Q: I have a friend in Nigeria that I would like to come visit me. I know tourist visas are not always approved.
Do I need a lawyer to help facilitate the process?
A: Tourist visas are issued to the visitor based upon his financial condition alone and not the host’s financial condition. He would need to show a letter from his employer, bank statements showing payroll deposits, paystub’s, tax returns, and a property appraisal if he owns property. All of these documents should be submitted with his application or taken to his tourist visa interview appointment. Ironically, if the US consulate is aware that the visitor is going to see somebody he’s romantically involved with, that would actually hurt his chances of getting an approved visa for tourism. I don’t think your friend would need a lawyer, (although that wouldn’t always help) but your friend would have to convince the US consulate that he honestly only intends to visit, and that he has enough money to cover all his expenses during his trip, and that he will return once his trip is finished. The documents that I identified above will help prove that.
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