Procedures for Invitation Letter Requests

International attendees may need a letter of “invitation” in order to obtain a visa to visit the United States. We strongly advise to start the visa application process as early as possible. Please note: event organizers will not be able to contact or intervene with Embassy or Consulate offices on your behalf. In addition, the organizers can assume no responsibility for the outcome of your visa application.

Follow the steps below to begin your invitation letter request.

Step One: Submit your proposal through our database. The auto-generated email notifying you that your submission was successfully received is not an official acceptance of your proposal.

All conference attendees must have their proposals accepted by their respective subject area chairs. This notification will come from the area chair as an official email from the organization.

Step Two: Once your proposal has been accepted by your subject area chair, you are required to pay registration fees* before receiving an official letter of “invitation.”

Payment: Payment is accepted by online credit/debit card or by bank transfer using our PayPal online payment gateway. If you pay by bank transfer you MUST pay all the fees; otherwise, your registration cannot be accepted. Credit/Debit Card or Bank transfers may not be used for payment for onsite registration; all conference fees must be paid in advance. Details for how to pay conference registration fees via bank transfer using PayPal can be emailed to you upon request. A letter of invitation will only be sent after all conference fees have been paid.

Payment rates and due dates can be found at https://swpaca.org/albuquerque-conference/. 

Step Three: Letter of Invitation to Attend the Conference

A letter of invitation is issued solely for the purpose of assisting participants with visa applications and/or to obtain funding for their attendance at the conference. Such a letter does not imply any financial obligation on the part of the conference organizers. If you require a letter of invitation, please register and pay for the conference. Once the payment has been received, use the Google Form below to begin your invitation letter request.

All letters of invitation are generic in nature and will be signed and sent via secure PDF format that can be printed out by the requester. No mailed (postal) letters of invitation will be sent.

Please note that in the absence of the above mentioned information, or if you are not an accepted conference presenter, we will not be able to process your request.

As part of security procedures, many applications for visas are sent to the U.S. State Department for a security review. We advise attendees traveling to the United States to apply for a visa as early as possible (at least three months before the visa is needed). Because of the number of visas being processed and the need to be thorough with the reviews, this can take as long as 8 weeks, especially for those countries that are on the State Sponsors of Terrorism List.

It is the traveler’s responsibility to check and confirm current visa requirements to enter the United States. To see if you require a visa, please visit Travel Without a Visa. The Conference Organizers cannot be held responsible for travelers that do not confirm their visa requirements or obtain the appropriate paperwork for travel to the conference. For additional information traveling in the United States, consult the US State Department Website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html.

*Conference registration fees and or exhibitor fees are refundable (less the designated administrative fee of $100) if the visa application is denied. The refund request must be received in writing 14 days before the conference start date. No refunds will be made for cancellations received after that date.

**Subject to changes in United States banking regulations regarding international bank transfers.