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Can a relative sign a recommendation letter?

Key answer

There is no formal ban, and the community has seen cases with letters from relatives where there was joint work or research. But family affiliation lowers the letter's weight in the officer's eyes, so such letters are advised only where real professional collaboration exists - and never as your core letters.

Community answers

The answers below are translated from the original Russian - the language of the community chats.

  • No one can prohibit signing, but the question is how impressive it will be for the officer if there is a familial affiliation with the applicant.

  • We were told it could be done: we have a relative recommending, but they have joint works and research - the letter is based on that.

  • The best people to recommend are those who are easy to find and are notably more established than you, not just a former teacher or boss. Independent recommenders are especially valuable - for example, those who have cited your work and can explain in detail why it matters. If the letter has both a CEO and a CTO from the same company - do not write them the same way, as they have different roles.

The answers are anonymized community experience from the public chats, not legal advice. Officers may decide similar cases differently.

Sources

All questions on: Recommendation letters

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A reference page built from community experience, not legal advice. Requirements and practice change - verify on uscis.gov.

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