What should be in an invitation letter
Dear Mrs Walker Huntington ,
My cousin who is an American citizen would like to send an invitation letter for me to visit her in the US. However, she does not know how to go about it. What steps should she take?
Looking forward for your response.
OW
Dear OW,
An invitation letter can be written by someone in the United
States for a person applying for a US visitor’s visa. It states who is inviting whom, what is the relationship between the parties, the purpose of the trip, and whether the person in the United States will fund all or part of the trip and expenses while in the US.
Nevertheless, the person applying for the US visa must also demonstrate to the consular officer at the US Embassy that they have enough ties to Jamaica that they will return to Jamaica. All applicants for a non-immigrant visa (e.g., a visitor’s visa) are presumed to have an intention to migrate and must convince the consular officer that they will travel to the United States for a visit and return within the stated time period. Some examples of significant ties are age, marital status, employment/student status, property ownership, and financial responsibilities.
Please keep in mind that the grant of a non-immigrant visa is a subjective process and although you may have an invitation letter and ties to Jamaica, if the consular officer in his/her subjective opinion believes that you will travel to America and not return, they can deny the visa application.
No matter the reason for a trip to America, the non-immigrant must overcome the presumption that he/she will not return home.
Dahlia A. Walker-Huntington, Esq. is a Jamaican-American attorney who practises immigration law in the United States; and family, criminal and international law in Florida. She is a diversity and inclusion consultant, mediator, and former special magistrate and hearing officer in Broward County, Florida. info@walkerhuntington.