Character Reference Letter for Immigration (23 Best Samples)

If you have to write a character reference letter for immigration, you would be helping someone, whether a family member, friend, or employee with their immigration application. The content and quality of your character reference letter for immigration would either increase their chances or jeopardize their entire application. Your letter will be carefully scrutinized by immigration judges who would be looking for your opinion about the applicant’s personalities like their work ethic, morality trustworthiness, and the likes.

Immigration applicants are usually people seeking to study in foreign countries or work overseas. They can also be people trying to escape violent conflicts in their home countries, hence the character reference letter for immigrants is quite important and should be treated as such.

Character Reference Immigration Letter

The character reference letter for immigration is a letter written to help and support a person’s application to immigrate to another country. The letter is meant to improve the immigration applicant’s chances of being accepted by outlining their good qualities and basically vouching for them. The letter is usually forwarded to an immigration judge or other officials who go through it thoroughly and provide feedback.

The best choice to write a character reference letter for an immigration letter is a person that has a good reputation in the community. People that can provide suitable recommendations via the character reference letter for immigration include employers, long-time friends. Although family members are allowed to provide recommendations as well, they are less preferred. The individuals providing character reference letters for immigration should be residents of the country to which the applicant wishes to migrate.

Importance of this letter

When applying to immigrate to another country, the character reference letter for immigration is the universally accepted means to offer the immigration judge and other immigration officers a sort of insight into the applicant’s qualities and good character.

It allows the immigration judges to see the applicant in a positive light, improving the applicant’s chances of approval.

Since the immigration letter is typically written by individuals who have known the applicant for a long time or worked with the applicant, it shows that the applicant is of good enough character to persuade their employer or old friend to vouch for them.

The character reference letter for immigration is to be examined by immigration judges and other officials who have been trained to search for certain points. Hence, it is best to write the letter with these points in mind.

Generally, you would be providing information about the applicant, the history you share with the applicant, personality traits you have observed about the applicant as well as future contributions the receiving country can expect from the applicant.

The point of the character reference letter for immigration is to describe the applicant in a positive light, as well as tell a story about the applicant’s past and their relationship with the referee. Anecdotes are an important way to make the letter more compelling rather than a list of claims.

The basic aim of writing a character reference letter for immigration is to prove that the applicant possesses good ethics and morals that make them a good addition to the community. The tone of the letter is mean to be informal, but the best thing to do is to be heartfelt, sincere, and honest.

Like any other letter, a character reference letter for immigration is divided into different parts based on content and they should be arranged in this order;

Introduction

The introduction should clearly state the writer’s name, profession, age, and the relationship to the applicant. In addition, the writer should provide their citizenship status, and the length of their relationship with the applicant. Although, the writer may begin to plead the applicant’s case in the introduction, however, the main body of the letter should contain all the argument.

“To whom It may concern” is the usual address of a character reference letter for immigration. However, in the case where the letter is to be used to prevent cancellation of removal.

Example 1

To whom it may concern,

My name is Maria Suarez, I am 39 years old, and I am delighted to be able to write this letter on behalf of my brother, Antonio Gomez, who recently applied to immigrate to Canada. Antonio and I have known each other our whole lives. I have watched him work his way through school in Mexico, and therefore, I can attest to his work ethic and moral standards as well as his integrity.

Example 2

Dear Immigration Judge,

My name is Koffi Atteh, I am a 35-year-old American citizen and have been married to Cynthia Atteh for the past 8 years. Cynthia is a loving wife and an exceptional mother to our three children. Her detainment has been traumatic for our children and emotionally devastating for our entire family. Our children need their mother, and she assists me with raising our children while I provide the financial needs, an already demanding task.

From both examples, we can see that all t e required pieces of information were mentioned. The reader can immediately ascertain the writer’s exact relationship to the applicant as well as the strength of the reference.

Body paragraphs

The body paragraphs should contain the referee’s point to the immigration officials. The body paragraphs should include the work ethic of the applicant, especially if the referee is an employer. Also, the impact of the applicant has on their dependents both emotionally and financially should be mentioned. The referee should also highlight the applicant’s positive character traits with specific examples where possible.

The body paragraphs should contain the following:

• Character of the applicant
• Work Skills or Ethic
• Strong Recommendation
• Your Contact Information

Example 1

I have had the privilege of working with Ramesh for over 2 years now, and I cannot over-emphasize his level of loyalty and hard work. His dedication to honing his craft as a mechanic is truly amazing and now, he has developed the skills to truly become independent if he wishes.

Ramesh surprised me when he refused employment opportunities from my major competitor, despite a larger pay. He has shown his loyalty to my company in addition to a work ethic that has made him an invaluable member of my team.

Ramesh has also enrolled in community college on a part-time basis, studying engineering in a bid to improve himself and his craft. Whenever I engage him in insightful conversations about work, he is quick to apply what he has learned in school to the hands-on tasks we have to deal with, and I am proud to admit that I have learned from him just as he has learned from me.

Example 2

Cynthia is a loving wife and mother who nurtures and helps me in providing for our children. She has a full-time job to help me handle our expenses in the house and provide for our three lovely children. She has amazed me many times with her zeal and resilience.

As a refugee, she is determined to ensure that her children will never be exposed to the hardships she had to go through. I would hate for her to be returned to the same hardship she tried to escape by coming to this country. I try my best to provide for my family, and wherever I fall short, she is there to pick up the slack.

There is nothing that can replace the presence of a mother in a child’s life and I cannot imagine having to raise our children all by myself while worrying about her survival in another country.

From both examples above, the writers have highlighted the positive characters of their applicants with an unmistakable insight that could only come from a close relationship with the applicant.

In the first example, we see the recommendation from the employer highlighting the applicant’s work ethic and dedication to become better.

The second example written by the applicant’s husband states a strong case for why the applicant should not be deported. He provided a strong description of her family values as well as the impact her deportation would have on her children.

Conclusion

The character reference letter for immigration should end in a heartfelt compliment of the applicant. It is important for the writer to restate the opinion that the applicant should be allowed to immigrate into the country. If required, the writer should provide their contact information at the bottom of the page

Example 1

My wife is a loving, caring, and supportive woman. A role model to our daughter and a source of financial and emotional support for the whole family. Words cannot possibly express the impact her deportation would have on our family and I humbly ask that you allow her to continue to stay in England, the country our entire family now calls home.

Example 2

My company and I fully support Ramesh’s immigration application. He has shown me time and again that he is an honorable young man with loyalty and integrity. He is filled with such drive and zeal that I would hate to lose such an invaluable employee. I cannot think of a better candidate to become a citizen of our great nation. You can contact me at any time on this number (555) 7877-9xxxx or [email protected]

Signature

The signature serves to confirm the identity of the referee and is the last thing to add to the bottom of a well-written character reference letter for immigration. If possible, an attached notarized signature should remove any doubt of the referee’s signature. If possible, an attached notarized signature should remove any doubt of the referee’s signature.

Example 1

Sincerely,
Alfred Pennyworth
(Notarized Signature)

Example 2

Sincerely,
Koffi Atteh

Character Reference Letter for Immigration Samples

Here are a few samples for better understanding:

Character reference letter templates make it so much easier to draft and write a character reference letter for immigration. You can be sure that all important points are addressed and all relevant information are provided when you use tried and tested character reference letter for immigration templates for your application. Click here to download character reference letter for immigration templates.

Although the main party concerned with writing and preparing a character reference letter for immigration is the person who refers somebody else, but there are a few essential elements in the process that the person being referred must take into account.
These are such as;

A character reference letter is meant to be written by individuals that have a history with the applicant, and can provide a detailed assessment of the applicant’s positive characters.

The referee may fall into any of the following categories:

Friend

Character reference can be provided by a friend who is close to the applicant. However, the friend should be a long-term friend that have shared history with the applicant and can provide direct first-hand anecdotes and examples, highlighting the applicant’s strong points.

Employer

An employer is in an excellent position to describe the applicant’s work ethic and moral disposition. Character reference letters from current or past employers have a higher chance of being accepted. Employers are in the best position to describe how well the applicant performs in the workplace, as part of a team and under pressure. The employer can also provide an unbiased recommendation of the candidate’s morality.

Landlord

The relationship between a landlord and tenant makes a landlord another great choice for providing a character reference letter for immigration. The landlord can attest to how well-behaved the applicant is as well as how punctual they are in paying rent. Also, the landlord is in a good position to determine how well the applicant socializes with co-tenants, neighbors, and other people in the immediate vicinity.

Teacher/lecturer/instructor

Teacher, lecturers, or instructors are uniquely qualified to provide a character reference letter for immigration due to the close interaction and history they must have had with the applicant. On many occasions, the teacher, lecturer, or instructor would have been required to give an assessment of the applicant, and providing a character reference letter for immigration is just another assessment.

Church Leader

The church leader is in a position to be a mentor/ authority figure to the applicant. They must have shared some history as well, and the church leader can provide attestation to the applicant’s morals and religious values as well as other anecdotes buttressing these points.

Friend or relative already living in the country

A long-term friend or relative already living in the country to which the applicant is trying to immigrate is another great choice to provide a character reference letter for immigration. The friend/ relative can provide a detailed attestation due to the close history they have shared with the applicant.

The purpose of the character reference letter for immigration is to help the immigration judges and officials determine the character and good qualities of the applicant by viewing recommendations by individuals who have had prolonged interaction with the applicant.

Using a character reference letter for immigration should be done properly in order to allow the referee provide adequate help to the applicant.

The applicant can follow the steps outlined below to get the best results.

• Find a reputable person within your community
• Give details about your situation
• Draft the letter for them
• Sign and Notarize the letter
• Attach letter to your application