How to Invite Family Members to the U.S.
Extended family (parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles and aunts, etc.) are not eligible for a F-2 visa. If you would like to invite your extended family members to visit you in the U.S. while you are studying at Concordia University Irvine or on OPT, they may apply for a visitor visa or may be eligible to come to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. If you would like to assist them in their visa application, you may choose to provide documents to your family members to demonstrate that you are a student in the U.S. and that the purpose of their trip to the U.S. is to visit you.
If you choose to provide documents, below is a list of recommendations.
- Write a Letter of Invitation: Sample Letter of Invitation
Include the purpose of the visit, your relationship to the individual, a statement of your status here, and the length of time they will be visiting. If the individual has a job to which they plan to return, it is good to mention it. If you plan to provide for their support while they are here, include that information as well.
- Obtain a letter of verification:
Undergraduate and graduate students can request a letter of verification of student status from the Office of the Registrar.
- Financial Support:
Provide proof of your own financial support, if you will provide support for your family members while they are in the U.S. The financial support can be a bank statement or a letter from your department that verifies your income.
Providing family members with a letter of invitation may improve their chances of obtaining a visa. However, there is no guarantee a visa will be issued. The success of the applicant's request for a visa lies in their ability to prove that they have no intention of staying permanently in the U.S.