1. We cannot discuss financial documents with sponsors or students. Papers must be submitted by mail or delivered and our responses will be in writing, by mail. Our decision will be made after looking at the documents with care and thought. To the best of our ability, we try to see the documents as if we were U.S. consuls, so that when you go to apply for your visa, you will not have difficulty because of insufficient or unclear financial documentation.

2. The income of a company is not the income of the owner of the business and cannot be accepted as proof of income. You must provide an official statement of the salary paid to the owner/sponsor along with a bank letter indicating the amount available in the sponsor's personal account. If the sponsor is the owner of the company, the sponsor's bank or business accountant should write the salary letter.

3. We cannot accept letters from banks or anyone else saying that a sponsor has enough money to support a student. When a sponsor wishes to keep his bank balance or income private, the bank can provide official documents saying that the savings or income is "more than" an amount that is clearly sufficient.

4. Each sponsor must submit an affidavit stating exactly what is to be provided. All questions on affidavit forms must be answered. Affidavits must be signed by the sponsor in the presence of a notary public, the notary public must sign, and the official seal of the notary public must be on the affidavit. Affidavits that have been changed in any way will be rejected unless each change has been signed by both the sponsor and the notary. There are notaries public at all U.S. embassies and consulates. In the U.S. , most neighborhood pharmacists are notaries, as are most lawyers and accountants. There are notaries in all countries, though the names for them may be different. They are officials licensed by the national or regional government to take sworn statements for courts of law or to witness contracts and property deeds.

5. Sponsors should not promise too much money. Some sponsors believe that, the more money they promise, the more likely we are to say "yes." A common cause for rejection of documents is that we do not believe the sponsor can afford to give as much as promised. You should promise only what you intend to give and should give only as much as you can afford.

6. Do not submit old documents. Both the U.S. government and Long Beach City College require recent documents (less than two months old).

7. Do not send faxes or copies. Bank letter and sponsor affidavits must be originals.

8. It is OK to have more than one sponsor providing support as long as the sum of all the affidavits and bank statements shows that there is sufficient money available to support the student. We do not care how many sponsors there are, whether or not they are U.S. citizens, or where they live. It is usually easier to get an F-1 visa when at least part of a student's support comes from outside the U.S. However, the sponsor MUST be related to the student. Friends and fiancés cannot be sponsors.

9. Students can sponsor themselves , either partly or in full. No affidavits are needed for a student's own money. Recent bank statements in the student's name must be provided, and statements from at least a year earlier to show us that the money was not borrowed and recently deposited.

10. Scholarships may be used to qualify for Form I-20. We must have an award letter from the private or government scholarship board stating how much money is to be given and for how many years.

11. Free room and board is worth more than half the dollar amount to support a student for a year. When a family member near the school gives a student a free place to live and/or free meals, the student needs far less cash from other sponsors. Affidavits of free room and board must be sent with a copy of the property deed or rental lease.

 

Two documents are enclosed for your use in proving adequate finances: The Affidavit of Sponsor, for sponsors offering cash support, and the Affidavit of Free Room and Board. You may photocopy the Affidavit of Sponsor if you will have more than one sponsor offering cash.