Sponsorship

Family | India Network

USA citizen and residents can sponsor foreigners for different visas and/or  permanent residential status.

Family Sponsorship: U.S citizens and permanent residents can sponsor immediate relatives from foreign countries for a visit. This applies to spouses, parents, and children.

Requirements

  • The sponsoring relative must file a petition (Form I-130) on behalf of the qualifying foreign national relative. If the relative is outside the U.S., the immigrant visa case will proceed via consular processing.
  • Immediate relatives require an I-130 filing for each sponsored family member.
  • Sufficient documentation of the qualifying family relationship must be provided.
  • Family-based cases generally require an affidavit of support.

Work Sponsorship: Depending on a field, and skills foreign visitors might have, many companies employ people from foreign countries to work in the U.S.

The employer must intend to hire the foreign national on a long-term basis for a position that is not considered temporary. The employer must obtain approval through the U.S. Department of Labor and/or the USCIS, depending upon the type of case. In limited EB categories, the foreign national may self-sponsor. In some cases, the U.S. employer can be or must be a company owned in whole or in part by the foreign national.

Many employment based cases require three separate stages. First stage is the PERM labor certification (PERM labor) process. The second stage is the filing of an immigrant petition with the USCIS by the employer. The third stage requires the foreign national to apply either for adjustment of status to permanent residence or for consular processing for an immigrant visa, based upon approval of the first two steps.

Requirements

There are considerable variations in the requirements within the EB options.

  • All cases require the filing of a petition with the USCIS.
  • Most cases require a permanent offer of employment from a U.S. employer.
  • All cases require employment sponsorship and approval of PERM labor.
  • Self sponsorship, based upon qualifications, is available in EB2 (National Interest Waiver – NIW) and EB1 (extraordinary ability) categories.
  • Self sponsorship via investment is available in the EB5 category.
  • No PERM labor is required in EB1 (Extraordinary Ability, Multinational Executive Transferee and Outstanding Professor/Researcher), EB2 (National Interest Waiver), EB4 (Special Immigrant) or EB5 (Investor) cases.
  • All cases require that the foreign national complete the process with either an adjustment-of-status (AOS) or consular processing (CP) application.

School Sponsorship: International and exchange students must be sponsored by an accredited university or school in order to be considered for a visa. Universities and colleges provide I-20 to students who are accepted in different course studies offered in USA institutions.

Lottery: The U.S. Department of State conducts a visa lottery program yearly. This program allocates 50,000 immigrant visa numbers each year. These visa numbers are granted to individuals who are chargeable to countries with low rates of emigration to the U.S. Applicants who are selected are eligible to pursue U.S. permanent residence, if they are otherwise qualified for permanent residence status. Far more than 50,000 “winners” selected by DOS each year; not all “winners” will be able to meet the requirements for permanent residence. No one can help increase an applicant’s chance of selection in the DV lottery. Lottery “winners” are permitted to apply either for adjustment of status to permanent residence within the U.S. or for an immigrant visa at an appropriate U.S. consulate abroad.

Requirements

  • Must be born in a qualifying country
  • Must have either a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience in the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience

Insurance policies for foreigners with visitor visas

It is advised that all visitors get health insurance for new and existing conditions, accidents, and death (funeral and repatriation benefits). Below are some of great insurance policies underwritten by CHUBB American Insurance Company.

Click here for more information about sponsorship requirements, important documents, and application forms.