I was surprised that I got a lot of questions regarding my post: Tips on Getting a US Tourist (Non-Immigrant) Visa. I have a friend who applied for a US Visa last week and she got denied. She spent and additional $30 for the Visa Processing fee that some travel agencies offer their customers. I think that you don’t need to pay that $30 to travel agencies. That is too much. For $30, the travel agency, a)downloads the forms b)gets you a checklist of the docs you need c)schedules your appointment. All these can be done by you. The hardest part of getting supporting documents will be done by you anyway and you have to go to the embassy for the interview so might as well do the whole thing. I mean, I am willing to pay the Visa Assistance Fee (that’s how they call it) if the travel agency will be the one to submit my docs for me and I don’t have to go to the embassy for a personal appearance (like for China and Japan- for packaged tours). If not, then might as well do it myself. That’s my take on it.

Here are some lessons I learned from my friend’s falied application:

1. Valid reasons to travel

-> Vacation – Show your itinerary, hotel reservations and list of places and people to visit.
-> Visiting family and friends – Give their names, contact number and addresses
-> Business meetings and conferences – Show your invitation letter and some conference or company info (website printout or brochure)

2. Funding your travel

The first question is: Who is going to pay for your travel?

If you are paying for your travel:

I suggest that you make a costing of your total travel expenses, form the airline ticket to the hotel expenses to your pocket money. If you are staying with friends and family, your travel costs will be reduced. Just make sure that you have at the very least 3x times that amount of your total travel cost saved up in your bank account.

If your total travel cost is $2500, make sure you have at least $7500 in you bank account. It might not make sense if you plan a vacation with ticket cost of at least $1500 and you just have $3000 in your bank. Spending one half of your savings on a trip will probably raise eyebrows. There is no hard and fast rule for this. It depends I think on the totality of your circumstances. But to be safe, especially if its your first time to apply for your VISA, make sure you show to the interviewer that you can afford your vacation.

If other people are funding your trip:
Bring proof that the person funding your trip has enough funds. If your parents are funding your trip (lucky you), then bring a bank certification of your parents’ savings. If your company is funding your trip, get an invitation letter for the event you are attending and an authorization letter from you superior stating that the company is funding your trip and that you are expected to go back to the Philippines after your US trip. Also bring docs showing company information (such as website printout) and yeah, bring your company calling card.

3. Significant reason to come back

Do you have a good job? Are you a student? Do you have a business?

Job/Business
- How much are you making?
- Are you happy with your job, career or business?
- Bring your certificate of employment, business registration and ITR.

Student
- Bring a certificate of enrollment from your school.
- Bring a proof that you are a student: school ID, copy of the current semester’s grades

Do you have people you have to go back for? Do you have to take care of your parents, younger brothers or sisters?

This doesn’t mean that having kids or younger brother and sisters will give you that visa. They will also consider if your kids are well taken cared of if you will stay in the States for a long period of time. If the kids’ granparents are taking care of your kids or brothers and sisters, then your interviewer might think its okay for you to stay in the US for a long time because somebody is taking care of your kids.

Make sure that you make it clear that you have to come back to the Philippines because you are needed back here.

Remember that a B1 visa is for business purposes and a B2 visa is for vacation purposes. The reason why the US embassy is sometimes strict in granting Visas is because people who were previously granted Visas abused that privilege and either overstayed or used their Visas for purposes other than what the Visa was intended for. Again, be open and transparent. Bring supporting documents. Most importantly — always stay honest and tell the truth.