Where do Friends and family Letters come in place?

[3summerkids 3]

yay for first post:D

- Couple of questions, I need answers. I feel quite dumb if i call my lawyer just to ask this so i thought i can get some help here:)

- Letters from family members and friends,

some have offered to writter letters, stating why they should let me come back to the USA, and writte about hardship on my husband and our three children.

-Do the letters have to be made from USA citizens only?

If so how can they proove citizenship in the letter?

- Do letters really count? whould they take the minute to read them? whould they take them in concideration?

- do they come into play as evidence or the hardship waver?

* Any suggestions, advise? how they should writte it or what exactly should be said...

- i would love to hear from experiences too.

[Boiler 45,360]

I think they are fairly meaningless, but I see no harm in including them.

[Sherlyn 9]

Are you trying to enter the US by a tourist visa? If yes... I don't think letters are valid you should get a sponsor and let him get an affidavit of support form that's what my aunt did when she tried to help me to study in the US.but if you have a pending petition since I read that you have filed for CR1 I don't think they will give you s tourist visa.

[GlobeHopperMama 95]

Well, first, this is EXACTLY the question you should be asking your lawyer, and second, you haven't given enough information in your post for people to know what stage these letters would be for. I'm interpreting that you're inadmissible for a visa and you will be filing an I-601 waiver. This is exactly why your lawyer needs to work with you regarding who writes letters and why. Your lawyer will be preparing the documentation along the way and knows exactly what kinds of letters would be useful and which would be just fluff. For example, at the I-130 petition stage, letters are not that useful in a case like yours. You probably have way more compelling evidence of your relationship being real if you've been married awhile and have three kids. At the I-601stage, letters sometimes can be useful, depending on the situation. From family or friends, they mainly are useful if there's a moral character problem (the immigrant has criminal history to overcome). But they can also be secondary support for hardships IF you're already providing good evidence to support the claims from more official sources. For example, a co-workers recounting of your difficulty coping on the job without your husband there.

In general, here are some tips for having family write letters for all sorts of purposes in immigration:

http://www.goldengateimmigration.com/2012/04/nine-essential-elements-of-a-character-reference-letter/

and here are some tips on getting letters from health care providers and such:

http://immigrate2us.net/forum/showthread.php?98246-Tips-on-getting-a-letter-from-your-health-care-provider

But really, before having anyone provide a letter, you need to find out from your attorney what kinds they want, because they will be the ones constructing the waiver packet, so they know what the letters should contain and who should write them. And if they don't know, then it's time to find a different waiver lawyer! Good luck!