If you would like to invite a family member to come visit you in the United States, whether for a general visit or to celebrate your graduation at the Commencement Ceremony, you can write them an invitation letter.

International Services does not write invitation letters. We instead offer this guidance as advice to help you write a letter.

Note that Consular Officials from the U.S. Department of State have stated that invitation letters are not required for a tourist visa application and that letters are not helpful.

Guidance from International Services

In your letter, we recommend you include the following:

• Your full name, as listed on your passport
• Your U.S. address
• Statement that you are a F-1 student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY
• State your relationship to the person you are inviting
  • If inviting multiple people, write an individual letter for each person
• Include the planned dates of travel
• State why you want the person to visit
• Your signature at the bottom of the letter

To see an example of formatting, visit this link.