The US migration dream is one held by many, yet not several people explore the sponsorship visa option. Among the different means of gaining an American visa, the sponsorship visa stands out as it is more convenient for regular people to enter the United States and benefits from diverse options and opportunities that may be attainable on such visa arrangements.
Sponsorship Visa explained
Before visiting most countries, the purpose of the visit needs to be established. This is applicable to the United States. Individuals migrating to the United States need to indicate their purpose of visit. This is the objective of a sponsorship visa. Sponsorship visas don’t just give you a purpose for visiting or migrating to the United States, it helps in the facilitation of such moves.
Now in a nutshell, a sponsorship visa is a kind of visa where an individual or firm domiciled in the United States establishes a reason for migrant entry into the country and then facilitates such migrant’s entry.
Such purpose of entry can be in the form of family connection or employment. In this case, such firm or family member domiciled in the United States officially invites such family member or foreign employee and makes arrangements for provisions of necessary items needed for visa processing.
Who is a Sponsorship Visa for?
Sponsorship Visas are for those who already have an existing connection in the United States or are ready to establish a new connection. In this case, sponsorship visas are for applicants with family members in the United States or those who are employed or have an established relationship with a US-domiciled firm or organization.
This takes us to two major types of Sponsorship visas:
- Business or Organizational Sponsorship Visa: This type of visa sponsorship is facilitated by employing organizations, businesses, and other institutions.
- Individual Relation Sponsorship Visa: In this category of sponsorship visa, individuals are invited to the United States by family members like spouses, children, siblings, and parents.
What class of visa is attainable on sponsorship?
- Temporary Stay or Work Visa: This type of Visa is available on sponsorship and aimed at attracting and facilitating the migration of those who don’t intend to stay or work in the country for a prolonged period.
- Employment Visa Sponsorship: This type of visa sponsorship is overseen by firms, organizations, or institutions that have foreigners in their workforce and desire to bring such foreign employees into the United States
- Relative sponsorship Visa: This visa category is for individuals with family relatives domiciled in the United States. To be able to bring over such a relative, such sponsor of a family relative Visa must be a permanent resident or a citizen of the United States.
What’s your obligation as a sponsor?
- Support responsibility: As a sponsor, it is part of your obligation to support your beneficiary both financially and otherwise during entry and while in the United States
- Vouch for Beneficiary’s Character: The sponsor is under obligation to ensure that their sponsorship beneficiary is of good behavior. This includes a guarantee of the beneficiary’s credible character both when in the home country and during their time in the country.
- Assurance of adherence to Immigration laws: The sponsor must ensure that both the sponsor (individual or organization) and sponsorship Visa beneficiary must not be found wanting of any immigration laws or engage in any immigration malpractice both at the current application or earlier.
Benefits of Sponsorship Visa to both Sponsor and Applicant
- What does the sponsor stand to benefit by participating in sponsorship Visa: Access to international skills and talents. Sponsorship Visas enable firms to have access to individuals from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. This creates a larger skill needed for diverse economic integration and productivity.
- Benefits of sponsorship Visa to beneficiary: Beneficiary will gain employment and access the American system where he can pursue further dreams like acquiring permanent residence status, and citizenship and also access the many opportunities that the United States offers.
Note: The Visa sponsorship procedure is a collection of different visa criteria with different requirements. Further research may be needed to understand the requirements of your particular class of visa regarding your individuality and nationality. It is recommended that you consult with a knowledgeable immigration lawyer with experience in the United States immigration procedures for further clarification.
Sponsorship Visa eligibility
Although there are variations in the sponsorship visa eligibility requirements among different countries, there are notable similarities that may apply in most scenarios. These include
- Proof or exhibition of language proficiency: To facilitate the Visa process, an applicant needs to have a decent language proficiency score. This can be in the form of presenting a language proficiency exam score.
- Education Validation: Depending on the type of Visa, validating your qualification may be required
- Heath Safety verification: Applicant needs to tender proof of sound health. This may include vaccination evidence against contagious regional ailments in the applicant’s home country.
- Financial Security: Applicant needs to prove the ability to pay for a visa when granted and see to other financial needs before or upon arrival into the country.
- Proof of Work Experience: For easier employment and sponsorship visa facilitation, the applicant needs to have remarkable experience in the target job criteria.
- Citizenship Status: The applicant must be a citizen of a country with a bilateral relationship with the United States where the applicant has the privilege to enter, work, and conduct business in the United States.
Other important factors for consideration
- Bilateral Relationship and Restrictions: individuals from certain countries may be restricted from entering the United States. It is appropriate to understand if there’s such restriction on individuals from your country and whether it applies to you.
- Criminal Record Review: Individuals with records of crime in their home country may face challenges gaining entry into the United States.
- Security Clearance: Individuals of certain profiles or sponsorship visas targeting individuals with such profiles may require a security clearance.
Sponsorship Visa types and their beneficiary target
- H-1B Visa Model: Aimed at attracting advanced talent and skills. This Visa model is best for individuals in possession of a university degree or its equivalent with practical and theoretical knowledge in corresponding fields.
- H-2A Visa Model: Similar to the H-1B Visa model in the sense that both are aimed at attracting a workforce however unlike the H-1B Visa, the H-2A Visa is aimed at attracting a limited duration agricultural workforce. Such workforces are characterized by peak season demand surges.
- H-2B visa Model: Almost identical in objective to the H-2A visa model however unlike the H-2A model, this visa category is aimed at recruiting a limited duration non-agricultural workforce.
- TN Visa Model: This visa is of limited geographical scope. It is specifically for individuals from Canada and Mexico (member states of the NAFTA body (North American Free Trade Agreement). Like the H-1B Visa model, individuals applying for this Visa model are expected to possess a University degree or equivalent with accompanying practical or theoretical knowledge and experience. Given the trade agreement, this Visa model is usually given priority.
- R-1 Visa Model: This visa model is best for those in research pursuit, this could be a post-doctoral research or institutional research collaboration. US domiciled partner research institutions in most cases stand as sponsors in this Visa model.
- L-1 Visa Model: This Visa model is for international conglomerate workforce migration. This category is best for those firms with branches in other countries that desire to migrate their managers and executives. The L-Visa model usually has a priority processing advantage and enjoys a quicker processing time.
- L-2 Visa Model: Serving a very similar purpose to the L-1 Visa model however while both are for inter-organizational transfer between US-domiciled branches and branches overseas, the L-2 Visa is designed for employees with unique talents and other staff.
- O-1 Model: This visa model is designed for foreigners with extreme talent, skill, or knowledge exhibition. Applicants in this category may need to provide evidence of such incredible abilities.
Documentation Requirement for Sponsorship Visa Application
- Valid Passport and other valid means of identification
- Photo verification: Applicant must present photographic documentation in the form of a passport photograph
- Medical fitness (this includes proof of vaccination against regional infectious disease)
- Work experience support document
- Proof of nationality of origin (this can be in the form of presenting a valid birth certificate)
- Marital certification (In the case of a sponsorship Visa for a spouse’s migration)
- Police character clearance documentation
- Acquired educational transcript, other applicable certification of diploma
- Form I-864 (For Sponsor). This Affidavit is to establish a support obligation by the sponsor towards the applicant
- Alien relative proof (applicable to family relation sponsored Visa), the petition (form 1-130) is a crucial step indicating an applicant as a true relative of the sponsor.
Note that these listed requirements are a product of following the general Visa requirement. A more specific Visa model may require additional documents. It is important to complete all stages of your visa application process, while that may not guarantee approval; it is recommended that you comply with the process at all stages.
US Visa sponsorship opportunities and where to find one
For those with family or other relations domiciled in the United States, finding Visa sponsorship may be easier however for those with no prior contact whatsoever in the United States, there are still several options to explore.
- Network: Today, it is easier to make new friends and contact from any part of the world. It is possible to make new friends by leveraging the different opportunities available. This can be in the form of making intelligent contributions in US communities and forums. Such can earn you US-domiciled friends; at other times you may attract the attention of US-domiciled firms who may be willing to sponsor your Visa.
- Aim to gain employment in US firms domiciled in your country or other firms in your country with branches in the US: As noted earlier, the L-1 Visa and L-2 Visas are some of the most applicant-friendly sponsorship Visa models. Finding firms owned by Americans or with branches in the United States could be one of your fastest routes into the country.
- Reach out to target companies: With the power of the internet, most firms can be reached. You can get to your target firms through their website or social media channels. Through such channels, you can access further contact details like company phone or email, and you can reach them from those options.
How do you prepare for Visa sponsorship opportunities?
It is important to understand that sponsorship Visa goal is a long-term pursuit. Starting early to prepare is instrumental in success.
- Be resourceful: To prove resourcefulness improve your reputation and personal values. This can be achieved by publishing valuable content on platforms like GitHub, Reddit, Twitter, and even personal blogs. Such content must not have racist or anti-Semitic implications or undertones.
- Create a professional portfolio and responsible personality: It is important to conform to online forum rules and avoid abusing others; cyber bullying is frowned upon in the United States as such try as much as possible to avoid attracting negative attention to yourself over the internet. Always seek to be solution-oriented, be kind to others, and be considerate in your words and actions towards others.
- Be consistent in your character and persona: Often individuals try to hide their true character to achieve certain objectives. Immigration bodies are well aware of this, manifesting good qualities towards the time of application can be a red flag if such a positive attitude isn’t present from the beginning. It is important to be consistent in your character.
- Respect authorities and the laws of your home country: If you don’t respect your country, what’s the guarantee you will respect other country’s laws and authority? Avoid rebellious actions against your country, and avoid any display of disregard for laws and authorities.
Likely companies that may facilitate your Visa Sponsorship and their industrial category
Healthcare: Healthcare has maintained a remarkable position at the top of the US skills import. Individuals with the following qualifications are top priorities in the US healthcare skill import
- Registered Nurses
- Message therapists (Physiotherapists)
- Medical Doctors
- Target sectors: hospitals, clinics, adult care homes, laboratories,
Top Sponsorship Firms under the healthcare category: Most health facilities are small institutions serving the local population. At the same time, it is possible to reach them from overseas. The relatively small ones may not keep a significant online presence. It is possible to find them by targeting localities where such facilities exist or by running a localized health facility search on social media. Among the internationally known American health facilities include
- Johnson & Johnson
- AHS Wexford Hospital
- Abbott Northwestern Hospital
- Arkansas Methodist Medical Center
- Tech: tech firms are some of the biggest facilitators of sponsorship Visas in the United States
Career demand for tech sponsorship includes:
- Computer Science
- Computer Engineering
- Data Science
- AI and Virtual Reality Engineering
- Network administrator
Top Sponsorship Facilitating firms
- Beta
- Alphabet
- Amazon
- X
- Microsoft
- IBM
- Education: Universities and colleges, examples
- Harvard University
- Delaware County Community College
- Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
- Williamson College of the Trades
- Eastern University
Finance and banking
- Wells Fargo
- Goldman Sachs
- JPMorgan Chase
- American Express
- Barclays
Industrial Manufacturing and Engineering
- Tesla
- General Motors
- Siemens
- Philips
- Medtronic
Conclusion
The American Sponsorship Visa process with its many models requires several unique processes and documentation. This article covers the general sponsorship Visa model with emphasis on the more popular sponsorship visa types. To get more unique sponsorship Visa guidance tailored towards your particular visa model, please ensure to consult an immigration lawyer with extensive knowledge of the US immigration landscape.
Other experts familiar with the process may also be helpful. Further individual research is not also ruled out as a vital approach towards getting more useful information that may improve your visa application and approval process.