{"id":7300,"date":"2017-06-08T14:40:45","date_gmt":"2017-06-08T14:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=7300"},"modified":"2026-02-26T18:25:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:25:55","slug":"invitation-letter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/current-f-1-students\/invitation-letter","title":{"rendered":"Inviting Family &amp; Friends to the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:43px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Invitation Letters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Visa applicants must qualify on the basis of the applicant&#8217;s residence and ties abroad, rather than assurances from U.S. family and friends. <strong>A letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support is not needed to apply for a visitor visa.<\/strong> If you choose to bring a letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support to your interview, please remember <strong>it is not one of the factors used in determining whether to issue or deny the visa<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/tourism-visit\/visitor.html#documentation\">US Department of the State<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-decoration:underline\"><strong>ISS and UW Bothell do not provide invitation letters.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you choose to support a friend or family member during their visa application by confirming who you are, you could include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your passport biographical information and number<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your reason for living in the US and <a href=\"http:\/\/i94.cbp.dhs.gov\/\">current status<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/registrar\/enrollment-verify\">Evidence of your enrollment at UWB<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether you will provide room and board or any other financial assistance for the visit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your evidence of funding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Visa Waiver Program<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your friend or family member is from an approved country on the Visa Waiver Program, please have them read <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/tourism-visit\/visa-waiver-program.html\">this website<\/a> for requirements to enter the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Visitor Visa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For the most up-to-date information, please have your friend or family member visit their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usembassy.gov\/\">local embassy website<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/ais.usvisa-info.com\/\">visa appointment website<\/a> for that embassy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information and evidence needed for a visitor visa will be asked at the time of application. Common things that can be asked of the applicant are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The purpose of the trip<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Their intent to depart the United States after the trip; and\/or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Their ability to pay all the costs of their trip<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Evidence of their employment and\/or family ties (in their home country)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Evidence that another person will cover some or all of the costs for their trip if they cannot cover the cost<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Please follow the instructions provided from the US Embassy to know exactly what to take to the interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Invitation Letters &#8220;Visa applicants must qualify on the basis of the applicant&#8217;s residence and ties abroad, rather than assurances from U.S. family and friends. A letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support is not needed to apply for a visitor visa. If you choose to bring a letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":24266,"menu_order":48,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7300","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"uwbintl@uw.edu","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Inviting Family &amp; Friends to the U.S. - International Student Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/current-f-1-students\/invitation-letter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inviting Family &amp; Friends to the U.S. - International Student Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Invitation Letters &#8220;Visa applicants must qualify on the basis of the applicant&#8217;s residence and ties abroad, rather than assurances from U.S. family and friends. 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