How Visa Sponsorship Works For Citizenship | Employment | Studying Abroad

How Visa Sponsorship Works For Citizenship | Employment | Studying Abroad - In simple terms, visa sponsorship is when a family member or organization advocates for an individual’s visa. As the applicant for a visa, it means you have an advocate that supports your entry to the United States for the purposes stated in the visa. There are a variety of visa types and ways to get sponsored. Generally, sponsorship has a financial component as well.

However, you can also say that Visas are required by most countries in order to enter the country and work or study there. Visa sponsorship, however, differs from person to person, depending on what your reason for coming to the country is and how long you will be staying there. If you are planning on applying for citizenship, employment, or studying abroad but need visa sponsorship first, learn more about the visa application process here to make sure you’re well prepared beforehand.

What Does Visa sponsorship Mean?

Visa sponsorship means an employer is willing to obtain a work visa for highly qualified candidates who live outside the United States. It’s not a simple process for employers.

They must prove that they were unable to fill their vacancies with qualified American workers for sponsoring a visa. When an organization Sponsors an employment visa for a new employee, they help complete the application, prepare labor certification paperwork, and represent the petitioner for the visa.

Overview of How Visa Sponsorship Works

Immigrant visas are for permanent immigration (green cards). But sponsoring a visa may apply to businesses helping an individual obtain a temporary work visa (such as H-1B) or an organization that administers a visitor visa (like J-1). Meanwhile, Visa sponsorship is typically associated with a petition. The U.S.-based person or entity submits a petition on behalf of the foreign national. Once approved, the foreign national is generally able to apply for the desired visa.

Visa Sponsorship for Family

Here is the list of things we will be talking about under the visa sponsorship offer for Families who wish to change location and become a citizen of developed Countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other developed countries of the World ?.

Green Card Sponsorship

Family-based immigration is the most common way to obtain a green card. In fact, over 600,000 people get a green card through a relative each year. Visa sponsorship comes from the petitioning relative but can also come from other sponsors.

The petitioner sponsors the relative by submitting Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, and various supporting documents. The relative does not have the financial means to sponsor a family member, someone else will need to step in to support the visa sponsorship. Certain qualifying household members may also contribute their incomes and/or a joint sponsor can submit another Form I-864.

K-1 Visa Sponsorship

U.S. citizens may also petition a fiancé for the purposes of coming to the United States for marriage. The process begins with a U.S. citizen filing Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Relative with USCIS. The petition establishes there is a qualifying relationship. Once approved by USCIS, the foreign national applies for the K-1 visa through a U.S. embassy or consulate. Part of the K-1 visa application includes financial sponsorship from the U.S. citizen petitioner.

The petitioner must submit Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, to help the visa applicant. The visa sponsorship helps ensure that the K-1 entrant will not become a public burden if he or she does have adequate money during the trip.

Visitor Sponsorship

Every type of visitor visa has a specific purpose. And once that activity has concluded or the visa expires, the visitor is expected to depart. F-1 students may travel to the U.S. for the purpose of attending school. On the other hand, B-2 visitors may come for tourism, visiting friends and family, and other leisure travel purposes. The U.S. government wants reassurance that visitors can support themselves while they’re here and depart when it is time to leave. Visa sponsorship for visitors can help facilitate the approval process.

Generally, the U.S. government does not require visa sponsorship for B-2 visas. A foreign visitor who has a healthy financial background and who meets the other requirements for Visa can typically obtain a B-2 visitor visa without a sponsor.

If a family member or friend is willing to sponsor the visitor, that means that the sponsor has agreed to cover the costs should the visitor no longer have the means to pay. It mitigates the possibility the visitor will become a public burden.

To sponsor a visitor, the supporter prepares Form I-134, Affidavit of Support. He or she must submit the I-134 affidavit, a letter of invitation, and supporting documents as evidence of their financial ability to bear the expenses of the trip.

Employment-Based Visa Sponsors

When American employers are unable to find qualified workers within the United States, various programs enable them to hire workers from outside the U.S. This is a great opportunity for foreign nationals to enter the U.S. for the purpose of employment. These jobs may be short engagements or could provide visa sponsorship for a green card.

Although there are various U.S. work visa types for foreign workers with specialized skills, most focus is on the popular H-1B visa. These visas are temporary and must be renewed regularly.

How to Find a Sponsor for an Employment Visa

For employment-based green cards and work visas, the first step is to connect with potential visa sponsors. But how do you find one? Several databases exist to assist job search candidates like you. These websites may include an extensive history of past sponsors, contacts, job types, qualifications, and other valuable details.

• MyVisaJobs.com
• H1BData.info
• VisaDoor.com

Self-Sponsorship

Certain individuals may actually petition themselves for a green card. This is an extremely limited group of foreign nationals. To self-petition, the individual files Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, based on inclusion in one of the following categories:

Widows and Widowers of U.S. Citizens may file if they were not legally separated or divorced from the citizen at the time of his or her death, have not remarried, and they file the petition within two years of the citizen’s death.

Battered Spouses/Children/Parents may file if they were a victim of violence or extreme cruelty at the hands of a U.S citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent or U.S. citizen son or daughter.

Special Immigrants may file if they are eligible under one of the various groups like religious workers or special immigrant juveniles.

Generally, self-petitioners do not need a financial sponsor. Refer to the USCIS instructions for specific guidance.

Examples of Visa Sponsorship

There are a variety of USCIS forms to initiate the visa sponsorship process. Some of the common examples include:

Form Petitioner (sponsor) Beneficiary Type

1) I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) U.S. citizen Foreign national fiancé Family
2) I-130, Petition for Alien Relative U.S. citizen or LPR Foreign national relative in the immediate relative or family preference categories Family
3) I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition Refugee/asylee Immediate relative of refugee or asylee Family
4) I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker U.S. employer Foreign worker Employment
5) I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker U.S. employer Foreign worker Employment
6) I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant Self-petition Varies Special Immigrant
7) I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) self-petition Business investor Investment

How Do I Get a Sponsor Letter for US Visa?

Getting a sponsorship employment visa requires you to have an offer from a US employer. The US employer must send you a contract to sign, which will then be part of the sponsorship documents. However, for some nonimmigrant visas, the Department of Labor first requires a Labor Certification. This is the part where the US employer proves they could not find a suitable US employee but have to hire a foreign one.

Then, after getting this certification, the employer submits the petition. The petition has all the supporting documents, contracts, itineraries, and qualifications of the employee. It is then submitted to USCIS. For nonimmigrant employment visa sponsorships, the employer submits Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker. For immigrant visas, the employer submits Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker.

Once the USCIS has the petition and the supporting documents, they will then start processing the case. However, since there are so many petitions the wait time can be a long one. Some employees wait for months or even a year until they hear back from USCIS.

Furthermore, when USCIS makes a decision, they send a notice to both the employer and the employee. If they deny the petition, the notice outlines the reasons. It could be because the employee was not qualified enough or there was not enough documentation.

If USCIS decides to approve the petition, then the notice will be positive. It will then state the next steps that the employer and employee must take to get the actual visa.

How Much Does the Sponsor visa cost?

However, the cost of getting a sponsorship is not cheap. Especially to the US employer who has to pay most of the fees. Depending on the visa, it might cost up to a few thousand dollars to sponsor a foreign employee. Because it is so expensive, employers are reluctant to do it.

The actual fees depend on the visa type, but a general overview of the most common fees and their costs are as follows:

• Form I-129 – $460
• Form I-140 – $700
• American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998(ACWIA) – $750 or $1,500
• Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee – $500
• For employers with 50 or more employees and 50% of them are foreign – $4,000 or $4,500

Starting the Family Sponsorship

Both U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents may start the sponsorship process by filing Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. Although there are additional forms along the way, this is how the process begins.

Ready to start? CitizenPath’s service was designed by immigration attorneys to give you an affordable, reliable way to prepare the petition. You’ll have the ability to prepare Form I-130 from the comfort of your own home knowing that you did everything right. To learn more about pricing and the 100% money-back guarantee, view The I-130 Visa Petition Package from the Official Sponsorship Approval Portal.