Personally for my character Lili I'm going to be leaning on something I started months and months back which was her having a correspondence with some individuals in Ishgard discussing business, airships and other things of note. By this point they'd likely all be comfortable to meet and will send her paperwork so her and her family can come visit on legal terms!
My other characters? Given bits you can glean from quests and NPCs, it's perfectly acceptable to just be a traveler, sell sword, or member of a free company coming to help out.
My other characters? Given bits you can glean from quests and NPCs, it's perfectly acceptable to just be a traveler, sell sword, or member of a free company coming to help out.