Can a U.S. citizen sponsor a non-family member for immigration? Unfortunately, no, you can't petition for a foreign national's visa or green card if they aren't a family member.
As a citizen of the United States, you may help a relative become a lawful permanent resident of the United States by obtaining what is often referred to as a “Green Card.” To do so, you need to sponsor your relative and be able to prove that you have enough income or assets to support your relative(s) when they come ...
If you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, and you have a friend or relative who seeks to come to the U.S. as a tourist (on a B-2 visitor visa), you might be able to help the person by providing a letter of invitation.
While you can't petition for a friend's immigrant visa or Green Card (only family members can do that), you can financially sponsor a friend's immigration petition with Form I-864, Affidavit of Support.
You don't have to be a relative to be someone's financial sponsor. So, a friend can become a financial sponsor. However, the person must still have someone else who acts as the sponsor or their visa or green card application.
Income Requirement to Become a Sponsor
The most common minimum financial requirement is an annual income of $22,000. This figure is calculated to be at least 125% above the Federal poverty level based on the ASPE.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Family Sponsorship Visa to the United States? On average, the I-130 filed by your sponsor usually takes between 5 to 19 months to be processed. The USCIS processes the petition on a first-come, first-served basis.
The simplest way to get a Green Card is through the Green Card Lottery. The U.S. Department of State gives away 55,000 Green Cards through the Diversity Visa Program every year.
If you've been convicted of one of these types of offenses, you'll be disqualified from sponsoring someone for a green card: Any sex offense against a minor. The production, possession or distribution of pornography involving children or minors. Kidnapping a child.
A joint sponsor — or a financial co-sponsor — is a U.S. citizen or green card holder (permanent resident) who agrees to take on the legal obligation of financially supporting an applicant for a family-based green card.
Risks of sponsoring an immigrant after signing an affidavit of support appear from the contractual relationship between the sponsor and the government. This contract will be enforceable in the court of law and the government may sue the sponsor for failing to provide support to the immigrant.
Responsibilities as a Sponsor
When you sign the affidavit of support, you accept legal responsibility for financially supporting the sponsored immigrant(s), generally until they become U.S. citizens or are credited with 40 quarters of work.
Include: an estimate of how much the trip will cost - this needs to be as accurate as possible. proof of your income and where you work, for example payslips or an employment contract. proof that you have enough money to pay for the visitor's stay, for example recent bank statements.
You can stay in America for up to 90 days if you don't have a visa under The Visa Waiver Program, which lets most nationals or citizens of participating countries travel to America for business stays or tourism for that amount of time.
The amount of bank balance you should have for applying to the US tourist visa depends on the duration. If it is a 15-day trip, you must have $ 5,000-10,000 in your bank.
The immigrant petition, which the employer files with USCIS (Form I-140), takes about 5 to 8 months to process. Premium Processing: If a request for additional evidence (RFE) is issued, this process can be extended by another 3 to 6 months.
As of 2022, the immigrant visa application fee for a family-based green card is $325. Added to the $535 for I-130 form, the total will be $860.
The report reveals that the U.S. government will issue all 281,000 available employment-based green cards before the government's fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022.
Immigration officials want to know that you have the financial fortitude to support the immigrant in the United States so that they do not become a public charge and financial burden to the government. That is why they want to see how much money you have in the bank to support yourself and any visa recipients.
Unfortunately, no, you can't petition for a foreign national's visa or green card if they aren't a family member. But there is still a way you can help. You can sponsor your friend's immigration petition financially.
Green card applicants will be required to submit three years of federal tax returns in addition to a history of employment under new rules by the Trump administration.