Visitors Visa Forms & Invitation - Photocopied Signatures OK?

[IceBreaker]

Hello everyone,

 

My wife and I are trying to get her parents a visitors visa to come visit us in the US. Do the forms and invitation letter that we send need to contain our original signatures in ink or is a photocopy ok?

 

My wife is currently back in China visiting and I'm preparing the visa forms and invitation letter but want to prepare it on the computer by just pasting in scanned copies of our signatures then emailing my wife the forms/letters that her parents will take to the visa interview.

 

Will these scanned signatures be ok?

 

Any help appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

IceBreaker

[dnoblett]

You could send an original letter to the parents to take to the interview or submit with the paperwork.

 

A Good Read: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...ost&p=94823

[yuehan123]

No, you must not send a photocopy of the visa application. See: http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/visa_application_form.html

 

I guess this question raises the ole question about what's original and what's a copy as well as what is a valid signature.

 

Here is exactly what I mean. The times have changed since 2005 when Tine and Ella filed. Now you must generate the visa application on the computer using the government's website to generate a .pdf file. After you fill in all the blanks using your computer keyboard you print the thing on somebody's printer, and the form is generated electronically. Hence, the entire form is 'a copy.' Let me define copy- some form you did not fill out by hand in pen and ink.

 

Does only the signature need to be hand signed on the electronically generated form?

 

I have no idea what GUZspeaks or DHS say about signatures on forms. My take on it is that an electronic signature is generally accepted for banking and business purposes. Did I hand sign for all our visitor visa applications? Yes. Did it make any difference? No. The in-laws have been summarily denied at each interview.

 

Now I'll ask the OP's question again. Do you have to sign the visa (any government form) application by hand? Here is what the GUZ website says- '...Please submit the original printed form, including the last page, which contains the bar code-photocopies or faxes of the printed form are not acceptable. In addition, please do not fold the printed application form.'

 

For my own purposes I would send the originals, unfolded and hand signed by me, by the quickest means available.

 

In summary, printed is printed, it matters not from whose printer. Faxed or photocopied is not original.

[IceBreaker]

Thanks for the thorough feedback. I guess there is some ambiguity as to whether a hand signed signature is better than an electronically scanned one but I think we'll go ahead and play it safe and hand sign all signatures. I'm so used to doing it the modern way that signing and sending it snail mail seems a little slow but it will do the trick.

 

Thanks everyone,

 

IceBreaker

[dnoblett]

Thanks for the thorough feedback. I guess there is some ambiguity as to whether a hand signed signature is better than an electronically scanned one but I think we'll go ahead and play it safe and hand sign all signatures. I'm so used to doing it the modern way that signing and sending it snail mail seems a little slow but it will do the trick.

 

Thanks everyone,

 

IceBreaker

International priority mail from the USPS will get it there in 10 days or so, they provide a flat rate envelope at the PO.

[peterscat]

Thank you very much for your guys help!

[yuehan123]

Randy W answered this in another post. For purposes of the DS-156, it is not possible to scan in the signature in the appropriate block. That block is not available for editing.