This post was most recently updated on August 19th, 2018
What is a Sponsorship Invitation Letter for UK Visa?
A Sponsorship letter for UK visa is very similar to an invitation letter for UK visa. The main difference between them is that the sponsorship letter contains a declaration that the host will be handling some or all of the expenses of the guest.When writing an invitation for your guest you are free to include in the letter that you will be responsible for the travel costs as well as the accommodation costs of your guest(s). With a sponsorship letter for visa, you will need to show proof that you can actually handle these costs.
A simple invitation letter on the other hand does not need to contain any declaration of support. All you need to include in an invitation letter is that you want your guest to visit you, 
as well as details about yourself and the guest. The Visa Officer will not appraise your guests application for visa based on your income. The application for visa to enter the UK would be appraised based on the income of your guest.
Should the visa officer believe that you do not have adequate funds to sponsor your guest, the application will be denied or more documents will be requested. In many cases, what we have is a sponsorship/invitation letter for UK Visa.
A sponsorship/invitation letter contains both the invitation and the declaration of sponsorship. The declaration of sponsorship does not have to be full. For full sponsorship it is advisable that you fill out and sign a formal Declaration of sponsorship which can be obtained from the UK visa application website.
Sample Sponsorship Letter for Uk Visa
This letter is written by a UK citizen to invite his Mum to visit him in Manchester. His mum is retired and living on a modest pension in Kenya. He and his wife will be sponsoring his mother’s entire trip to the UK. This letter will be sent to his mother in Kenya along with COPIES of all the necessary documents. His mum will then attach them to her application to the British Embassy in Kenya.
Before you start writing your letter
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The Visa Officer
British Deputy High Commission
Nairobi
Kenya
Standard Visitor Visa application for – Mrs. Grace Kikuyu, Passport No: 1237777
Dear Sir /Madam,
I Andrew Kikuyu am pleased to provide this letter of invitation for my mother Mrs. Grace Kikuyu who resides at 34 Mango Road, Nairobi, Kenya. She intends to visit us for holidays for 6 weeks from October 1st, 2018 until 15th of October, 2018. Mrs. Grace is a retired teacher and widow of my dad Mr. Thomas Kikuyu.
I am the Network Administrator at MicroMana, an IT company based in Manchester, UK. Please find enclosed herewith my payslips and bank statements in which my salary is deposited.
My wife an I own a 4 bedroom bungalow at 234 Swan Street, Manchester, which is of sufficient size to accommodate my mother during her stay in the UK. Enclosed is a copy of our Title deed for the house and copy of our Council tax bill and utility bill.
I will be responsible for my mum’s travel costs, maintenance, accommodation and care and shall ensure that during her stay in the UK, she does not have recourse to any public funds.
Should you require any further information, please contact me on +44-123-12345 or e-mail andrewkikuyu@microblast.com
Sincerely,
Andrew Kikuyu
ENCLOSURES:
• Copy of British Passport
• Copy of 6 month Salary statements
• Copy of 6 month bank statements
• Copy of Title deeds for our house
• Copy of Council tax bill for our house
Is a Sponsorship Letter for UK Visa Required?
Although an invitation letter is not required for the application for a Uk Standard Visitor Visa, it is advisable that you get one. It acts as one of the supporting documents for the visa application.
It is important however to note also that there are more important and required documents and information that the guest must provide. Click here to see a list of other required documents.
A sponsorship Letter, however, is required because it is the document that shows how the guest plans to pay for the trip to the UK.
If you are sponsoring your guest financially to the UK, you must provide this document as well as the signed Declaration of Sponsorship form. Otherwise, you could just fill the form and attach it to a regular invitation letter.
Hello,
My partner/cousin as I call him(not blood related) was refused entry and Gatwick and sent back on the plane the next day. He was coming for an 8 week stay. We would like to get a clearance visa but he has no job or bank account to speak of. I intend to sponsor him all the way and have the finances to do so. I would like him to return at the end of August (travelling with me) to spend the term, returning, (again with me) at Christmas time. What are the chances of him getting clearance and what paperwork does he need. I am a UK citizen (born here) and I too hold dual nationality.
Hi Angela,
It would be difficult to answer your question because I don’t know why he was denied entry. I suggest you get an immigration lawyer to help you. As a citizen you have some rights to request some information.
I am planning to bring my daughter here in UK, I am a Filipina married to a British citizen. My husband will sponsor her to come to UK to join us permanently. Please I need some advise and what documents do I need to provide and what type of application form.
Hi Marie,
I am not really sure about the type of application. Can I suggest that you consult an immigration lawyer?
I am a Filipina married to a British citizen. I am planning to bring my daughter to UK to join us permanently. Please what documents do I have to provide and what type of application form do I need to use?
Hi
I would like to know if the sponsorship letter can be send my email or it must be original send by post??
Hi,
I and my husband live in London and he works here on a work permit. I am a housewife(his dependant). My own sister(my blood relation) and her husband are planning to visit us in London. They plan to stay with us at our place for a two week span of time. They would be paying their travel fares and will return back to INDIA as they both work there. In total they fund for their travel and other expenses apart from stay/food since they stay at our flat.
What all documents should we provide for them? Should my husband attach any pay slips/bank statements in this case?
Hi,
In order for my to sponsor my father-in law from Pakistan on a 6 month visit visa, I will need to be submit Form SU07. Other than this, do I require to submit any forms for the sponsor. Any advise is highly appreciated. Many thanks.
I will like to study in United state of kingdom
I am a British. I lived in UK with with my first wife for more than 15 years. She is registered there as a wife of mine. We are separated for more than 4 years without legal documents. I live overseas and got married to another lady from Morocco. Would be there any restriction to apply and sponsor her for a visitor visa to The UK ?
Dear sir,
I Need to know schengen and south africa tourist visa can you guide me which documents are reuquire for tourist visa
with regards,
Parvez
Hello, I would like to know if my cousin brother can sponsor me or not. He is already the UK citizen and his mother and my father are from the same parent. As his family moved to the UK a long time ago, their names are not included in our household list. So, how can we prove our relationship?