Inviting Visitors

If you want to invite your parents/family/friends to the United States, there is technically nothing you nor Bradley University needs to provide to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Your visitor will likely be applying for a B-2 visa in order to visit the U.S. for a short period of time. If so, it is up to the B-2 visa applicant to provide the necessary documentation.

Eligibility

In order for your visitor to be eligible for a visitor’s visa they will need to:

  1. Schedule a visa appointment at their U.S. Embassy or General Consulate
  2. Provide the necessary documentation which includes:
    • A completed DS-160 online with a printed confirmation page
    • A photo if it fails to upload during the DS-150 application
    • A passport valid 6 months past the visitor’s period of stay
    • An application fee payment receipt
  3. Additional documents can include anything that shows:
    • The purpose of the trip
    • Intent to depart the U.S. after the trip is complete
    • Ability to pay for the trip

Invitation Letter

You need to be aware that the Department of State specifically states “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 your interview, please remember it is not one of the factors used in determining whether to issue or deny the visa.”

If you still want to send your visitor an invitation letter, please note that ISS will not provide any invitation letter for the purpose of a tourist visa application. If you would like to write an invitation letter, please reference the template provided and replace any information in the brackets “[…]” with information regarding you and your visitor.

If your visitor is coming for graduation, you may provide proof of your commencement date by logging into MyBradley, clicking the “Other” tab and printing that tab. This is only applicable for students that have applied for graduation.