Dad coming to visit - documents for B visa?

[ral_d]

Hi there!

I recently moved to USA with a greencard, and I want my dad to come and visit from Romania - he already has an appointment at the embassy but we were wondering how he can prove his ties to Romania? He never lived outside of the country.

He was denied a visa in the year 2000 (he was applying for a visitor visa to come and see his cousin that lives here). Now he is 65 years old and almost retired but he doesn't work anymore and his small business went bust, so his wife is supporting him financially. He has very little money in the bank and obviously does not afford to come here. I will of course be paying everything for him and I prepared a letter, my employement letter and my bank statements to prove that.
He also has an apartment in Romania on his name so he can take the property document as well.

Is there anything else that could show to prove his ties to Romania?
Thank you!

 

[SusieQQQ]

Remember that writing an invitation letter doesn’t really help and in some cases, the thinking goes, it can actually disadvantage the case if it makes it looks like there are stronger ties to the US than to home. This is what the official DoS page on visit visas says:

Visitor Visa

Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for a temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States...

travel.state.gov

Note: Visa applicants must qualify on the basis of the applicant's residence and ties abroad, rather than assurances from U.S. family and friends. A letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support is not needed to apply for a visitor visa. If you choose to bring a letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support to your interview, please remember it is not one of the factors used in determining whether to issue or deny the visa.

So he really does need to focus more on why he will return home rather than reasons to potentially overstay in the US. His apartment and his wife sound like the only ties? His wife is not coming with him for the visit but waiting at home?
Romania actually has a pretty low B visa refusal rate - I can’t find the historical data quite as far back as 2000 but from what I can see, it looks like refusal rates may have dropped significantly since it joined the EU, which is after the last time he applied. So he may just have a better chance in general than back then. Good luck.

 

[ral_d]

@SusieQQQ thank you!
In the letter I explain that I will be taking care of buying his flights and host him in my apartment and pay for everything (of course, he is my dad). But I told him there is no need to give the letter unless they ask for it. He really wouldn't have the means to come unless I pay for it so for him showing just his bank account wouldn't assure the co that he won't be stuck here.
His wife is not my mother, my mom died when I was a kid, so I only saw his wife a few times since they got married. They can't both afford to come in the same time since someone has to be there to care for the grandparents.
So far he has a paper saying he owns a business (although it's been a year that it hasn't been running), his marriage certificate and property deed of the apartment.
He has also visited me in France and Spain where I previously lived but has no means of proving it since there are no stamps on the passport between EU countries.

 

[SusieQQQ]

@SusieQQQ thank you!
In the letter I explain that I will be taking care of buying his flights and host him in my apartment and pay for everything (of course, he is my dad). But I told him there is no need to give the letter unless they ask for it. He really wouldn't have the means to come unless I pay for it so for him showing just his bank account wouldn't assure the co that he won't be stuck here.
His wife is not my mother, my mom died when I was a kid, so I only saw his wife a few times since they got married. They can't both afford to come in the same time since someone has to be there to care for the grandparents.
So far he has a paper saying he owns a business (although it's been a year that it hasn't been running), his marriage certificate and property deed of the apartment.
He has also visited me in France and Spain where I previously lived but has no means of proving it since there are no stamps on the passport between EU countries.

The visa application form already asks who is paying for the trip if I recall correctly? They mostly don’t ask for any documents.
Anyway, so he will have a tie in that his wife is waiting for him in the home he/they own. Hopefully that is enough.

 

[ral_d]

The visa application form already asks who is paying for the trip if I recall correctly? They mostly don’t ask for any documents.
Anyway, so he will have a tie in that his wife is waiting for him in the home he/they own. Hopefully that is enough.

Thank you, fingers crossed!