Inviting Your Family to Visit in the U.S.
International Student Services at UTRGV does not produce letters of invitation for the purpose of inviting students’ family members to visit the United States. These letters are not required by the United States Consular Offices in order for family members to obtain visitor visas.
Anyone may apply for a tourist visa if they have legitimate tourist intent, but there are some steps you and your family may take to increase the chance of being granted a B-2 tourist visa.
For a list of required documentation your family members should take with them to their visa interview, please refer to the specific U.S. Embassy website that your family will be going to for their interview: http://www.usembassy.gov
Suggested Documentation
The following suggestions are meant as ADVICE only. We cannot guarantee how U.S. consulates will approach each individual situation. The applicant should also present as much documentation as possible to establish that she/he will depart the U.S. prior to the expiration of her/his authorized stay in the United States.
To support the application for a B-2 visa, we suggest that you send the following to the applicant:
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A letter from you to your invitee, in English, inviting him/her for a visit (see a suggested format below).
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Evidence of your valid student status.
- Copies of your transcript and/or current enrollment.
- A photocopy of your I-20 or DS-2019, passport, visa and I-94 card.
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Evidence of your ability to financially support your visitor during their stay (for example, your assistantship letter or a bank statement). This evidence is needed only if your visitor does not have the funds to support himself or herself during the visit to the U.S.
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If your family is coming for graduation, it is also a good idea to send a document that shows when the University commencement will take place. This could be a print out from the UTRGV website or an invitation card.
Providing your family members with an invitation letter and suggested documentation may improve their chances of obtaining a visa; however, there is no guarantee a visa will be issued. The success of their request for a visa lies in their ability to prove that they do not intend to stay permanently in the U.S.
Suggested Invitation Letter Format
If you would still like to provide an invitation letter to your visitor(s) to present with their visa application, we suggest that you, yourself write a letter for the visitor(s) (see a suggested format below).
This letter should be sent to the person who will be applying for the visa, and that person should present it to the U.S. consulate along with the application for the tourist (B-2) visa:
Date:
United States Consul General
(Address of Foreign Consulate Where Person Will Apply for the Visa – check online)
Dear Honorable Consul:
My name is (Last Name), (First Name) and I reside at (Your U.S. Address). I am a student at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley majoring in (Major). I am requesting that a tourist (B-2) visa be issued to (Person you want to invite), in order to allow (her/him) to visit me in the United States. (She/He) is my (Explain your relationship to the person) and will be visiting me from (arrival date) to (departure date). (Explain why you want the person to visit).
During (her/his) stay in the United States, (she/he) will stay with me at my residence at the address stated below. I will be responsible for all of (her/his) room and board expenses while (she/he) is in the United States. Upon the termination of (her/his) visit, (she/he) will return to (Country).
Your kind consideration of this request will be greatly appreciated.
Very truly yours,
(Signature)
Name