To sponsor a family-based immigrants' application for residency, one requirement includes demonstrating that your income meets a minimum level. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) maintains the requirement to ensure that immigrants will not be public charges and seek assistance from the U.S. federal government. If you are the petitioner and do not meet the minimum requirements, you must seek a co-sponsor.
Basics
USCIS publishes Form I-864, which is known as an Affidavit of Support. Along with the I-864, petitioners must send proof of legal status, like a copy of your U.S. passport, long-form birth certificate (instead of a short-form birth certificate, which excludes the hospital's name or physician's name). Also, USCIS requires proof of current employment, such as a paycheck stub and a complete copy of the most-recent federal income tax return.
Income Requirements
Petitioners have to earn at least 125 percent of the most recent federal poverty guidelines. You have to consider your household size. For instance, for two individuals, the petitioner must earn more than $18,213. You must include the beneficiary in the household size. For instance, a husband that petitions for his wife creates a size of two, providing the husband has no children, no dependents and has not sponsored anyone else.
Co-Sponsors
If the husband that is petitioning for his wife earns $12,000, then he must find a substitute or co-sponsor to help petition for his wife. The co-sponsor needs to earn at least 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Furthermore, the co-sponsor must realize that by agreeing to help sponsor his friend's wife, he will be entering into a legally binding contract.
Exceptions
Waivers exist to bypass the income requirements. For instance, if you have earned 40 quarters through the Social Security Office, then you can file a Form I-864W. Forty quarters means you worked for at least 10 years (there are 4 quarters in 1 year) and surpassed Social Security's minimum earning level, which varies each year. Under Consular Processing, some U.S. consulates or embassies will not accept the I-864W.
Tips
If you cannot find a copy of your most recent federal tax return, contact the IRS for a transcript. Most petitioners only need to send the most recent copy. To complete the I-864, however, you need information from your federal tax returns for the past 3 years.
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