Inviting your parents to the
U.S.
If you want to invite your parents or other family members to
visit you in the United States, you will need to do the following.
Please note that there are no absolute recipes for the visa
application process, occasional denials are possible, even if you
follow all the steps correctly. You will have to provide as much
information as possible to establish that you are here in the US
maintaining a legal status, that you or your parents have enough
funds to cover their expenses while they are here, and that they will
return to their home country after their visit.
Documentation of status:
- Get a letter from your department verifying that you are
enrolled full-time, in good standing
- Make copies of your I-20 form, I-94 form and visa page from
your passport.
- If you are on assistantship, get a letter from the department
stating that you are supported by the department. Include the
monthly stipend amount and in-state tuition scholarship.
- Get a copy of your most recent transcript and class
ticket.
Documentation of invitation and financial
support:
- Obtain a bank statement showing that you have sufficient funds
to support your parents. If your parents will support themselves,
they will have to show proof of sufficient funds available to them
when they apply for a visa.
- Write an invitation letter in which you state that you are
inviting them for a certain period of time (give starting and
ending dates if possible, but at least X weeks or Y months), and
that you are willing and able to support them while they are
here.
- If you are renting a house or apartment, you may also attach a
copy of the lease agreement to show that you can give them
accommodation at no additional expense to you.
Get all these documents (especially the invitation letter)
notarized. The bank where you keep your accounts usually provides
this service free of charge.
Send this information to your parents so that they can use it in
their visa interview. They will have to apply for B-2 visitor
visas.