Green card application – How does sponsorship work?

A Green card sponsorship basically refers to a request to permit a foreigner to live and work in the US. This can be made by an immediate family member, employer, or spouse, in case all of the latter are US citizens. In case of the employer, he/she needs to prove to the authorities that the person has the required skills to be employed.

When a Green card application for sponsorship is made via a family member, a proof of relationship needs to be furnished between the two persons. Further, there also needs to be proof of the petitioner's financial capacity to look after the person who needs to be given a visa. The first of these, i.e., proof of family, has a more stringent check, in the form of the authorities asking for proofs like photographs, e-mails, etc. In some cases, even phone records might be dug up.
Coming to the financial part, green card application for sponsorship has a rather hefty processing fee, which might be over $1000. Further, there are thousands of people that apply for a green card through sponsorship, but only a handful are successful.

The second option of Green card application is through an employer. The basis of such an application is the applicant's qualifications and suitability for the job he is being hired. A most frequent case where sponsorship is sought for getting a green card is when the applicant is already working with the company but with a temporary visa, so it's basically a change of status, which makes the process a bit simpler. The employer needs to file a document with the US Department of Labor stating that there is currently no person with US citizenship available or willing to get employed with him for the job the applicant would or currently is doing. Only after this document has been approved can the applicant file for a green card.

About The Author

College ParkHigh is a retired immigration professional having an experience of more than 30 years in the industry. These days, he runs his own consultancy firm and writes to guide people towards the right path to migrate to the US, Green card application.