Factors to consider while writing an invitation
Before you will write an invitation letter for Australian tourist visa for parents, there are a couple of factors you’ll have to consider such as:
- your parents country of passport
- duration of the visit
- the reason for the visit
While for some countries getting a visitor visa is quite straightforward and an invitation is not required at all for some others submission must be really strong to convince case officer visa should be granted.
When deciding a duration of the visit financial factors must be taken into consideration. On a visitor visa work is not allowed, so case officer must be satisfied visitor has got enough funds or an Australian sponsor is able to support parent financially during their visit.
The reason for the visit is another important factor when writing an invitation letter for Australian tourist visa for parents. Australia is a multicultural country and all the religious and family matters are being given high importance. Events such a Christmas, a birth of a child, marriage, etc might be quite a good reason for a visit.
Format of an invitation
Some people write an invitation to the person to visit them in Australia, then this letter is being presented to the case officer. This approach has quite limited powers – when lodging a visa application it is a case officer you’ll have to convince about a visa grant, not your guest, hence it’s usually better idea to address a letter directly to the decision maker. Ordinary letter to the case officer is usually sufficient, but in some circumstances, it is worth to consider writing it in a statutory declaration format – especially when you are declaring to provide with a board and accommodation. That gives an additional level of assurance for a case officer. Keep in mind Stat Dec is an oath, and you need a JP’s signature on a statutory declaration.
Follow us on facebook if you like it here, so you’ll be first to know about updates on this page.
Information to be included in an invitation
Your letter must include the following information:
- details about a person being invited
- their first and last name
- relationship to inviting person
- phone number
- a reason for the visit
- duration of the visit
- details on how the person will support themselves while in Australia
- details about invitee
- first and last name
- date of birth
- residential address in Australia
- phone number
- residential status (are you a citizen, permanent resident or temporary resident)
Example of a letter of invitation
Sample letter 1:
Brisbane, 24/08/2017
Re: Invitation letter for Australian tourist visa for my parents
Visa applicants: Mary Jane (passport nr AB 123456) and Jon Doe (Passport nr XY 456789)
To Whom it may concern.
My name is Jonathan Smith and I’d like to ask for consideration of a visitor visa grant for my parents. We are expecting a child. Birth is due mid-November this year. It is a very important event in our life. We’d love if my parents could share the joy with us. We are Australian citizens and we will provide with board and accommodation for our beloved guests.
I have enclosed following documents:
– a copy of my passport
– statement from a GP
Should you require further information please do not hesitate to contact me
Jonathan Smith
23 Nice Place
Brisbane
QLD 4000
Mob 0404 123456
Sample letter 2
Brisbane, 24/08/2017
Re: request for a consideration of an Australian tourist visa grant for my parents
Visa applicants: Mary Jane (passport nr AB 123456) and Jon Doe (Passport nr XY 456789)
My name is Joseph Obikwa and I am an Australian Permanent resident. Together with my partner Amelia we have moved to Australia 5 years ago. We’d like to show my parents a beauty of Australia – a land we call our home now. They are looking forward visiting us for a Christmas period when we’d spent some time together. We are Catholics and Christmas is a very important time of the year for us. We are also going to travel around Australia with parents. My parents would like to visit us for about 2 months as that’s maximum period of time for a holiday they could get from their employers. Although they have enough money to support themselves while in Australia I’ll provide with board and accommodation.
I have enclosed following documents:
Copy of my PR visa
My parent’s bank account statement
Proposed itinerary for a travel
Should you require further information please do not hesitate to contact me
Jonathan Smith
23 Nice Place
Brisbane
QLD 4000
Mob 0404 123456
Talk to an expert about your letter of invitation
As I wrote above, there could be different factors which need to be considered when writing a letter of invitation. It’s always a good idea to consult or engage a person who is an expert in such cases to maximise your chances of a successful outcome of a visa application. Please do not hesitate to call my office or contact us to discuss your options.
Hi
I have been granted a Skilled Regional Sponsored (Provisional) 489, am I allowed to send invitation letter to my parents to visit me while I am living in Australia?
Sure, why not?
Hi,
I am an Australian citizen, my fiance is currently on a partner visa. We wish to invite her parents and sister for our engagement party. My mother will be providing the accommodation. Who would be best to write the invitation letter, me? my fiance? my mother? or all 3 of us?
Depends what passport do they hold. For some countries, it is very easy to get a visitor visa, for other almost impossible.
Hi my parents(elderly) are not well and would like to invite their son and his family( wife and 2 kids) on visitor visa for 3 months from Russia. My parents will provide for accommodation in Australia, and their son will provide for all other living expenses during their stay, we my parents invite them and will they be granted a visitor visa? My parents are Australian citizen and they have a letter from their GP that we can’t travel to long distances anymore due to their medical issue. Please contact me regarding their invitation. Regards
I got confused, sorry. Let me understand – your parents are Australian and they want to invite you to visit them in Australia, right? Do you have a Russian passport?
The Australian embassy in Moscow is very scrupulous, but in your situation, I believe we will be able to get your visa granted. Let us know if you need assistance – book a consultation so we’ll discuss the case.
No my parents are Australian citizens and would like to invite their son with his family from Europe for 3 months. What process they have to go through?
Thank you
Hi can I state in my invitation letter that one of the reasons that I would like my cousin to come is to help me help me care for my 13 month old child so I can work as a nurse as I don’t want to put him in daycare, he is to young I feel. She will also teach him our traditional language and be a cultural link to my two older sons.In our culture its quite normal that family help take care of your children and we don’t pay them. I will provide accommodation and support. She lives in PNG has a current passport and has travelled here on visits previously up to 20 times with another family member.
Visitor visa has a “no work allowed” condition. Even if not paid for – it is still work. If you’ll put such a reason on an invitation letter visa might be refused.
Sir, my cousin brother is in india, can i invite him for a week to visit us. I am married and living with my husband in sydney. what are possibilities to get a visa and should i write something specific in invitation letter.
Thank you.
Hi, what do you do after you have the letter of invitation ready?
where to lodge in Australia or do I send it to the family member who is applying for the visa? and if so do I write it in English even though she is presenting it in a non-English speaking country? thank you.
Always in English. If not in English must be translated by the person allowed to do that by local laws. You can apply for a visa online or send an invitation and let them apply locally – depends on the country.
hi, very valuable information! thanks. I have a question,
I would like to invite my parents to visit Australia through subclass 600. my question is whose immiaccount do I use for the application? my own immi account(which I used for applying my PR and citizenship(pending )) or should I make different immiaccount for both my mum and dad?
Doesn’t really matter
Hi
This is very informative. Thank you
Im a PR for last 5 years and my liltle sister after graduated from her Master degree is about to marry with an Australian man. I really would love to have my parent and my liltle brother to be here for my sister wedding. We are Indonesian passport. Who is the best to write an invitation letter? My sister fiance or my self? ( im trying not to bother him too much without risking the refusal possibilities that might happened) please kindly advise…Thank you.
Fiance
Hi…My wife (PR) wants to invite her family on a visitor visa to Aus. We are expecting a baby soon so is it a good idea to mention that in the invitation letter? A lot of people say it is not a good thing to mention on the invitation letter.
Thanks alot.
It all depends on the circumstances. If these are grandparents – I’d say yes – mention the fact. For other family members – it could be more complex and would depend on their and your financial capability and the other factors.
Hi I want to invite my parent visitor visa to Aus for 2 months pls tell me which form I need to use thanks
You can lodge a visa application on-line.
Hello.
I want to invite my mother and mother in law together in Australia so should I write different invitation letter for both? Also want to know do I need to write invitation letter on statutory declaration form? As I have invited my mum and my friend before and that time I was asked by the immigration agent to write it on statutory declaration. Please guide.
Thank you.
Stat dec has more weight when it comes to declaring your will.
Hi,
I just want to inquire about how to go about doing the invitation for my family. I’m currently residing in Australia but am holding a tourist visa as my partner visa is still beimg processed. By fiancé however is an Australian citizen. We’d like to invite my family for our wedding in October. Should I or my partner be the one to send the invite?
Thanks
Could be both of you – it really depends on the country of your family’s passports.
Hi my friend came to visit me, she has a flight back on 15 of July, but i will leave the country for holidays as I got a job that will not allow me to go back to my country until next year, she wants to stay and leave with another friend she has subclass 600 visa. I gave her an invitation letter for her visa. My question if I can be in a problem if she stays in Australia and I am not.
Hi,
I’m an Australian permanent resident visa with an Indian passport. I got married recently and applied for visa for my wife(family sponsored stream). Unfortunately the application was refused stating that she is unemployed. She resigned from her job a week before our wedding and has no significant gap in her education or employment otherwise.
We submitted the following docs in the application:
1. Marriage certificate.
2. Documents to prove my financial capacity.
What is the best we can do to get the visa granted?
For a visitor visa, applicants intention should be to reside in Australia temporarily. As she is your wife now, it is rather hard to convince case officer that she’ll leave the country without applying for a partner visa onshore. Am I right?
Hi,
I am indian holding permanent residency of australia and living in melbourne, i want to invite my cousin brother to visit us for a week. What are the chances of getting a visa. What document we need to support the file, as I am a housewife and don’t have any reference from employer.
Quite important is what sort of evidence he has that he’ll return to India (family, job, business, school to attend, etc)
Hi, I’m an Indian Passport holder,me and my wife (indian passport holder) would intend to visit australia in a tourist visa for ten days in Oct 2018. my cousin, his mother (my aunt), wife children are all australian passport holder. i’m a practicing physician. but as they are our 2nd order cousin and left india long back, no documentary proof of relationship is unavailable.
Q1. will group family pics( taken during there numerous visits to india over the years) do as proof of relationship?
Q2. what are the other necessary documents required?
Q3. Can i apply online?
Q4. when is the earliest i can apply for visa, given our travel date in oct 2018.
Q5. any specific things to be written in invitation letter by my cousin?
Thanks in advance.
Q1 – not really as a relationship., but could help
Q2 – depends on your situation we’d have to discuss
Q3 – yes
Q4 – now
Q5 – there are a few as discussed in above article.
Please book a consultation if you’d like to discuss your case.
me & my partner are having australian residency but we are living abroad. however, we’ve decided to move to australia permanently next year. my father lives with us here in dhaka and we are planning to take him with us on tourist visa while will be travelling to australia on early next year. my elder sister is married and she lives in a different place and my mother has expired long ago, so there is no one here to look after my father if we leave for australia, he is 72 years. please suggest what would be the best option for my father? how to apply for tourist visa and how long does it take to get the visa and what documents should we submit with the application?
Parent visa could be an option.
Hi,
Myself and my husband are Australian PR Holders. Been here for a year now. We both work full time. I just discovered that I am pregnant. I want to invite my mother Feb next year and I would like her to stay for a year at a stretch to stay with my baby because I feel my baby will be too little to drop off at child care all day long. My mother is retiring from work Nov this year hence she can stay that long if granted visa.
What do I write in the invitation letter and what duration? Do you think she will be granted 12 months? How long does the processing time take so that I can know when she should apply (African country).
Thanks
With visitor visas question always remains what is the country of passport and what sort of PR visa have you been granted. An invitation letter is just a beginning – all the other factors for a visa grant must be considered as well.
I am a 50 year old Australian male who has just returned from living in Vietnam for over 15 years. I want to bring my girlfriend to Australia for a visit to see how she adjusts to life here and if she enjoys it we will attempt a more permanent solution. My question is given that I am twice her age, is that grounds that her visa will not be granted ?
Tricky situation.
If you’ll disclose in the visitor visa application she’s your girlfriend it might be refused because her intention might be to apply for a “more permanent” solution onshore.
If you will not disclose in a visitor visa application she’s your girlfriend, her “more permanent solution” might be refused later because a misleading information has been provided in a visitor visa application.
Age – could be a concern for a case officer, but if your relationship is genuine – that’s all that matters.
Hi
Me and my husband are living in Australia. My husband is on Subclass 489 visa and i am holding subclass 489 dependent visa. My brother who is living in New Zealand wants to visit us in Australia as he is working full time there and he is on post study work permit. So i just want to ask that if he needs an invitation letter from me or my husband. I would like to mention that i am not working at present as it’s only been 2 months I am living here in Australia. I am bit confused that if he needs an invitation from my side or he can apply without it.
It’s complex – what’s the country of his passport, does he have money, when his work permit is about to expire, will his employer give him a holiday to go to Australia – it’s not only “whether you should write the invitation or not”. Please book a consultation if you’d like to discuss.
Hello,
I’m a Sri Lankan passport holder currently living in Australia under temporary graduate visa (485). I am working full time as a registered nurse. My husband is in Sri Lanka and holds the passport from the same country. I would like to sponsor my husband for a 2 weeks visit under visitor visa. My brother is married and holds PR and Currently, I’m sharing accommodation with them.
1. Will it be a problem if I sponsor my husband as I do not have PR?
2. My brother is happy to provide accommodation. will accommodation be an issue if I write the sponsorship letter?
Thanks
A good submission may do the trick. Did you consider applying for 485 for your husband as a secondary applicant? We can assist if required.
hey sir/madam
I am now in melbourne and need some helps to convince an officer to get a new tourist visa, because my sister is in during pregnancy and she need my help. so how can I write a good letter?
First of all, check if a “no further stay condition” has not been imposed on your visa. If not – book a consultation we’ll assess your situation and advice next steps.
Hello
I am on Bridging visa A (subclass 187 RSMS), i want to apply Visitor visa for my parents. does it matter that iam on bridging visa?
Please advise me
Not really – what’s the most important is the country of their passport and their ties to the coutry of origin.
Hi, I am on student visa and graduating next year. However, i want my parents from Pakistan to visit me (pak passport holders). What is the possibility that they will be granted visitor visa considering my graduation is next year? Will that influence tge visa grant? Also my spouse is added on my application 4 months ago.
Each and every visa application is assessed against its own merits. You’ll have to prove your parents will go back to Pakistan after the visit otherwise visa might be refused.
Hi, I am having a baby and wanting my Aunty to come visit, we will provide accommodation – what Visa do I apply for
Depends on the country of your Aunty’s passport.
Hi ,
I want to invite my parents from India when I’m due in June. Since i am on a bridging spouse visa and my husband is an Australian citizen, which one of us would you recommend write letter of invitation?
Both of you
Hi, I’m from Nigeria. I’m pregnant and I’m due June this year . I want to apply for my mother. Her duration of Stay in Australia,? can I write ,We want mother to be around 12 months but want a multi in case of emergency( family or other) she can return home.
Please, advice.
Thanks
The fact you are Nigerian does not tell me much. Are you an Australian citizen or PR? If yes – you may apply for SC 600 visa. Government is quite keen to grant a visitor visa for grandparents. 12 months could be considered – make sure they’ve got money to stay here or you’ll be able to support them.
I am a housewife, and i would like to invite my brother and sister-in-law to Sydney. I have a joint lease with my husband and we have a three bedroom apartment. He has enough money to support his stay here, but i want to write him an invitation letter to that effect. Please advise of how to proceed in this sceanrio
Depends on the country of their passport – for some countries, it’s easy even without an invitation, for some others almost impossible to get a visitor visa.
Hi, I am Australian Permanent resident, I want to apply a visitor visa for my mom, but I want she stay about 6 months or even 12 months, it is her first time in Australia, do you think is there any possibility that she could be granted?
Besides we are Iranian.
For Iranians could be tough, but the chance exists. Go for it – if granted – happy days, if not try the family sponsor stream – no further stay condition will be imposed, but well – at least she’ll be here for a couple of months. You may also consider 870 visa.
Hi, I am currently on student visa and my visa is going to expire on July 22 and then I will apply for working visa. But I am also pregnant and due is on September 3rd. So thinking of applying for parents visa to visit me. Is it good to apply now as my visa is going to expire or can I apply after I get bridging visa? I am totally confused.
I’m assuming you a referring to 485 visa talking about “work visa”, right? You can’t wait for your current visa to expire to apply for another one – you may become unlawful and ineligible to apply.
The fact you are on a student visa which is about to expire will not help you to convince case officer you need your parents here. They’ll have to satisfy visitor visa requirements and dependant on the country of their passport it might be easy or very difficult.
Hi, This is Aurelia Conicella,
I’m just inquiring about my cousin want to come to visit to Australia. What is my requirement to do? as a Tourist visa.I only send the invitation letter only or what else ?
It all depends on the country of his passport ad situation in country of origin. For some countries, visitor visas are granted on the spot for some others no matter what you’ll do it will be very unlikely to get one at all.
Hi Charles
I am an Australian Citizen and currently on my maternity leave returning to work in March 2020. My husband has recently arrived in Australia and currently a full time student (has a scholarship, so not required to pay) but not employed.
I have a 6 months old son and I would like my parents to visit us to celebrate my son’s 1st birthday with us. Although they have enough savings and small retail business back home, I intend to invite my parents on family sponsored visitor visa for 7 months to celebrate our son’s first Tibetan new year together with his grandparents and also like to take them around Australia for holiday. I live in a rented house with 3 br and have good savings to be able to support both my family and sponsor my parents in Aus. My paid parental leave finishes this month and then I will be on Centrelink parenting payment until my husband gets a job or upon my return to work in March 2020. What is the probability of getting my parents visa approved? My parents are bonafide Tibetan refugee (consider stateless by the immigration) living in India and holds a travel document issued by the Indian government. The reason why I am applying for 7 months visa (February- August) is they need to return home by the end of August as it is the peak business time for them from September- December. They have their own house, 3 shops and good savings. Their son (my brother) and his family lives with my parents
and runs family business together.
It seems you have quite a good and compelling story.
They already got refugee status in India, so rather not possible Australia could accept them as refugees here, looks like their ties to the place they’re living are strong, SC 600 visa under family steam will have a no further stay condition imposed, seems like you might be having a strong case. Go for it – if you’ll be stuck – let us know we also assist with complex visitor visa applications.
Hi I’m Al Brian, holding 457 Visa, I want to invite my mother-in-law to visit me and my wife her in Australia. May I know who’s the one write an invitation letter me or my wife?
Thank you.
If you are the one who wants to invite her – write a letter. Your wife can write one too.
Hi
Me and my husband are currently on a 482 bridging visa and planning to invite my sister to visit us and see my baby. Is it possible to financially support her while we are stiil on bridging? And can I create an immi account for her and lodge it here. We will also write a letter.
Yes, you can, but it all depends where is your sister from. For some countries getting a visitor visa is mission impossible, for the others, it’s quite simple process.