Key Takeaways
• CHNV sponsorship ended April 2025; no new applications or pending requests will be processed, per USCIS federal court order.
• Sponsors needed to prove income, submit Form I-134A, and could pool incomes with joint sponsors, following Federal Poverty Guidelines.
• CHNV provided two-year parole, no renewal or direct green card path, but required financial support for beneficiaries’ basic needs.
Below, you’ll find a clear, step-by-step guide about the CHNV program sponsor financial requirements. We’ll explain who qualifies, what is needed, how the application worked, and what documents were expected. We’ll also compare these requirements to similar programs, answer common questions, and offer examples to help you get a real sense of what was involved.
Eligibility Requirements for CHNV Sponsors
To become a sponsor for someone under the CHNV program, you needed to be a person living in the United States 🇺🇸 and able to support the person you wished to help. This support applied for the full two years that the sponsored person could legally stay in the country.
The main eligibility points included:
– You had to be based in the United States 🇺🇸 (citizens and certain legal residents qualified).
– You had to show you could provide for the beneficiary financially, so they would not rely on government help.
– You had to file a form called the Declaration of Financial Support.
– You had to submit strong proof you met special income requirements, which were tied to the U.S. government’s Federal Poverty Guidelines.
The size of your household—meaning you, everyone who depended on you (such as your spouse and children), and every CHNV-sponsored individual—determined the amount of income you needed to have.
Purpose and Benefits of the CHNV Sponsor Role
The CHNV program was set up as a way to offer safety and stability to people facing tough conditions in Cuba 🇨🇺, Haiti 🇭🇹, Nicaragua 🇳🇮, and Venezuela 🇻🇪. The sponsor’s main purpose was to guarantee that the new arrivals could get settled in the United States 🇺🇸 with some financial help, so they would not become a public burden.
Benefits for the sponsor included the chance to reunite with family or friends, make a difference in someone’s life, and legally bring loved ones to the United States 🇺🇸. For the beneficiary, sponsorship meant a better chance at a secure and lawful stay, and a much smoother start in a new country.
Application Process: Step-by-Step
- Sponsor Decides to Help: Someone already living in the United States 🇺🇸 chooses to become a sponsor for a CHNV applicant.
- Form I-134A Submission: The sponsor files a Declaration of Financial Support (Form I-134A) for each person they wish to support.
- Collection of Evidence: The sponsor gathers financial documents to prove they meet the minimum income levels set by the CHNV program.
- USCIS Review: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reviews the application and supporting documents to judge if the sponsor can really provide support.
- Approval and Notification: If the sponsor’s documents pass review, USCIS could approve the application, and the beneficiary had a path to travel to the United States 🇺🇸 for up to two years.
- Parole Period: During the two-year period in which the beneficiary lived under parole, the sponsor’s financial support remained important.
It’s vital to remember that, as of April 2025, no new CHNV sponsor forms are being accepted due to court orders ending the program. Pending requests will no longer be processed.
Required Documents and Evidence
Sponsors needed to provide enough evidence to prove they had enough money to support each beneficiary. These included:
– Recent pay stubs (to show ongoing earnings)
– Tax returns
– Bank statements
– Letters from employers (confirming employment and salary)
– Other proof of income or assets
Sponsors needed to send these along with Form I-134A. Forms that were incomplete or did not have enough proof were often refused or delayed.
If the sponsor did not have enough income alone, they could bring in another co-sponsor. In that case, each sponsor would fill out their own forms. When combining incomes, households could count cash, assets, or, in rare situations, the applicant’s funds.
Processing Times and Fees
The CHNV program did not set firm processing times, since everything depended on USCIS workload and the strength of each application. Sometimes, cases processed in a few weeks, but it could take longer if evidence was missing or needed a closer look.
There were no fees to submit a Declaration of Financial Support, making the CHNV process somewhat less expensive for sponsors compared to some other immigration programs.
Validity Period and Renewal
Successful CHNV applications meant the beneficiary could live and work in the United States 🇺🇸 for up to two years under parole status. This period could not be extended or renewed under the CHNV program. Once finished, the person had to leave or try for another legal status if eligible.
Rights and Restrictions for Sponsors and Beneficiaries
Sponsors:
– Were not held to the same legal promises as sponsors under programs like family-based green cards (where sponsors can be sued for support), but were still expected to help.
– Needed to be ready to cover costs like food, housing, clothing, and travel for the beneficiary.
– Made a firm promise in the Declaration of Financial Support, though it was not enforceable in court like some other sponsorships.
Beneficiaries:
– Could live and work in the United States 🇺🇸 for two years.
– Could not travel outside the country and return without losing their parole status.
– Were expected to rely on their sponsor for money, housing, and basic needs so they would not have to use public benefits.
– Could try for other U.S. immigration options during or after parole (such as asylum), but did not get a green card or permanent status just by being in the CHNV program.
Pathways to Permanent Residency
The CHNV program itself did not provide a direct path to permanent residency (a green card). People in the program had to look for other options if they wanted to stay longer, such as:
– Applying for asylum, if eligible
– Getting married to a U.S. citizen 🇺🇸 or green card holder
– Qualifying for other U.S. visas or lawful status
Sponsors did not have any direct path to residency benefits through their CHNV sponsorship.
Comparison with Similar Visa Types
Unlike the CHNV program, other sponsorship types (such as family-based green cards using Form I-864) impose much stronger legal promises. For example, green card sponsors can be sued for support if the immigrant uses public benefits, while CHNV sponsors filled out the Declaration of Financial Support without this financial risk. Another difference: CHNV used Form I-134A, while family-based green card sponsors use Form I-864.
Also, the CHNV program required only a two-year commitment, while family sponsorship involves much longer support. The lower threshold for evidence and the chance for sponsors to pool incomes were features that made CHNV more flexible for some families—though still strict in its review.
Common Misconceptions and Frequently Asked Questions
- Can more than one sponsor share responsibility?
Yes, several people could “team up” and combine their earnings to support a beneficiary. Each filled out their own forms—this is called “joint sponsorship.” - Is there a maximum number of people one sponsor can help?
No, there’s no set upper limit, but the sponsor must show enough income for the total of everyone in their household—including dependents and all beneficiaries. -
What if the sponsor lost their job after approval?
Sponsors sign up based on their status at the time of application. If things changed, it could affect the support, but there was no ongoing, enforceable legal penalty as there is with some other immigration sponsorships. -
Did the applicant have to show they could support themselves?
Self-sufficiency was allowed in rare cases, but most relied on a U.S.-based sponsor to fill out the Declaration of Financial Support and show required income. -
Are there fees for sponsoring under CHNV?
The process to submit Form I-134A had no official fee.
For the most current updates and official forms, USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) provides detailed information about humanitarian parole and sponsorship on its official website.
Real-World Example:
Let’s say Miguel, a U.S. citizen living in Texas, wants to sponsor his sister and her two children from Nicaragua 🇳🇮. His household—Miguel, his wife, and two kids—plus his sister and her two kids would make a total of seven people. To be a sponsor under the CHNV program, Miguel had to add up everyone in his home plus his intended beneficiaries and then check the minimum income needed for a household of seven (well above $50,000 based on the 2025 guidelines). If his income was not enough, Miguel’s friend, a local pastor, could sign on as a joint sponsor, and together they would submit their proof of income.
Recent Changes and Updates
As of April 2025, the CHNV program stopped accepting new applications due to federal court orders, and no more sponsorships are allowed. According to a litigation-related update by USCIS, pending applications will not be reviewed or processed further. This means the rules and processes described here now only apply to older cases or help explain how past sponsorships worked.
VisaVerge.com’s investigation reveals that understanding these requirements and how they worked in the past can still help people plan for other sponsorship opportunities as similar guidelines often apply across humanitarian parole and refugee programs.
Pros and Cons of CHNV Sponsorship
Pros:
– Allowed family and friends to lawfully bring loved ones from four countries in crisis.
– No strict legal penalties against sponsors if supported persons needed public help.
– Sponsors could pool household incomes or seek help from several co-sponsors.
– No fee to submit Form I-134A.
Cons:
– Strict income rules meant only some could qualify.
– Required detailed paperwork—mistakes could mean denial.
– Only allowed a two-year stay, with no path to permanent legal status.
– Program terminated in April 2025, so no new sponsorships.
Additional Resources
For anyone looking for up-to-date rules and official forms, USCIS offers a dedicated page on the CHNV program and related humanitarian parole cases. You can also find plain-English guides and updates from trusted sites like VisaVerge.com and legal aid organizations.
Summary of Key Points
The CHNV program required sponsors living in the United States 🇺🇸 to show strong financial proof that they could support their beneficiaries. This meant meeting at least 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for every household member and sponsored person. Sponsors could join with others to reach the required total, and evidence like tax returns and pay stubs was needed for approval. No fees applied for the Declaration of Financial Support, but the process involved careful paperwork and review.
With the end of CHNV sponsorships in April 2025, knowing these requirements helps people understand U.S. sponsor rules more broadly and prepares them for similar programs that may arise in the future. For official details or to review forms, always check the USCIS website or consult with a trusted legal source.
Learn Today
Humanitarian Parole → Temporary legal entry for individuals facing emergencies or urgent needs, usually without a direct path to permanent residency.
Federal Poverty Guidelines → Income benchmarks set by the U.S. government that determine eligibility for certain benefits and sponsorship requirements.
Form I-134A → USCIS Declaration of Financial Support used by sponsors to prove financial ability for CHNV and some humanitarian parole cases.
Joint Sponsorship → When two or more sponsors combine their incomes and submit forms together to meet minimum financial requirements.
USCIS → U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency handling immigration forms, sponsorships, and parole programs like CHNV.
This Article in a Nutshell
The CHNV program let U.S. residents sponsor friends or family from select countries for two years, requiring strong financial proof. Sponsorship involved detailed paperwork and income guidelines but carried fewer legal risks than green card sponsorship. The program ended in April 2025, highlighting the evolving landscape of U.S. sponsorship rules.
— By VisaVerge.com
Read more:
• UK Home Office updates visa sponsorship rules for 2025
• USCIS Raises Income Standards for Green Card Sponsors
• Trump Administration Revises Child Sponsorship Program After 320,000 Kids Vanished
• Canada Expands Openings for Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship
• Trump Administration Eases Rules on Sharing Data of Migrant Child Sponsors
