When sponsoring a family member for immigration, the U.S. citizen or permanent resident petitioner must show readiness and ability to support that person financially for a period of years.
The idea is to demonstrate to the U.S. government that the immigrant is not inadmissible as someone likely to become a “public charge” that is, someone who will need to receive need-based government assistance.
Form I-864, also known as the Affidavit of Support Form, is required by the law for most intending immigrants.
The purpose of the Form I-864 is to prove that an immigrant has adequate means of financial support and is unlikely to become a public charge.
Form I-864 is a legal contract between a sponsor or “petitioner”, intending immigrant, and the U.S. government.
This shows that, as an immigrant, you will be financially supported if you find it difficult to cope on your own.
In other words, it is a back-up plan in the likelihood of financial difficulty.
The affidavit represents the sponsor’s promise to either support the immigrant financially or pay back any government agencies from which the immigrant does claim financial assistance.
It also shows the sponsor’s capacity to provide the promised support, by proving income and assets that are at least 125% of the amount at which someone would be considered to be living in poverty, according to the U.S. government’s Poverty Guidelines.
As Form I-864 must be completed by a sponsor (also known as “petitioner”), the following are the eligibility requirements of an intending sponsor:
A country of domicile is the country where you make your permanent home.
If, as a sponsor, you live and work in the United States, your country of domicile is the United States.
If, as a sponsor, you live outside the United States due to temporary employment, but you have maintained a home in the U.S. and you intend to return to that home, your country of domicile is the United States.
If, as a sponsor, you live outside the United States but you intend in good faith to reestablish domicile in the United States no later than the date of the intending immigrant’s admission or adjustment of status, you may claim U.S. domicile.
You cannot be a sponsor if you live permanently outside the United States and do not intend to return to the U.S.
The following immigrants are required by law to submit Form I-864 completed by the petitioner to obtain an immigrant visa overseas or to adjust status to that of a lawful permanent resident in the United States:
The purpose of the Affidavit of Support is to assure the U.S. government that the immigrant is not inadmissible as someone likely to become a public charge.
Some categories of applicants, however, are exempt from the Affidavit of Support requirement and do not need to submit Form I-864.
Instead, they must submit Form I-864W.
Exemption Based on the Child Citizenship Act
Under the Child Citizenship Act (CCA), certain immigrant children will become U.S. citizens automatically, as soon as they become U.S. permanent residents.
This is called the “derivation” of citizenship.
Such applicants do not need an I-864 Affidavit of Support to be filed for them.
Exemption Based on Self-Petition by Widow(er) of U.S. Citizen
Widows and widowers of U.S. citizens may, regardless of the duration of their marriage, self-petition for or continue with their application for U.S. residence, so long as they do so within the two years of the U.S. citizen’s death and do not remarry.
They will not need to submit an I-864 Affidavit of Support.
Their approved Form I-360 will be enough proof of their exemption.
If the deceased U.S. citizen filed an I-130 petition before the death, it converts to an I-360 automatically, though the immigrant will need to advise USCIS of the death first.
Exemption Based on VAWA Self-Petition
Abused or battered spouses or children self-petitioning for U.S. green card under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are also exempt from the I-864 Affidavit of Support requirement.
Their approved Form I-360 will be enough proof of their exemption.
Unless you qualify for one of the exemptions described above, you must submit Form I-864 even if your income is NOT sufficient to sponsor the immigrant.
In that situation, however, one of your options is to make sure the immigrant’s green card application is successful is to look for a joint sponsor, living in the U.S., whose income and/or assets equal at least 125% of the Poverty Guidelines, taking into account both the number of people in the joint sponsor’s household and the number of incoming immigrants.
The joint sponsor would also sign a Form I-864, thereby promising to provide any financial support necessary to assist you in supporting the immigrant(s).
Joint sponsors are discussed in detail in this article.
There are four forms associated with the process, of which you’ll have to fill out at least one:
Some petitioners can use a simpler form of the I-864 Affidavit of Support, called the I-864EZ.
To be eligible, you must:
Following categories of sponsors cannot use Form I-864EZ:
If your income is not at least 125% of the Poverty Guidelines for your family size, you will not be able to sponsor an immigrant unless you can meet the income requirement in some other way.
This might include using income from relatives or dependents living in your household or listed on your most recent federal tax return.
If these people in your household are willing to help sponsor the immigrant, they must sign Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member. In doing so, they promise to provide any financial support necessary to assist you in supporting the immigrant.
You will be required to provide photocopies of the following documents with your Form I-864:
Proof of petitioner’s immigration status
For U.S. citizens (at least one of the following documents):
For lawful permanent residents:
Tax records
You are required to provide documentation of your most recent year’s federal income tax return. You are not required to provide returns for the additional two preceding years. There are two options for how to document your returns:
Other supporting documents (if applicable)
Form I-864 must be submitted within one year of the sponsor’s signature.
If it is submitted after one year, a new I-864 will be required.
After the Form I-864 has been submitted and accepted, it does not expire.
However, if the supporting documents are more than 12 months old, USCIS will ask for new supporting documents, such as the most recent federal income tax returns (1040) and a current employment letter.
There is no fee if the sponsored immigrant files this form with USCIS through Adjustment of Status (Form I-485).
However, if the applicant is outside the U.S. and applying for Consular Processing (immigrant visa application at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate), a fee of $120 must be paid for filing Form I-864.
If there’s a joint sponsor in a Consular Processing case, no additional filing fee must be paid.
The $120 fee is paid online at ceac.state.gov. You will need the National Visa Center (NVC) case number and Invoice Identification Number to log onto this site.
2024 Minimum Annual Income Requirements for Green Card Sponsors
| Sponsor’s Household Size | 100% of HHS Poverty Guidelines* | 125% of HHS Poverty Guidelines* |
|---|---|---|
| For sponsors on active duty in the U.S. armed forces who are petitioning for their spouse or child | For all other sponsors | |
| 2 | $20,440 | $25,550 |
| 3 | $25,820 | $32,275 |
| 4 | $31,200 | $39,000 |
| 5 | $36,580 | $45,725 |
| 6 | $41,960 | $52,450 |
| 7 | $47,340 | $59,175 |
| 8 | $52,720 | $65,900 |
| Add $5,380 for each additional person | Add $6,725 for each additional person |
| Sponsor’s Household Size | 100% of HHS Poverty Guidelines* | 125% of HHS Poverty Guidelines* |
|---|---|---|
| For sponsors on active duty in the U.S. armed forces who are petitioning for their spouse or child | For all other sponsors | |
| 2 | $25,540 | $31,925 |
| 3 | $32,270 | $40,338 |
| 4 | $39,000 | $48,750 |
| 5 | $45,730 | $57,163 |
| 6 | $52,460 | $65,575 |
| 7 | $59,190 | $73,988 |
| 8 | $65,920 | $82,400 |
| Add $6,730 for each additional person | Add $8,413 for each additional person |
| Sponsor’s Household Size | 100% of HHS Poverty Guidelines* | 125% of HHS Poverty Guidelines* |
|---|---|---|
| For sponsors on active duty in the U.S. armed forces who are petitioning for their spouse or child | For all other sponsors | |
| 2 | $23,500 | $29,375 |
| 3 | $29,690 | $37,113 |
| 4 | $35,880 | $44,850 |
| 5 | $42,070 | $52,588 |
| 6 | $48,260 | $60,325 |
| 7 | $54,450 | $68,063 |
| 8 | $60,640 | $75,800 |
| Add $6,190 for each additional person | Add $7,738 for each additional person |
What if sponsor doesn’t meet the income requirements?
If sponsor cannot meet the minimum income requirements using earned income, he/she can add the cash value of his/her assets.
This includes money in savings accounts, stocks, bonds, and property.
To determine the amount of assets required to qualify, subtract your household income from the minimum income requirement (125% of the poverty level for your family size).
You must prove the cash value of your assets is worth five times this difference (the amount leftover).
The Form I-864 asks for the financial sponsor’s household size.
A sponsor does not have to include people on other I-864s who have not yet immigrated to the United States.
The Form I-864 Affidavit of Support is a legally enforceable contract, meaning that either the government or the sponsored immigrant can take the sponsor to court if the sponsor fails to provide adequate support to the immigrant.
When the government sues the sponsor, it can collect enough money to reimburse any public agencies that have given public benefits to the immigrant.
The sponsor’ s responsibility lasts until sponsored immigrant:
If the immigrant has already been living in the U.S. and earned work credits before applying for the green card, those count toward the 40.
Before you agree to financially sponsor an immigrant, consider the following potential liabilities:
The good news is that financially sponsoring an immigrant does not include any liability for the immigrant’ s personal debts, bills, or other money problems.
If the immigrant incurs substantial medical bills, accumulates debt collection accounts, or has to declare bankruptcy, none of these activities would have any effect on you or your personal credit.
Furthermore, there are still several government assistance programs that sponsored immigrants may qualify for, so he or she isn’t barred from receiving some benefits. Examples of approved government assistance programs include:
If the immigrant in question receives benefits from any of these approved programs, doing so would have no impact on you or your contract with USCIS.
If the petitioning sponsor does not meet the income requirements, a joint sponsor who can meet the requirements may submit a Form I-864 to sponsor all or some of the family members of the intending immigrant.
The original sponsor still needs to file Form I-864.
In other words, the joint sponsor is willing to accept legal responsibility for supporting the intending immigrant(s).
A joint sponsor must be a person and may not be a corporation, organization, or other entity.
If a petitioner or sponsor meets the minimum income requirements, there cannot be a joint sponsor, unless the consular officer or the DHS immigration officer specifically requires it.
Just like the sponsor, the joint sponsor must be:
However, the joint sponsor does not have to be related to the petitioning sponsor or the intending immigrant.
If the first joint sponsor completes Form I-864 only for a few of the family members of the intending immigrant, a second qualifying joint sponsor can sponsor the remaining family members.
There can be a maximum of two joint sponsors.
Each joint sponsor is responsible only for the intending immigrant listed on his/her Form I-864.
Each joint sponsor must individually meet the income requirements, according to Federal poverty guidelines, for his/her household size, without combining resources with the petitioning sponsor or a second joint sponsor.
Any dependents applying for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status more than six months after the immigration of the intending immigrants must be sponsored by the petitioning sponsor but may be sponsored by an original joint sponsor or a different joint sponsor.
Even if one or more joint sponsors submit their I-864, the petitioning sponsor remains legally accountable for the financial support of the sponsored alien along with the joint sponsor.
The documents required for a joint sponsor are the same as those required of the primary sponsor.
They include the following:
Providing financial support: As a joint sponsor, you are equally responsible as the sponsoring primary sponsor for financially supporting the intending immigrant.
You must maintain a minimum annual income of 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for your household size until your obligations end.
Reimbursing the government for the use of public benefits: The purpose of having a financial co-sponsor is to prevent the alien from becoming a public charge.
If the green card holder receives public charge benefits from a federal, state, or local government agency before the joint sponsor’s obligations end, the joint sponsor and the sponsoring spouse may need to repay the amount of those benefits to the agency.
Updating your address: Until the joint sponsor’s obligations end, they must notify USCIS every time they move.
They must provide their new address on Form I-865 (officially called the “Sponsor’s Notice of Change of Address”) within 30 days after relocating.
A joint sponsor’s responsibilities terminate when the green card holder experiences any of the following:
The joint sponsor’s death also ends their obligations.
If they owed any support to the green cardholder before the joint sponsor died, however, the joint sponsor’s estate, if any, may be required to pay those debts.
Failure to provide financial support: the green card holder may file a lawsuit against the sponsors to collect the support they need.
Failure to reimburse the government for use of public benefits: the agency that provided these benefits may sue the sponsors to the collection of that money, including collection costs and legal fees.
Failure to update their address: they may be fined between $250 and more than $5,000, depending on whether they simply neglected to update the government or had knowledge that the marriage-based green card holder received public benefits that would need to be repaid to the government.
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