Yep, ten days ago I had my visa interview and the lady was kind enough to grant me a visa. Now you may consider me a lucky chap considering the fact that my I-20 had been issued by a Community College.
You’ll consider me further lucky 'cause I did not have a single Bank Statement… which proves false all the importance every1 gave to that piece of document (See Note).
My case:
I got admitted to a Community College in NJ, in an AS degree majoring in ‘Liberal Studies’. Affidavit of Support was filled by my Uncle who’s a U.S. citizen and an Associate Professor in the same college. My father owns a biz here in Lahore, which can’t even afford to maintain a bank statement worth showing to the visa counselor.
My Documents:
Covering Letter
I-20
Affidavit of Support
Uncle’s income statement from Employer
Statement of Understanding (Financial Support)
Father’s letter and biz card
Tax documents (father’s biz)
High School Transcripts
TOEFL score report
Uncle’s listing among faculty (website print-out)
Extra curricular certs (not shown)
Property Docs (not shown)
College General Info - site print-out (not shown)
Program of Study Info (not shown)
Foreign Student Requirements (not shown)
My Interview:
Asalaam-u-Alaikum
(Because a Pakistani girl was sitting infront, the American lady was sitting behing her. She was the one asking the questions on the directions of the American lady, who could hear my replies.)
Walay kum Salaam
(Give the I-20, passport & covering letter)
F-1?
- Yes
Have you ever been outside Pakistan? - No
Who’s supporting financially? - Partially Uncle…
(Give the Affidavit, Statement of Understanding, Faculty listing page, Income Statement) - … and partially my Father.
(Give my father’s letter, tax docs. Studies Uncle’s doc carefully…)
Does your Uncle teach there? - Yes, in the same college.
What would u do with this degree? - I’d help my father in his biz by taking subject like Biz, Communication, Info. Sys. etc.
Show your transcripts.
(Give the high school transcripts & TOEFL score report.)
Has anyone in your family been abroad? - Yes, my father has been to the U.S. He’s also been to the U.K. where he studied for four years in the same field he’s doing biz now.
OK, give him the slip.
(The Paki girl gives me a slip and tells me to collect the passport at 3:30. I thank both of 'em, pack my docs and leave the window… 10 steps later the guy behind me in the line calls me, the Counselor has to say somethin… my heart starts pounding, reaching the window I find that I had left my Affidavit with them, I grab it and run like hell. The end.)
That’s it. Although it proves wrong all the hundreds of informational pages I had been reading on the we for the last one year & the advice I got from guppies, but, they did play a role in my success. Things like putting up a smiley face, being confident, getting a folder and arranging docs for easy retrieval, to the point answers etc. etc. wouldn’t have been possible without them. Thank you all who helped me. I owe you one.
But then again, they also told me that it is highly unlikely to get a visa without a bank statement and with an I-20 from a community college. I don’t know… but I did get it. And I’m like mad happy.
Bye,
Haydur.
Note: I’ve written this message in detail to help others. But, I will not take any responsibility if things I’ve written are proven wrong in your case. Every - EVERY - case is different, and looked upon differently by the Visa Counselor, may be he’d ask you for a Bank Statment, but I wasn’t. The Bank Statement is and will remain the most important document for U.S. visa applicants from Pakistan. So go prepared, there’s no weighing machine at the Embassy gate, take as many documents as you want, but they shoud be worth their weight. But still, this will not gaurentee a visa, I saw ppl with only like 7 pages given a visa, and others with alot of 'em denied. Be yourself. Just beleive in God & in your luck and be confident.
You can only paint with the colors you’re given…
…so get what you like and like what you have.
[This message has been edited by pakistan99 (edited June 22, 2001).]