I have got my H1b approved and stamped for an year and planning to travel to USA with my wife in few weeks to work for a new employer there. I have been in US on L1b in the past with a different employer, hence wanted to check if I can apply for my parents B2 visa while I am in India so as to have them travel with me – is this possible? Or will have some problems in getting their visa approved as I currently don’t have a valid US address and pay slips? Kindly advise if you have some firsthand experience or any info regarding this.
It must not be a problem unless U produce all relevant docs, reason for travel, place of stay, duration and any such details with relevant docs… Be Prepared
You are risking taking your parents to a new place, new job without verifying ease of living and working. You will also take on additional stress in case parents need healthcare upon arrival. It is okay to take your partner with you but adding family members to the mix other than your own children will raise a mild concern at some consulates. If your parents cannot travel alone because of a health condition, can your wife travel maybe 45 days later with them while you have everything set up in the new place? Her H-4 needs to be stamped for travel while you are in India, complete that first though.
Wish you the very best in your new position
Dr. Sandeep Shankar, Colorado Heights University, Denver, CO 80223, USA. www.chu.edu, sshankar@chu.edu
Thanks for your input sshankar. I have also investigated a bit on this and looks like the best approach would be to get it processed after I start working in the US again. However, I would also like to check if self sponsoring for my parents work better than I sponsor their visa? and if so can it be possible before my travel?
Thanks!
I agree w/ Shankar here. As for sponsorship, if they have enough finance to cover their expense, then they can show it themselves and you can provide them just a letter extending the invitation. Otherwise you can extend the invitation and show your funds to cover their expenses.
Thanks Saurabh! So, if they self sponsor their visas - how much funds do you think would be ideal besides having property, business and tax returns filed in their names? And is there any dependency on their monthly/annual income as well?
Lastly - Self sponsoring before I start working in US on my new H1b is okay to apply for or should we wait till I land there and get some pay slips and then send the invitation and submit DS-160?
I don’t know the dollar amount. As they will be staying w/ you, boarding should be taken care of. Major expense is airfare and they should have enough funds to cover that. I think on an average, $50-70 per day should be sufficient for rest of the expenses.
I would suggest wait until you land in US, have 1-2 payslips, rent a place and then send them the invitation letter. This way you all will know where they will be staying in US.