Students, Exchange Visitors, and Emory employees in non-immigrant status may wish to bring their family members to stay with them for short periods of time or for the duration of their program/employment at Emory University. There are two different avenues for bringing family members to the United States depending on the nature of the familial relationship. If the family member is a spouse or a dependent child (unmarried children under the age of 21 years) the family member is eligible for derivative status; for example, F-2, J-2, H-4, TD, and O-3 classifications can be obtained by dependents of F-1, J-1, H1B, TN, and O-1 visa/status holders, respectively (note that Canadian citizens will not require visa stamps in their passports, but they must still be admitted to the United States with the proper non-immigrant classification at the port of entry).

The status of the dependent will last for the duration of the primary's non-immigrant status. If the family member is not a spouse or dependent child, then the family member will need to enter the United States in B-2 status (for example, a parent, sibling, child over the age of 21, or fiancee). The duration for which family members can be admitted in B-2 status will be a maximum of six months. In all cases adequate funding to support the invited family members must exist; the ISSP office requires evidence of funding in the amount of $700 per month per spouse or adult family member, and $300 per month per child in order to issue new DS-2019 or I-20 forms (for J-2 or F-2 dependents) or letters of invitation for prospective B-2 visitors.

Spouse/Dependent Child

If applying for a visa and planning on traveling to the United States at the same time as principal visa holder, family members should visit the consulate with the principal visa holder and apply for visa stamps with the necessary legal documents establishing their relationship to the principal visa holder; the principal visa holder should also have the necessary documents establishing his or her eligibility for the F-1, J-1, H1B, or O-1 visa (if TD status is desired, dependent should accompany prospective TN status holder to port of entry/pre-flight inspection center). Contact the embassy/consulate ahead of time to find out which documents are required to establish relationship to the principal visa holder. Consulate officials will also expect to see proof of adequate financial support for family members.

If applying for a visa and traveling to the United States separately from the principal visa holder, family members will need legal documents establishing their relationship to the principal visa holder and documents showing proof of financial support during their stay in the United States. In addition, depending on the status they expect to hold in the United States, they will need the following documents:

F-2: SEVIS Form I-20 issued to dependent. To have ISSP issue a new I-20 form, please read and fill out the invitation form (spouse/dependent) and submit it to the ISSP office.
J-2: SEVIS Form DS-2019 issued to dependent. To have ISSP issue the new DS-2019 form, please read and fill out the invitation form (spouse/dependent) and submit it to the ISSP office.
TD: Evidence establishing Canadian citizenship, evidence that the TN status-holder is currently in the United States in this status (photocopy of the TN's I-94 card, front and back), and a current letter from the TN's employing department at Emory University stating the terms of employment and that the TN status holder is currently employed there.
H-4, O-3: Original I-797 approval notice, photocopy of the entire H1B petition submitted by the ISSP office to USCIS, and a letter from the employing department stating that the primary non-immigrant is currently being employed by them (and which states their name, job title, salary, and employment dates as indicated on the I-797 approval notice). The original I-797 approval notice is kept on file in the ISSP office, as is the petition submitted to USCIS.

Other family members

The ISSP office will write a letter of support to a consulate official on behalf of Emory University students or Exchange Visitors in F-1 or J-1 status who would like to invite close family members, such as parents, grandparents, and siblings.. to the United States to visit them. To request an invitation letter, please read and fill out the invitation form (family member) and submit it to the ISSP office.

Dependent Visa Request Form