Bringing your parents from Punjab for a visit: the checklist

1. What you do abroad (the host)

• Read your country’s official visitor-visa page first.
• Fix the dates and apply in the window: UK up to 3 months before travel; Schengen countries no earlier than 6 months and at least 15 days before.
• Write an invitation letter: your name, address and status in the country (with a copy of your proof), your parents’ names, your relationship, the purpose, the dates, where they will stay and who pays for what. See how to write the invitation letter.
• If you are paying, keep proof you can afford it (payslips, bank statements).

2. What your parents gather in Punjab

• Valid passports (for Schengen, valid at least 3 months after they leave).
• Bank statements and income or pension proof that can be explained.
• Ties to India: property, family, work or business, a clear return plan.
• Travel medical insurance for the whole trip (required for Schengen: emergency care, hospital and repatriation).
• Certified English translations of documents in other languages (asked for by the UK).

3. Mistakes that cost families time

• Applying to the wrong consulate (Schengen: the country of the main stay).
• Buying non-refundable tickets before the decision.
• Money in the bank that nobody can explain.
• Hiding an earlier visa refusal. See common refusal reasons.
• Paying anyone who promises a “guaranteed” visa or a “setting” at the embassy.

4. Where Visa Connection helps

• In our Jalandhar office, in Punjabi: checking your parents’ documents against the official list.
• Invitation-letter guidance and the appointment booking.
• A free first 15-minute call; our fees are written on our Fees & refunds page.
• Canada and New Zealand: help in Punjab with documents and travel only. Visa Connection is not a licensed Canadian (RCIC) or New Zealand immigration adviser.

Visa Connection, 222, First Floor, Vasal Tower, Police Line Road, Jalandhar, Punjab 144001 · Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM · Punjab Travel Professional Licence 1850/MC-6/MA/JAL FN: 2217.

5. Official pages (check them on the day you apply)

General information, checked on the official pages on 29 September 2026; rules and fees change.

6. Our country guides

UK visitor visa · UK guide for visiting parents · Schengen visitor visa · Schengen: what the host provides · Ireland · Australia · Australia: Sponsored Family stream · USA guide · New Zealand · Canada · Weddings & celebrations abroad · Urgent family visits