A US B1 B2 visa bank statement is required when applying for a visitor visa at the US embassy.
Whether you are going for a tourist or business visa, you need to prove to the embassy that you have the financial capacity to cover your traveling and living expenses and have strong ties with your home country. With the bank statement you submit, the embassy will be able to verify your financial situation at the current time. Apart from your ability to cover your expenses in the US, they also want to be sure that you can afford to return home.
Why The Need For A Bank Statement
If an applicant is struggling financially, the consular officer will assume that they intend to seek economic refuge in the US and may likely overstay their visa in search of work, which is illegal and a violation of labor laws in the US. However, many believe having a fat bank account is all they need and a sure guarantee that they will get the visa, but that is different. To supplement their financial status, they also have to show evidence that suggests that they have strong ties with their home country in the form of a family or physical asset, or business.
With strong family and business ties back home, the embassy will be certain that you will depart the country on or before the last day your visa allows.
How Much Should You Have In Your US B1 B2 Visa Bank Statement?
How much your bank account should contain will depend on the embassy. On average, the standard amount is between $5,000-$10,000 sitting in a bank or more. The more money you have in the bank, the better. Furthermore, you must have maintained that lump sum for 3-6 months before applying for the visa. You can present your proof of funds in one of two ways.
Bank Certificate: This is a document that proves that you have an account with the bank’s branch, and it comes with your latest account information regarding the net balance in the account. If the bank certificate doesn’t contain the entries, the embassy requires you should use a bank statement instead.
Bank Statement: Also called a statement of account, it is basically a detailed record of account balances and transactions featuring the credits and debits along with their amounts.
Bank statements provide the Consular officer at the embassy with a clear picture of your financial dealing over some time.
What Information Will The Embassy Check On My Bank Statement?
The Consular officer will check the net balance and other information such as the following.
Opening Date: The date your account was opened and how long you have been using it. If the account is a new account, it will raise suspicion.
Transaction: The amounts deposited and withdrawn throughout the period. They want to see if the amount coming into your account is regular or irregular.
Anomalies: Another thing they want to know is whether a lump sum amount was deposited into your account at once. Transactions like this raise suspicion.
Consistency: If you are a professional working with an employer, they will compare your account data with other documents like your income tax returns to see if they add up. If they don’t, your application will be rejected.
If You Have A Sponsor
If a sponsor funds your trip, you will still have to provide some show money through your bank statement. They will still want to confirm that you can support yourself financially unless, in the case of a minor or a student being sponsored by their parents.
The onus is always on visa applicants to convince the embassy that they don’t plan to overstay their visa in the US, not that they are looking for economic opportunities during their stay.
From the onset, the embassy will assume this is their end game and will only approve the visa if proven otherwise. Persons who can prove they have a good life in their country have a higher chance of getting their visa approved than struggling individuals.
When To Apply For The Visa?
It is best to lodge your application at least two months or more before you plan to travel because visa application processes at US embassies can be quite chaotic because of the huge volume of applications flooding in monthly. It is also very difficult to secure a close date for interviews because of the large number of applicants, so it is best to submit your application as early as possible. You may even apply six months or more before you decide to travel. But make sure your documents are in order, including your uS B1 B2 visa bank statement.