Hi all,

I have a fairly basic question that I have found very difficult to get an answer, so hopefully someone can help me! I am from the UK and my wife is from the US. We both live in the UK and wish to move to California, her home town. Now, everything has went well, I get my interview next month, so far the process has been straight forward.

However, we have been looking at the i-864 forms and discovered that her parents need to co-sponsor/joint sponsor to meet the required levels for me to come over. My main question is how much are they responsible for? Are there many cases of the government perusing i-864 sponsors for money?

I plan to have certain things like life and medical insurance, however, since I do not have a large amount of knowledge of the benefit system in the US I am not too sure what they are liable for.

Also, my wife has lived with me in the UK for five years and has no assets in the US, does she still file the i-864?

Any help / experiences would be much appreciated!

Your wife has to file an I-864 regardless of whether or not she qualifies. Note, also, that as a USC your wife is also required to file US income tax returns on all worldwide income regardless of where she lives. If she had not filed during her time outside of the US she can file retroactively with the IRS in London.

Your in-laws would be liable to reimburse the US Government for an means tested benefits extended to you. You can find the list of those benefits and the exceptions to the rule on the USCIS website. Look up the I-864 form and there will be an area what you click to bring you to the responsibilities of the sponsors. Spells it out in black and white for you and them.

Benefits in the US vary widely. Some companies offer them, some don't. Some offer free benefits, some offer benefits where you pay a portion of the premium. Some healthcare plans have deductibles, some do not. Some are HMO, some are not. Some offer prescription plans, some do not. Some offer dental plans, some do not. Bottom line: ask about benefits when you job interview and have been offered the position. The benefits offered can make or break the deal.

Rete