and received B-2 visas several months ago and are in the US visiting us right now. I filled out the online DS-160 visa application forms for each of them and also provided them with an I-134 and a letter to the VO detailing who would pay for what during their stay. They interviewed for their visas at GUZ and the VO asked for the I-134 during the interview and took a good long look at it. So if I were you I would go ahead and fill one out for them as well - it may not be asked for but as my case shows, sometimes it is.

[Darnell 8,478]

Are you saying I don't need to worry about sponsoring them, besides maybe an invitation letter, and them having to prove strong ties is the important part?

Yup, that's what I'm saying.

[pushbrk 12,114]

My in-laws applied for and received B-2 visas several months ago and are in the US visiting us right now. I filled out the online DS-160 visa application forms for each of them and also provided them with an I-134 and a letter to the VO detailing who would pay for what during their stay. They interviewed for their visas at GUZ and the VO asked for the I-134 during the interview and took a good long look at it. So if I were you I would go ahead and fill one out for them as well - it may not be asked for but as my case shows, sometimes it is.

What kind of evidence of ties to China did they present?

[xiaozhu 4]

There is another three ways to solve your concern.

1) Only disclose partial your property. Like your annual income and some savings.

2) Let your wife write invitation letter and she sponsors her parents. B2 visa does not require both husband and wife as sponsors. As sponsor, she needs to fill out I-134 form, not you! Does she work? Does she have saving account? Or your two have a joint account? If all is not, then the easiest way is to set up an account for her, put some money there (because you need a verification statement from the bank where the account locates). You do not have to put a lot of money, about 20,000-30,000 is enough. The advantage of this option is avoiding disclosure of family’s all properties and makes things simple. I myself sponsored my parents to USA while I studied and was married there.

3) Let your wife's parent sponsor themselves. They donot need to fill out I-134, which is used by USA residents. Take a look of the following link which shows what documents they need to prepare such as bank accounts, salaries. But if they are retired or non-employed, then better choose the ways above since only their bank account saving information is not acceptable by USA consulate.

http://chinese.usembassy-china.org.cn/niv_business.html.

I recommend way 2 since it worked and we had my parents there without any problem.

For B2, financial support to cover their stay in the state is important. But the more important is that the parents need to prove they have a strong link with China and will return China!!

[pushbrk 12,114]

Many have been successful at bringing family members for visits. Bringing both parents at the same time seems pretty normal but can make things more complicated. None of my wife's family has sought visitor visas but we've discussed the possibilities several times. Here's what we came up with.

My wife has a sister (OK, she's actually here now on a CR1 but before she married an American....) who has a job working for her brother, no home, no husband and no children. There's no way she could have come to visit.

Her Brother and Sister in law both own their own fairly substantial businesses and several homes. The brother is also a professor at a major university. They each have a child. If they visited without their teenage children, I'm quite confident they would get visas.

Her father is a retired General and a widower with (now) two daughters living permanently in the USA. I doubt he could get a visa for multiple reasons. He has a good pension and property but no wife. The further complication is his history as a senior military official and Communist Party member.

The totality of the circumstances rule the day with tourist visas, pretty much like they do with fiancee or spouse visas.

[xiaozhu 4]

"Her father is a retired General and a widower with (now) two daughters living permanently in the USA. I doubt he could get a visa for multiple reasons. He has a good pension and property but no wife. The further complication is his history as a senior military official and Communist Party member."

I think it would not be a concern with her father's military background and Communist Party member because he is retired. The thing is his two daughters living permanently in the USA, which is asked in I-160.

Wish your wife's dear family can visit you soon. Give a try although there are some issues. Good side is that her brother is in China. As you know, although the idea changes, parents like to stay with and are taken care by their sons in the Chinese culture specially for your wife's father's age. It is one of strong links for her father with China.

Edited March 3, 2011 by xiaozhu

[pushbrk 12,114]

"Her father is a retired General and a widower with (now) two daughters living permanently in the USA. I doubt he could get a visa for multiple reasons. He has a good pension and property but no wife. The further complication is his history as a senior military official and Communist Party member."

I think it would not be a concern with her father's military background and Communist Party member because he is retired. The thing is his two daughters living permanently in the USA, which is asked in I-160.

Wish your wife's dear family can visit you soon. Give a try although there are some issues. Good side is that her brother is in China. As you know, although the idea changes, parents like to stay with and are taken care by their sons in the Chinese culture specially for your wife's father's age. It is one of strong links for her father with China.

Her father has no desire to visit the USA. We're actually in China now in the middle of a 12 week visit. I was just going through the scenarios for informational purposes. Her brother and sister in law will visit when they're ready, maybe in a couple years. My father in law would much rather be being taken care of by his eldest daughter, my wife, instead of a maid/housekeeper/caretaker who can't read but he's managing quite well. He and the maid will live in our home in China when it's ready in a couple years. For now, they (he and the maid) live in a nice extra home the son owns near the University.

[Eric & Jin 10]

What kind of evidence of ties to China did they present?

Not much really - the only evidence of strong ties that they were asked about was how many relatives that they had who were still living in China. They had brought proof of their real estate holdings, retirement income, bank account/balances and stock holdings to the interview with them but none of that was ever asked for or shown. They were actually asked more questions about my wife and I than they were about themselves - here is the makeup of their very short interview:

1. Why do you want to visit the US? To visit our daughter and her husband and to help them out whenever their baby is born in February.

2. How long do you plan to stay? We will go in February and stay 2-3 months - we need to return to China before the summer break starts because we will need to keep our grandsons in Xiamen during that time.

3. How did your daughter and her husband meet? They originally met online and then my son in law came to China to visit 4 times before they were married.

4. When did your daughter move to the US? July 2009

5. What company does your son-in-law work for? My mother-in-law gave the VO one of my business cards

6. How many family members do you have that live in China? My Mother in law had made a small photo album of family photos which she showed to the VO and briefly explained who the various people in them were.

The VO then asked to see the I-134 which I had filled out for them - she looked it over pretty good and then returned it to my in-laws at which time she said - "No problem - you get the visas".