Immigration letter of support for a family member: template and examples

This is information, not legal advice.

This guide explains the general rules. What they mean for your family member depends on their circumstances. Answer a few questions to check their situation.

What a letter of support is for

At a bond hearing the judge asks two questions: is this person a danger, and will they come back to court? A letter of support answers the second one with facts a government file does not have. It says who depends on them, how long they have lived here, what they do every week, and who will make sure they get to every hearing. Judges weigh these facts under Matter of Guerra, 24 I&N Dec. 37 (BIA 2006): family ties, length of residence, work, a fixed address, community.

The same letters help later in the deportation case, when the judge decides discretionary questions such as cancellation of removal or voluntary departure.

Who should write one

• The person they will live with. This letter is different and matters most. It is the sponsor letter. See how to write a sponsor letter.
• A spouse or partner, adult children, parents, brothers and sisters. One letter each is better than one letter signed by everyone.
• People outside the family who see them regularly: an employer, a pastor, a neighbor, a friend. See a letter of support for a friend and character reference letters.

Five or six strong letters are plenty. Twenty thin ones are not better.

What makes a letter work

• Specific facts, from your own experience. “Marco drives our mother to dialysis every Tuesday and Friday” beats “Marco is a wonderful person.” Dates, places, routines, numbers.
• Who you are. Your full name, how you are related, how long you have known them, your address and phone number.
• What their absence is doing. Rent, childcare, a sick relative, a business. Concrete, not dramatic.
• The plan after release. Where they will live, how they will get to court, who will remind them of every date.
• The truth about problems. If there is an arrest the judge will see, a family member who acknowledges it and says what has changed is more believable than one who pretends it did not happen.

What to leave out

• Anyone’s immigration status, including yours, unless you choose to say you are a citizen or green card holder.
• Legal arguments. The judge does not need you to cite laws.
• Things you did not see yourself, and promises you cannot keep.
• Attacks on ICE, the police, or anyone else. It reads as anger, not support.

Template: letter of support from a family member

Copy this, replace the brackets, and keep it to one page.

[Your full name]
[Street address, city, state, ZIP]
[Phone number]
[Date]

Dear Immigration Judge,

My name is [your name]. I am [the person’s] [relationship: wife, son, sister…], and I have known them for [number] years. I am writing to ask that [full name], A-number [000-000-000], be released while their case goes on.

[Two or three specific facts about their life here: how long they have lived in [city], their work, what they do for the family each week, their children’s names and ages and what the children need from them.]

Since they were detained, [what has changed for the family, specifically: who is caring for the children, the rent, a relative’s care, a job that is waiting].

If they are released, they will live at [address] with [names]. I will make sure they attend every hearing and every appointment with immigration. [How: you will drive them, keep the dates on your calendar, check the court’s case information line.]

[If there is a past problem the judge will see: say what happened, in one or two sentences, and what has changed since.]

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct.

Signature: ____________________
[Printed name]

Examples, by relationship

A spouse

“Carlos and I have been married for 11 years and have two children, Ana (9) and Luis (5), both born in Phoenix. Carlos works six days a week as a framer for Ruiz Construction, and that paycheck covers our rent of $1,450. Since Carlos was detained on May 12, I have missed four shifts to care for the children, and we received a late-rent notice on June 3, which I have attached.”

An adult child

“My mother, Rosa, has lived in Fresno since 2004. Rosa cares for my grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s, every weekday while I work. I am a U.S. citizen and a nurse at a hospital here. My mother will live with me at the address above, and I will drive her to every hearing.”

A brother or sister

“My brother Daniel has never missed a court date. After a citation for driving without a license in 2019, Daniel went to every hearing and paid the fine; the court’s record is attached. Daniel coaches Mateo’s soccer team every Saturday.”

These are illustrations. Write your own facts in your own words; judges can tell when letters are copied.

Format and signing

• Typed or neatly handwritten, one page, dated, signed by hand in ink.
• Include a copy of the writer’s photo ID. Nothing about the writer’s status is required. A writer who is a citizen or green card holder can attach proof of it, which helps.
• No notary needed. The penalty-of-perjury line (28 U.S.C. § 1746) makes it a sworn statement.
• Not in English? File it with a full English translation and a translator’s signed statement that they are competent and the translation is accurate (8 C.F.R. § 1003.33). See the Spanish version of this guide, carta de apoyo para inmigración.

How the letter reaches the judge

Do not mail it to the judge yourself. Immigration judges cannot receive communications about a case that the other side does not also get, so a letter sent straight to the court may never be considered. Letters go in as exhibits. They are filed with the bond request or brought to the hearing, with a copy served on the government lawyer. Send yours to the detained person or to whoever is putting the packet together. The packet itself is explained in sample motion for a bond hearing.

Questions people also ask

Does an immigration letter of support need to be notarized?

No. Immigration court does not require notarized letters. Sign it by hand and date it. Adding a line declaring under penalty of perjury that it is true gives it the weight of a sworn statement without a notary.

Can a family member without legal status write a letter of support?

Yes. Nothing requires the writer to have status, and the letter does not need to mention anyone’s immigration status. The letter goes into the court file, which the government lawyer sees, with the writer’s name and address. If that is a concern, a letter from someone else may be the better choice.

Is a letter of support the same as an affidavit of support?

No. An affidavit of support (Form I-864) is a financial contract used for family-based green cards. A letter of support is a personal letter to the judge. For a bond hearing you need the letter, not the I-864.

How long should a letter of support be?

One page is usually right. Judges read many of them. Three or four paragraphs of specific facts beat three pages of general praise.

Can the letter be in Spanish?

It can be written in Spanish, but it must be filed with a complete English translation and a signed statement from the translator that they are competent and the translation is accurate.

See what else their case needs

Check your family member’s situation to see which release options may apply, what to do next, and which documents to gather.