For visiting the USA on a tourist visa it is not necessary to have a sponsor. But chances of getting your visa approved increase manifold if you have a family member or a friend sponsoring your visa. Of course, visiting the country on a self-sponsored visitor visa for the USA is quite possible albeit the eligibility checks in such a case from the US consulate can be stricter.
Eligibility For Self-sponsored Visitor Visa for the USA
The documents required for both sponsored and self-sponsored tourist visas are the same. Any foreign citizen can apply for this visa. A visa interview and submission of supporting documents are compulsory. To qualify for the tourist visa you must fulfill the eligibility criteria which includes:
- Purpose of trip
- Intention and date of departure from the US
- A personal background check that indicates that you have no criminal history
Next and the most important criteria is proving your financial health. Under this eligibility criterion, you have to prove that you have sufficient funds to support your stay in the US. Most of the time fulfilling the first few eligibility criteria can be easy but proving the adequacy of sufficient funds can be difficult. And it is at this juncture having someone who can sponsor your tourist visa like a friend or family member who is a permanent resident/citizen/green card holder of the US can be of great help.
In the case you are unable to prove your financial ability to support your stay in the US, the officials might reject your application for a self-sponsored visitor visa for the USA.
Documents Required To Prove Sufficiency of Funds and Why They are So Important
The financial documents that you are expected to submit include the last few bank statements, passbooks, tax return copies, salary slips, investments like saving certificates, and FDs. You can also add other financial documents that prove that you carry enough liquid cash as well funds and are economically stable enough to support a trip to the US. While there is no certain limit on how much you must possess to be considered financially stable by the US authorities, the amount should be enough to fulfill your needs during your US trip.
Related Read- Tips to prepare for USA Visa Interview
To come up with a proper estimate for your trip to the US you must take into consideration obvious expenses like lodging and boarding expenses, domestic travels, day-to-day expenses, shopping, to and fro tickets to the US. Depending on the number of days you are going to stay in America, a person will at least need around $5,000 during his trip.
So to make sure that your self-sponsored visa does not get rejected for insufficient funds, make sure that you have much more than $5000 as in liquid cash/fund with you. The US authorities do not want to give tourist visas to those foreign applicants who may become a liability of the US government due to insufficient funds. That is why funds are so important when you are applying for a self-sponsored visitor visa for the USA.