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As an American, what can I do to help a resident of Ukraine get a U.S. visa?
U.S. citizens may petition the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in order to sponsor various categories of
aliens to immigrate and work temporarily in the U.S. However, U.S. citizens do not have the legal right to sponsor
an alien in order to facilitate that alien's entry into the U.S. for a temporary visit.
Under U.S. law, each applicant must be judged based upon the individual merits of his or her case. Each applicant
has his or her specific purpose of travel as well as ties outside of the U.S. Current U.S. visa law states that the
burden of proof is placed solely upon the applicant to prove that he or she is qualified for the type of visa for
which he or she is applying.
There is no provision within the law for a U.S. citizen to guarantee the welfare of an alien in the U.S. nor their
departure from the U.S.; therefore, a U.S. citizen cannot be held accountable for an alien even if he or she has
signed an affidavit of support or a letter of guarantee. While documents from the U.S. are often informative,
they are not determinate in the case of nonimmigrant visa eligibility.
In addition, we cannot accept documentation regarding a visa applicant outside the scope of the visa interview.
Due to this, we encourage U.S. citizens to provide any visa applicant he or she is inviting to the U.S. with letters
of invitation or any other pertinent information in advance of the applicant's interview so that the applicant may
present them at the time of the interview. Helpful letters of invitation should include an explanation of the inviting
party’s relationship with the applicant, what the applicant plans to do during the visit, the applicant’s intended
length of stay, and what the inviting party understands the applicant's family, economic, and overall situation in
Ukraine to be. Evidence of the inviting party’s legal status in the U.S. (a copy of a U.S. passport, USCIS certificate
of naturalization, legal permanent resident card, or U.S. visa) is also very helpful.
Any documents or inquiries we receive directly from the U.S. will be read and answered, but they will have no
bearing upon past decisions regarding an applicant's visa eligibility.
Please also visit Worldwide Business Visa Center website to learn more about business visa application process.
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