USA Visitors Visa Sponsor Documents – Sponsor Document Checklist

Here are the documents you will need to fill out as a sponsor:

Affidavit of Support Form

• Form I-134, Affidavit of Support Form

How to Fill Out Form I-134:

• See instructions and guidelines on how to fill out Form I-134 here
• See a sample Affidavit of Support Form I-134

Letter of Invitation

• Letter of Invitation addressed to the visa applicant (see a sample letter of invitation for visitor visa)

Letter to US Consulate

• Letter to the US Consulate requesting that a visa be granted to the person you are sponsoring

Financial Documents 

Financial documents are used to demonstrate your financial ability as a sponsor. These documents include:

• Two recent bank statements
• Signed bank account verification letter to prove your bank account and bank balance
• One or two recent copies of your paystubs
• Copies of a few recent income tax returns or your last few W2 forms
• If you are self employed or a business owner, provide a copy of your personal tax return

Sponsor’s Residency Status in the USA

• Copy of passport
• Signed letter of employment on company letterhead stating your nature of work and whether permanent or temporary (if the sponsor is an employee in the USA). See a sample letter here.
• If you are a visa holder, provide copies of your visa, Form I-797, and I-94 (if visa has expired but has a renewed petition, also include a photocopy of the renewed petition)
• Copies of green card, front and back, if you are a green card holder
• Copy of certificate of citizenship if US citizen by naturalization

For Parents Visiting their Children in USA

If parents are visiting their children in the United States, the sponsoring child must also provide the following documents:

• Birth certificate of the sponsoring child. If birth certificate is not readliy available, an affidavit may be helpful. See a sample: Affidavit for Birth Certificate
• Copy of the passport of the sponsoring child

Note

If you are sponsoring your in-laws, a birth certificate and copies of all pages of a passport are required for the child of the visa applicant, i.e. your spouse.

Sponsor FAQs

Q: As a sponsor, do I need to send my documents directly to a VFS or US Consulate? Or will the applicant carry the documents to the consulate at the time of their interview?

A: As a sponsor, you should send your documents to the applicant, and the applicant will bring them to the consulate for the interview.

Q: Do I need to send a separate I-134 form for each visitor?

A: If persons applying for a visitor visa are immediate family, such as a husband, wife, and their children, then you do not need to send separate forms. One from is sufficient and the same form will have space to provide the entire family’s details.

Q: How much minimum savings balance is sufficient to show in my bank account as a sponsor?

A: There is no official limit or set rules for a minimum balance requirement for your bank account. Any amount that can justify the overall cost involved to support the trip and your financial ability to take care of the expenses related to trip will do. Typically, any amount over $5,000 should be sufficient, however, more is always better.