<p>I’m an international student from Japan.
I’ve received the offer to a university and I’m preparing documents to request I-20 now.
Among those documents, there is a document, called sources of financial support. This is required to prove that my supporter (my father) pays the tuition and living expenses during my studying in America.
So, this should include supporter’s sign, my name, the relationship to me, the amount of financial support by my supporter each year, etc…
I have to provide a bank statement in different place so it seems that this is not the same as a bank statement. </p>
<p>My university told me that it should be official. Although I asked a bank whether they have some kind of form I could use as the proof that my father pays money, they didn’t other than a bank statement.</p>
<p>Does anyone know something about my problem?
Please, let me know how you proved that your supporter pays money for you?</p>
<p>If you’re unclear about what I’ve written above, let me know.
Thank you in advance for your help.</p>
<p>If you could post a link to the actual form you are filling out, we could help you with more specific information.</p>
<p>Visa rules are the following: you need to have sufficient funds for the first year’s cost of attendance sitting in a bank account, and provide evidence that you will likely be able to pay for the rest of your studies too. In your situation, most colleges would want to see a bank statement showing your current savings, as well as documentation of your father’s income. The latter could be pay stubs, income tax forms, or several bank statements showing his monthly salary. </p>
<p>The way that many of these financial forms are phrased asks banks to certify that funds will be available for several years to come. Banks don’t usually do that, for obvious reasons. In my experience, colleges will normally accept the documents I have listed above (a bank statement showing current funds and some verification of current+past income) even though the actual form may ask for more.</p>
<p>On the list of visa documentation process to request I-20, there are two things which are a little bit similar to me.
The one is Financial Documentation. I submitted the bank statement showing his current saving in this account which covers the estimated expenses for my first year. </p>
<p>And the other is Sources of Financial Support.
I understand that this is to confirm that the account folder (my father) intends to spend the money he has in the account because just a bank statement doesn’t show my father’s intention. Am I right? </p>
<p>The page about the letter of financial support is like this (this is from my university’s homepage:</p>
<p>Many students requesting a visa document will be supported in whole or in part by private individuals such as family members. These financial sponsors must provide evidence of intent as well as proof of financial ability. Evidence of intent can be a simple signed, dated note which clearly includes the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Student’s name</li>
<li>Sponsor’s name and relationship to student</li>
<li>Amount of financial support pledged by sponsor each year (this should be a specific amount in US dollars)</li>
<li>Number of years this support will continue (Bachelor’s programs are normally 4 years, Master’s are often 3 and Doctorate are often 6 years).</li>
</ul>
<p>The proof of financial ability is normally in the form of a current bank letter or bank statement or a certificate of deposit.</p>
<p>And it should be official. </p>
<p>So, what do you think I should submit for the form of Sources of Financial Support after you’ve read this? </p>
<p>As b@r!um said, should I submit pay stubs, income tax forms, or several bank statements showing his monthly salary?</p>
<p>Please, give me some advice.
Thank you in advance for your help.</p>
<p>When my daughter spent a semester abroad she had very similar request. The parent letter about providing support needed to be “notorized” … this is seal/stamp that is added to the document to authorize my signature (they watch you sign and require photo ID) … common places in the US to find notaries to do this are at banks and lawyer’s offices. Without the notirization anyone could write the letter and the school would have no idea if it was legit or not … does your process require something similar?</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice.
I guess I’m in the same situation as your daughter. I totally agree with what you’re saying. No one knows that my father intents to use the money in his account for me. I can understand they think only the bank statement isn’t enough to show my father’s intention because there is a possibility that I submitted it without my father knowing it. </p>
<p>Regarding your question, they don’t require the exact same thing. I mean, as far as I understand from their direction on the website, their request don’t seem as strict as your daughter’s because they don’t say anything like ‘I should notarise the letter of financial support.’
They just tell us what kind of information the Sources of Financial Support should include and it should be official.
The text I cited above are all of the direction they give about sources of financial support.</p>
<p>The problem is that it should be official. Does this mean I should have some official third party notarise his signature?</p>
<p>I have not yet heard of an American college requiring a notarized signature, and it doesn’t sound like your school is asking for one either:
</li>
</ul>
<p>Regarding proof of income: it certainly wouldn’t hurt to include it, but if your school doesn’t explicitly ask for it, it may not be necessary either. In both cases, as 3togo suggested, it wouldn’t hurt to email the college and find out for sure.</p>
<p>@ireire - I have just forwarded the I-20 application for my child, and since we (parents) are giving the financial support, the proof of finance documents that I’ve attached is a letter from our bank stating that we have an account with them and that the balance is $$$, a liquid amount that would total to the full year’s tuition and housing fees and a current statement with the bank’s header.
Since I don’t know which school you’re applying I wouldn’t know how the your I-20 looks like but the I-20 application we have has a statement of declaration signed by the parent stating that we are financially able to support the student for the next 4 years.
I think your I-20 application is more or less the same.
…Just my opinion and hope I was able to clarify some of your q.<br>
So far we havent heard from the school yet but we were told that it will take 4 weeks for them to reply.</p>
<p>@intlstudent2016-Sorry for not saying thank you earlier.
I’ve submitted my forms and I’m waiting for their answer now.
Thank you for your help.
I wish your daughter the best of luck for her future!</p>