Emigrating to the US is more complicated for those without U.S. relatives, but it is still doable in 2024 with the help of USA Visa Sponsorship and Scholarship Opportunities.
The United States has lost some of its former emigration appeal since the EU’s establishment. But many people still see the United States as a land of boundless opportunity and hope to one day get a “green card,” or permanent residency.
Going to the US to apply for a status change is one option for this. You can also apply for an immigrant visa at the American embassy or participate in a special lottery from your native country.
If you know someone in the United States, getting this paper should be rather easy. Here we focus on an alternate approach, the so-called employee sponsorship.
USA Visa Sponsorship
Submitting the so-called petition is the initial stage in obtaining a USA Visa Sponsorship in the US. The entity known as the sponsor extends an invitation in the form of a petition.
This is why we have phrases like “family sponsorship” and “employee sponsorship” to describe when a sponsor is:
- A spouse or relative of the person applying for an immigrant visa,
- Her future employer.
For the first of these two scenarios, it is essential to show that the two people involved are very close and that at least one of them is a legal resident or citizen of the United States.
Sponsorship by an employee necessitates the completion of far more paperwork. So, it’s a little more involved overall, but oddly, it’s generally a lot quicker. Somehow, this is achievable.
Because of their extensive background in visa sponsorship, some American corporations have simplified and liberalized their sponsor processes, allowing them to rely more and more on sponsored experts.
Companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Intel stand out because they annually issue thousands of visas to foreign nationals.
Pros with expertise in information technology, software engineering, operations management, dentistry, nursing, and computer science are among the most in-demand workers today.
Your sponsor can assist you in obtaining a work visa as well as an employment visa.
Visa amounts
Well, you should be aware that the American Congress sets a yearly cap on the amount of immigrant visas that can be given.
Visas granted based on petitions submitted by members of the immediate family with U.S. citizenship are not the only ones affected by this.
Cases fall into one of the other categories, called preferences, if the sponsor is a resident or a distant relative.
Additionally, there are already constraints, so applications are considered in the order in which they were received, which can take several years or even a dozen years or more.
Stricter formal standards are one reason why there is a significant decrease in the number of employee petitions submitted annually.
The majority of applications are therefore evaluated continuously, with the specific needs being determined mainly by the division into individual preferences, which is abbreviated as EB (meaning “Employment Based”).
Who Can Become a Sponsor?
They are applicable to both the visa applicant and the sponsor. The organization must be a legally recognized business, school, nonprofit, or government entity in the United States with the means to pay a worker a wage that is at least as high as the minimum wage set by the federal government.
Prior to submitting the petition to USCIS, the latter must also approve the foreigner’s work offer and grant the sponsor the necessary authorization,
Permanent Labour Certification. Beyond the question of compensation, the Department of Labour verifies that the foreign national will not displace local workers and that the offer does not constitute discrimination against them.
Employee first preference (EB1)
Individuals who qualify for first-employee preference are generally not required to obtain authorisation from the Department of Labour.
These are individuals who possess exceptional talent or have achieved extraordinary feats and widespread recognition.
Consequently, they are exceedingly challenging to locate in the job market. A little more than 40,000 visas are issued in this category. Representatives of the subsequent three categories are allocated this pool annually.
Outstanding Professor or Researcher
Individuals who are members of this category must exhibit a minimum of three years of experience in research or teaching and a commitment to conducting such work in the United States. Additionally, they must document at least two of the following accomplishments:
- Receiving a prestigious award or distinction;
- Belonging to an organization whose members are exclusively distinguished representatives of the scientific community;
- The authorship of articles or other materials that have been published in a broad range of significant scientific journals;
- Substantial contribution to the advancement of a specific scientific discipline;
- Involvement in a committee that evaluates the results or accomplishments of other researchers in the same field.
Director or manager of an international company (Multinational Manager or Executive)
An applicant for an immigrant visa in this category must provide evidence that they have been a director or member of the management board of an international company (not located in the United States) for a minimum of one year within the past three years.
Extraordinary Ability
The individuals who qualify for this group are exceptional and are so “desirable” in the United States that they do not require a permit from the DOL, an employment offer, and, as a result, a sponsor.
They are able to submit a petition on their own behalf. They are only required to have received prestigious awards (such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Oscar, or Olympic medal) or to have documented at least three of the following accomplishments:
- receiving a highly esteemed accolade on a national or worldwide level;
- being a member of a group whose members must be outstanding figures from the fields of art, science, business, and athletics;
- substantial advancement in a specific area of study;
- taking part in a group that assesses how well people are doing in their respective fields;
- articles or other media (such as reports or films) that showcase a person’s remarkable accomplishments, published in various forms of media;
- authorship of pieces that have appeared in prominent industry journals or widely distributed media;
- appearing in prominent events such as exhibits, sporting contests, and shows;
- participation in authorised groups’ endeavours,
- income that is substantially greater than the average for a particular industry;
- making it big in the entertainment industry.
Second employee preference (EB2)
An additional category of visas is reserved for those who possess highly esteemed competencies but have not been honoured with an Oscar, Nobel, or Olympic gold medal.
Petitioning sponsors are required to get Department of Labour authorisation before they can hire these persons, so they must show that they want to live and work in the US.
The National Interest Waiver allows foreign nationals to apply for U.S. immigration visas without a sponsor or petition so long as they can prove the application will not jeopardise national security.
So long as athletes aren’t eligible, the second employee choice is essentially identical to the first. Just over forty thousand visas are divided into two categories here.
Exceptional Ability
The first one is a goal for representatives from the arts, sciences, and business who are exceptionally well-versed, talented, or experienced compared to their peers. To back this up, they need to keep records of at least three things:
- university completion;
- ten years or more of relevant job experience;
- authority to engage in the practice of a profession—in the case of licensed professions—;
- getting paid more than average for one’s job – a sign of being in a more senior professional role;
- participating in professional organisations (e.g., unions, organisations, etc.);
- presenting an individual’s accomplishments and contributions to the advancement of a particular field—requesting references, recommendations, and letters of recommendation from members of such groups, specialists, agencies, or government organisations.
High-class specialists (Advanced Degree)
College grads might be considered for the second group if they satisfy one of the following requirements:
- a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent plus at least five years of relevant work experience,
- earning a Master’s Degree—work experience is optional,
- doctorate—if that’s what’s required to work in that industry.
It goes without saying that they should also present suitable documents about any exceptional abilities or accomplishments they may claim.
Third employee preference (EB3)
Those who want to be considered for the third employee preference typically have prior work experience in a certain field or may be filling a position that is currently under-represented in the United States.
Due to the low requirements, there are far more applicants than visas each year for this group of immigrants (a little over 40,000 plus an unutilized portion of the first two preferences).
As a result, there is a two- to three-year lag between the date of application submission and the date of consideration for this employee preference at the moment.
We have laid out the three subgroups in the table below, and the particular requirements for candidates are based on their assigned category. As terms of employment, they should also be included in the job posting.
- Two years of relevant work experience and a certificate from an accredited institution or vocational program are required for the Skilled Workers program.
- An impartial evaluation agency must affirm that professionals possess a Bachelor’s Degree or its equivalent, while a lower degree of education augmented by experience is also acceptable.
- As mentioned earlier, unskilled workers (Other Workers) are typically not required to have any particular education or job experience. Consequently, the so-called Visa Bulletin lists the longest waiting time for application consideration in this scenario.
High demand professions
A petition sponsor who has secured Department of Labour authorisation is required for all U.S. Third Preference Employment Visa applicants.
But this rule does include a few exceptions. These people exemplify the kind of careers where the Department has long-standing shortages of workers, such as licensed physical therapists and registered nurses.
Employers can more easily discover qualified foreign workers through the expedited hiring process, which eliminates the need to apply for a work permit.
The next step is to send the necessary paperwork to USCIS along with the petition.
USA Scholarship Opportunities
Public school students in the US are still required to pay tuition. Nonetheless, there is a vast array of scholarship programs available to overseas students at American colleges and high schools, with awards given out based on financial need or academic achievement.
Scholarships are given out by schools in recognition of various accomplishments, such as when students win art or athletics competitions.
An exception to the general admissions policy is the “need blind” policy, which states that elite institutions like Harvard and MIT would provide complete tuition waivers to admitted students who cannot otherwise afford them.
Obviously, it’s not easy to get into Harvard, where only around 5% of candidates actually get in. The United States is home to about four thousand colleges and universities, and many of them provide generous financial aid packages.
The typical annual cost of attendance, including housing, food, and transportation, is between $15,000 and $20,000 (not including any scholarships).
Meanwhile, international students are allowed to work 20 hours per week, which would still only bring in around $6,000 to $8,000 a year, even at the minimum wage.
Eligible USA Scholarship Requirements
To find out if a scholarship is right for you, check if you meet these requirements:
- You need to be a US citizen or permanent resident.
- You need to have a degree in your chosen field of study.
- You need to be able to show that you’re financially struggling.
- You need to have either a high school diploma or its equivalent, or a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. The scholarship recipient will decide how much money you can get.
Types of USA scholarships
Scholarships for students in the United States come in various forms. There isn’t a single scholarship that stands head and shoulders above the rest since every scholarship is different. A few examples of well-liked scholarship programs are:
- International scholarships
- Scholarship for college students
- Scholarship for high school students
- Student loans
- Scholarships
- Rural scholarships
- National scholarships
Where to find scholarships in the USA
The best way to discover scholarships is to search online or call local colleges and universities. Below is a list of resources to assist you locate scholarships in the USA.
- National Scholarship Database
- Fast Network
- Foundation Center
- America Scholarship
USA Scholarship Application Process
There is a specific procedure to follow in order to apply for a scholarship in the United States. As part of this process, you must collect and submit all of the required paperwork.
To apply for scholarships in the United States, follow this detailed guide:
- Gather all required paperwork. All necessary supporting documents, such as transcripts, recommendation letters, resumes, and so on, must be sent.
- Collect all of the necessary written assignments, such as essays. This might be a piece of writing you did for the scholarship application itself or anything directly related to it.
- Fill out and submit your application. One option is to use an online application, while another is to send information through regular mail. If you are submitting your application online, please sure to read and carefully adhere to the comprehensive guidelines.
If you prefer to send your application in the mail, please ensure that it is fully filled out and properly formatted to ensure an accurate evaluation. If you would want your applications returned to you, a self-addressed stamped envelope is also required.
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