As an American, what can I do to help a citizen of Togo 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
