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My friend is a HNWI (+$1 million in liquid financial assets) but she's not working. Her unemployment disqualifies her for various visas. So she's wondering how consulates verify documents such as bank statements, employment contract, pay slips and certificate of employment.

I suggested her to create a corporation to hire herself to qualify for visas but she said that's ludicrous

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    Could you point out what visas she couldn’t qualify for in her position? Also trying to trick the system is the stupidest thing one could do.
    – jcaron
    Commented Sep 10, 2022 at 13:03
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    One obvious way would be to contact the issuer of the document to get their confirmation of its validity. Other checking can be done electronically or through reconciling information eg tax records tie up to proof of income.
    – Traveller
    Commented Sep 10, 2022 at 13:44
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    Creating a corporation and hiring herself might make it harder not easier to get a visa in the short term, because her ‘background’ would not be so established
    – Traveller
    Commented Sep 10, 2022 at 17:27
  • In general: visa rules are often generic (for all countries), and what it matter it is the financial status of the petitioner. But how the papers are checked is very local matter: local consulate offices will know much better the documents one could expect from local people (and to do ev. some quick background checks). your question lacks of such details (where your friend is living), but still, with details, we probably lack of local knowledge. Do no try to turn around rules, it would look like insincere. Just tell the consulate the truth (and so that they can verify it).
    – Giacomo Catenazzi
    Commented Sep 12, 2022 at 12:41

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Not really an answer, but rather a frame challenge.

I don’t know of any visitor visa which would exclude unemployed people. Otherwise students, retired people, housewives and children could never get one.

What matters for immigration officers is that:

  • You’re not a danger to national security (read: a terrorist or other criminal)
  • You have the means to support yourself during your stay and won’t need to work or be supported by the public purse. Being employed is one way to prove that, but having enough savings is also a way to do that.
  • That you will leave the country within the time allowed by your visa, which is usually judged by “strong ties to your home country”. Again, having a good paying job can be part of proving it, but that’s definitely not the only way to do that either.

People like her are actually what most countries want most: people willing to spend a lot of money in hotels, restaurants, shops and activities. They definitely don’t want to close the door to her, and some have special premium services for the richer people.

If she actually has any trouble trying to get a visa she should hire a real immigration lawyer, not implement some ludicrous plan (she’s right on that).

I’ll still add a few points regarding the original question:

  • While some documents like bank statements (which should here include any account statements showing her available funds, not just her current account) will need to be provided, she does not need to provide pay slips if she doesn’t say she earns a salary.
  • Consular officers see dozens if not hundreds of those documents a day. They can probably pick a fake a mile away.
  • The most common issue with fake documents is lack of consistency. Again, consular officers see lots of those every day and are well trained to detect any inconsistencies.
  • If they detect any fake documents, not only will the application be rejected, but she can be blacklisted for a period sometimes going up to 10 years (depends on the country and other circumstances)
  • For Schengen countries and other cooperations, data is shared. A fake document in an application to one will blacklisted you for all others.

Do NOT, ever, submit fake documents. Do NOT, ever, let someone file fake documents or applications with false information on your behalf. Do NOT trust “visa agencies” that will do that for you.

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    Immigration officials do have some ability to verify documents. Also some visa applications require you to give them consent to contact the issuers of any documents.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Sep 10, 2022 at 17:57

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