For parents and family
From the official visitor pages and the invitation letter to flights, a place to stay, travel cover and the day you fly home. StudentFlow organises each step and links the official page for every regulated one, with the date we checked it. It never tells you whether an application will be approved.
Checked against official sources on
Who it’s for
If the person travelling abroad is you, to study, the student planner is the better fit. See how all five planners compare.
A visit to a son, daughter or other close family member who lives or studies there.
A visit to a son, daughter or other close relative who lives or studies abroad. Official visitor pages say what a visit can include and what applicants are asked to show.
Read the guideA ceremony, plus time with family around it.
A ceremony, plus time with family around it. The visitor pages cover the visit; the university’s own page covers guest tickets, dates and arrangements on the day.
Read the guideStaying with or near family for an extended period.
Staying with or near family for longer than a short visit. Some countries publish a separate route or an extension page. We link them; whether one applies to you is for the official page to say.
Read the guideBeing there for the first weeks of a new life abroad.
Being there for the first weeks of a new life abroad: collecting keys, setting up the room, a first shop. How long you can stay and what you can do are set by the official visitor pages.
Read the guideWe will point you to the official pages.
A mix of the above, or you are not sure yet. We point you to the official tools, and suggest asking the official website or a licensed adviser before you spend money.
Read the guideHow it works
Five phases, in order. Your dates count back from the day you fly, and each task links to the official page or the guide that matters.
Before you book anything
Find the official visitor page for your visit and check every passport.
While you prepare
Ask for the invitation letter if the official page mentions one, and gather what it lists.
Once the dates are settled
Flights with assistance in mind, a place to stay, cover, an eSIM and money for the trip.
While you are there
Arrive with your papers in hand, enjoy the visit and stay within what the entry page allows.
Before and after you fly back
Keep to your dates, and know where to look first if plans change.
Destinations
All four are live. Each page lists the official pages by visit type, a five-phase plan, costs to plan for and the services people usually need.
GOV.UK visitor pages, the invitation letter and a plan for the whole visit.
IRCC visitor and super visa pages, CBSA pointers and a plan for the whole visit.
Home Affairs visitor and parent visa pages, Border Force pointers and a plan for the visit.
Federal Foreign Office visa pages, the German missions in India and a plan for the visit.
The journey estimator turns a country and a start month into your steps, dates and documents. No account needed.
Good to know
Short answers, with a guide behind each one. The official page for your destination always has the final word.
Some official checklists mention a letter from the person you are visiting, and some do not. If yours does, it usually comes from your family member in their own words. It never guarantees approval, and no template can promise that an authority will accept it.
Invitation letters for a family visitAsk the airline about assistance when you book, carry medicines in their original packaging with the prescription, and read what travel cover excludes. We give general information only, not medical advice, and we store nothing about anyone’s health or mobility.
Flying with older relatives, step by stepThe university sets the ceremony dates, guest numbers and tickets, so check its own page and keep bookings changeable until the dates are confirmed. The entry route for your visit comes from the official visitor pages, not from the university.
Planning a graduation trip for familyEither can work, and the official checklist for your visit may ask where you will stay. Staying with family is warm and often simple; a hotel nearby gives rest, privacy and step-free access if you need it. A mix is common.
Staying with family or in a hotelRules on medicines, food and cash differ by country and change often. Customs pages say what you may bring and what you must declare. Read them before you pack, and when in doubt, declare.
Medicines and food across bordersLonger family visits are handled differently in each country: some publish a separate route, some an extension page. We link the official pages and nothing more, because whether any of them applies to you is for the official page, or a licensed adviser, to say.
Longer family visits: where to lookKnow the date your permission to stay ends, from the official document, and keep your return flight aligned with it. If plans change, read the official extension page early: waiting until the last day leaves no room. We link the official pages and cannot say what will happen in your case.
If plans change: avoiding an overstayFake visa agents, “fast-track” fees, sold invitation letters, fake rental or hotel listings and urgent messages from someone pretending to be a relative are the common ones. Use official channels only, and never pay someone who promises approval.
Scams aimed at visiting familiesHonest by design
Immigration advice is a regulated activity, and it should be. So we stay on the side of the line where we can be most useful: organising the trip and pointing to the official sources.
Services
Everything on your checklist works without buying anything. These are the services people most often want beside the step they belong to. Booking is optional.
Changeable fares, baggage rules and the airline’s assistance options, so the journey is as easy as it can be for everyone travelling.
Flights: how it works Read the guideA pre-booked car with a driver who tracks the flight and helps with luggage, so arrival day is calm even when the flight is late.
Airport transfers: how it worksA hotel or serviced stay close to your family, with cancellation terms explained, for the whole visit or part of it.
Stays: how it works Read the guideCover for the whole trip. Read the exclusions before you buy, especially for older travellers and anyone who takes regular medicines.
Insurance: how it works Read the guideData from the moment you land, so you can reach your family and your own phone number can still receive bank codes.
eSIM: how it worksMoney for the trip through authorised providers, with a record of what you moved and the rate and fee shown together.
Forex & tuition payments: how it worksGuides
Every guide names its official source and the date we last checked it.
What an invitation letter from your child or relative usually contains, and why no letter or template can promise approval. Official pages linked.
VerifiedA map of the official visitor pages for the UK, Canada, Australia and Germany, and what each is for. Links only: we never say what applies to you.
VerifiedHow to ask for assistance, choose a comfortable itinerary, carry medicines and keep documents safe when flying with older relatives. No medical advice...
VerifiedWhat travel cover can include, how exclusions and existing conditions work, and what to read before buying for older relatives. General information on...
VerifiedHow to plan around a graduation or convocation: the university’s own page, changeable bookings, accessibility and time together. Entry rules linked.
VerifiedCommon scams aimed at families visiting abroad: fake agents, sold invitation letters, fake listings and urgent messages. How to avoid and report them.
VerifiedQuick answers
It is for parents and relatives who travel to visit a child or family member abroad, attend a graduation, stay for longer or help someone settle in. You tell us the country, the kind of visit and your dates, and we turn it into one checklist from the official visitor pages to the day you fly home.
No. Whether a visa is needed and whether an application is approved are decisions for the official authority, and nobody can promise either. We link the official visa-check tool and the visitor page for your destination, and we say clearly what we cannot tell you. For questions about your case, ask the official website or a licensed adviser.
Some official checklists mention one and some do not. A letter must be truthful, it does not guarantee approval, and no template can promise that an authority will accept it. Our guide explains what these letters usually contain and where the official pages describe them.
No. StudentFlow is not a licensed immigration consultant or lawyer, and it does not give tax or medical advice. We organise your tasks and link official sources. If you want help with a visa application, choose an adviser who is registered with the official regulator, and check that registration yourself.
The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany are all live. Each has a page with the official visitor pages by kind of visit, a five-phase plan, costs to plan for and the services families usually need.
It can put the practical steps in order: asking the airline about assistance when you book, carrying medicines in their original packaging, reading what travel cover excludes and planning rest on the way. It does not give medical advice, and it stores nothing about anyone’s health or mobility.
Yes. Choose “attend a graduation or convocation” and your steps line up around your dates. The ceremony itself, including guest numbers, tickets and dates, is set by the university, so we point you to its own page and suggest keeping bookings changeable until dates are confirmed.
Planning is free. Optional services sit beside the step they belong to, and you see the price before you pay. If you choose one, the provider may pay us a commission, and it does not change the price you see.
StudentFlow gives general information from official sources and links the official visitor-visa pages. We don’t judge whether an application will be approved, and this is not legal, immigration, tax or medical advice. For questions about your case, ask the official website or a licensed adviser. View this page as plain markdown.
Tell us the country, the kind of visit and your dates. Your checklist is ready in a few minutes.
Free to plan. No card needed. Not legal or immigration advice.