How Do I Explain My Daughter's Cancer Treatment Needs to My Employer for a Visa?

Hello everyone,

I need to apply for my daughter's cancer treatment medical visa in the USA. The embassy requires a character certificate and an employer verification letter from my employer. Please help me to draft a letter. How should I explain the whole situation to my employer?

Dear Ovee,

You have written, "Embassy needs a character certificate and employer verification letter from my employer." For whom do you want the character certificate? Is it for you or for your daughter?

I recommend discussing this issue with the HR of your company. During the discussion, explain in sequence what support you need from your employer. This meeting will help you in drafting a letter.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

Hi, thanks for your reply.

A character certificate and an employment verification letter are requested by the USA embassy to confirm the USA medical visa and processing. I have discussed this with HR, but they require an explanation in letter format so that senior individuals can review it. I was unable to find a suitable email or letter format on Google, so I decided to inquire here.

Thanks & Regards

Dear Ovee, it is unfortunate that today's generation gets stuck if something is not available on Google. One needs to use one's capacities to solve day-to-day problems. We cannot allow our creative abilities to be destroyed, be it by Google or otherwise. Anyway, refer to the following draft:

Date: -
From: -
Mr. _________ (Your complete name)
Employee No: - _________
To,
The Managing Director
_____________ (complete name and brief address of your company)

Application for the Issue of Character-cum-Employment Certificate

Dear Sir,

1. This is to inform you that I have been working in ____________ (complete name of your company) since ______ (date). My present designation is _________, and I work in the ______ department.

2. In my personal life, I am currently grappling with the sickness of my daughter, Ms. _____ (her first name), who is ___ years old. She has been diagnosed with _______ (exact diagnosis as per the medical certificate). We have been providing her treatment at _______ hospital. However, cancer specialists have informed us that this is a rare type of cancer and further recommended that she should receive treatment from _________ hospital (complete name of the hospital, city, state of the USA). A photocopy of the medical certificate issued by the cancer specialist is attached to this letter.

3. To receive treatment at _______ hospital, we need to travel to the USA, and for that, we require a medical visa. The US embassy has confirmed that to issue a medical visa, they would need my Employment-cum-Character Certificate. Therefore, I request you to provide the said certificate.

4. Please provide the Employment-cum-Character Certificate at the earliest and oblige.

Warm regards,
___________ (your signature)

Fill in the blanks wherever required and make changes in the draft as you deem fit.

Comments for the other members: - The originator of this post says that he has discussed the issue of the required certificate with HR of his company. HR told him to put up an application. Rather than asking HR of his company to help in the preparation of the application, the originator searched on Google and later turned to this forum for help. This shows the mental gap between the employee and the average HR! On the one hand, HR talks a lot about building employee engagement and conducts games at the workplace, but these games fail to bridge the mental gap with HR. If read between the lines, there is a message for HR in this post!

Dear Mr. Divekar,

Your opinion is justified, and your suggestion is a landmark for the people of the HR fraternity. In general, HR should be proactive in helping out the person. The employee has not been asked to provide heaven, but rather an employment certificate for which they are bound in principle. This is a very unfortunate behavior and role of HR in this particular case.

HR should have helped him draft the application/certificate. The employee was not going on a pleasure trip but for cancer treatment. This is totally impersonal on the part of HR to send him on a search for a suitable format. I agree with Mr. Dinesh's remarks in toto.