Ways to Obtain a Green Card Sponsorship in Nashville, TN
Deciding to apply for a green card is a huge undertaking. Not only do you have to make sure you fit the eligibility requirements to apply for permanent residency, but you also have to make sure that you have a sponsor. And if all that wasn’t enough, your sponsor is required to meet certain additional requirements and obligations as well.
This guide will dig into some of those requirements and the ways in which you can obtain a green card sponsorship. If you need assistance or have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Colavecchio and Colavecchio for assistance.
For over 20 years our team has helped individuals and families just like yours file and get approved for green card sponsorships in and around Nashville, TN.
Sponsor Requirements and Obligations
Established Relationship
A sponsor of a person seeking permanent residency must have an established relationship with the applicant. Being a sponsor does not end once a family member, employee, or special immigrant gets their green card, but continues on for a minimum of 10 years.
Age, Residence and Monetary Obligation
A sponsor must be over 21 years of age and must keep a main residence in the United States. Additionally, sponsors must be able to ensure a total monetary obligation for the person being sponsored until they become a U.S. Citizen or they work for 40 quarters or 10 years.
Affidavit of Support
Sponsors must submit an affidavit of support confirming that they have an adequate net worth and earnings to support the person or persons seeking permanent residency status, as well.
Do you live in the surrounding Nashville, TN area and are considering sponsoring someone for a green card? Please read on to find for general information about sponsoring a green card applicant and then contact the attorneys of Colavecchio and Colavecchio to walk you through all of the forms you and the applicant will need to complete to ensure that their green card is processed as quickly as possible.
What is an Affidavit of Support?
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service wants to do what it can to ensure that anyone wishing to become a permanent resident never need benefits from the federal government to live. As a result, sponsors must prepare an affidavit of support for the person or persons they are sponsoring for a green card.An Affidavit of Support is a legally binding document that proves that the sponsor’s income surpasses 25% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Active duty military service members should meet a minimum of those same federal guidelines.
Sponsoring a Relative
Immediate family members of U.S. citizens, such as spouses, parents, or unmarried children under the age of 21 are given top priority once a Petition for Alien Form I-130 is complete.
Other family members of U.S. citizens that are qualified to be sponsored include adult children, both married and unmarried, and siblings. The spouses and unmarried children of Permanent Residents also qualify for green card sponsorship, though at a lower priority than immediate family members of U.S. citizens.
Sponsoring an Employee
Most American businesses sponsor employees that have the specific skills that they are unable to find in the available workforce with the H1-B visa, which allows the employee to stay in the United States for up to three years and is renewable up to three more.
As with many other facets of immigration law, the H1-B visas are being restricted and fewer of them are being granted.
As an alternative, an employer can apply for permanent residency status for their employee, which is renewable every 10 years, instead of the H1-B visa’s three-year term. The first step here is to complete the Form I-140, which is the Immigration Petition for an Alien Worker.
The employee can also start the process on their own, by requesting a change in status from an H1-B to requesting to be a green card holder. In this instance, an employer will be required to submit a letter providing evidence of work.
Sponsoring a Special Immigrant
There are many different types of applicants that fall under the Special Immigrant status when it comes to immigration. Only a few of them require employee information to be eligible for a green card and they are: Religious Worker and International Broadcaster.
Religious Worker
As a religious worker applying for a green card in the United States, you must submit an employment verification letter on the religious entity’s letterhead that states the position you will hold, the salary you will receive, and that the job is still available to you.
International Broadcaster
Reporters, writers, translators, editors, producers, announcers, news broadcast hosts, news analysis, editorial, or other broadcasting features, or a new analysis specialist that are coming to work in the United States on behalf of the International Broadcasting Bureau of the Broadcasting Board of Governors or a grantee of the Broadcasting of the Board of Governors may apply for one of the 100 eligible visas available annually in this category.
Immigration forms and submitting an Affidavit of Support are incredibly complicated items to sort through on your own. At Colavecchio and Colavecchio we have years of experience making sure that all of the information is presented properly to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. We work hand in hand with you to ensure that both sponsor and applicant are protected and your immigration status is never in jeopardy.
Get the Help and Support you Deserve: call us today!
Why submit forms on your own and take a risk that something could go wrong? Let us do the worrying (and heavy lifting) for you. Contact Colavecchio and Colavecchio today to see how we can help with your immigration status or help you sponsor someone for a green card.
