International Visa

Visitor visa letters are not required by US embassies to obtain a visa.  In fact, the U.S. Department of State clearly states that such letters will not be taken into consideration at visa interviews.

If you want to provide documentation for your family members to carry with them to the consulate for a visitor visa application, it is recommended that you include the following information in the letter of invitations:

• the visitor’s name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, and relationship to the student,
• an explanation of the purpose and length of their stay (example: to attend the graduation ceremony),
• a tentative schedule while they are visiting the U.S., including where they will stay/eat, if known,
• a description of what you will provide during the visit (for example: room and board for a specific period of time, round trip airfare),
• evidence of your status in the US, provide your guests a copy of your I-20,
• evidence of enrollment at Notre Dame (an unofficial transcript or a copy of your course schedule), and
• proof of relationship to your guests (if they are family member/s).

The visitors will need to provide evidence that they intend to return to their home country and not remain in the U.S. The decision to grant a visa is at the sole discretion of the consulate officer; the consulate officer may not look at or consider this letter and they may not grant a visa for your family members or friends to join you in the U.S.

Please contact issa@nd.edu with any questions.