Do my family and friends need to apply for a visa to visit me?

Visitors should apply for a B-2 tourist visa to come to the U.S. People from most countries apply for the B-2 visa at their nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The procedures and documentation needed to apply for a B-2 visa vary between embassies/consulates. Please have your family and friends review the application details of the specific embassy/consulate for which they will be applying. For more information, please see the website "How to Apply for U.S. Nonimmigrant Visa" at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/.

However, some countries are exempt from this visa requirement due to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). To learn more about VWP and to see if you qualify, please see http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html.

If your spouse and dependent children (under the age of 21) would like to visit you or join you for an extended amount of time, they are eligible to come to the U.S. as an F-2 or J-2 visa. Please talk to an OIS advisor if you would like your dependents to join you as an F-2 or J-2 visa holder.

How do my family and friends apply for a B-2 visitor visa?

Your visitors should make a visa appointment with their nearest U.S. Embassy/Consulate and complete the visa application found at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/.

Your visitors should present the following documentation:

• Visitors need to prove that they will return back to their home country. This can be done by providing proof of employment, property ownership, and that close family members still remain in the home country.
• Visitors should be able to provide a short-term plan or reason for coming to the U.S.
• Visitors must demonstrate that they have sufficient resources for their visit- travel and living expenses.

We suggest that you provide the following documentation for your family and friends:

1. An invitation letter from you detailing the dates of the intended visa and reason for visa. The OIS has created a template letter for you to use (see the resource section to the right). You should create a letter of invitation for each person you would like to invite.
2. If you will provide financial support for the visitors (including room and board), you can fill out a Form I-134 Affidavit of Support in order to show that you have sufficient resources. You can locate the I-134 at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-134.pdf. If you are not providing room and board or paying for any of your visitor's expenses, you are not required to fill out the Form I-134.
3. A photocopy of your I-94 card, I-20s or DS-2019s, visa, and passport
4. Certificate of Enrollment:
   Here are the guidelines to obtain the Certificate of Enrollment.
1. If you do NOT have a social security number, go to Service EMU (Student Center) or Records & Registration (303 Pierce) and ask for a Certificate of Enrollment
2. If you have a social security number, you need to see if it is in your my.emich. There are 2 ways to determine this:
• Ask an OIS advisor to verify it is in Banner
• Ask at Service EMU (Student Center) or Records & Registration (303 Pierce) to verify it is in Banner
• If it's not there, present your Social Security Card and ask that it be entered into the system
• Once your SSN is in the university database (Banner), go on-line to your my.emich:
• Click on the STUDENT tab
• Scroll down to the "SERVICES Main Menu"
• Select – Student Services
• Select – National Student Clearing house Self-service site
• Click on Continue to NSC
• Select either Current Enrollment or All enrollment
• Click "Obtain an enrollment certificate"
3. If your visitors are coming for your graduation, you can print your ebill with the graduation charge listed to confirm that you have applied for graduation. You may also provide a letter from your academic advisor confirming that you will be completing your program of study during the given semester. You should also provide your visitors with information concerning the commencement ceremony. More information is found at http://www.emich.edu/commencement/.