antrichard99

My wife and I have been living in the uK for the past 3 years. We have completed the first part of the applocation for a green card through the london embassy. We have been struggling to find a joint sponsor so my wife is considering moving back first and finding work. My question is how long she would need to be in a steady job to be able to be the main sponsor. I heard from one source it was 5 months of a secure position with an earning of 3x the poverty line.

Is this the case?
cheers

Ant

Noorah101

Actually what you've completed is the first part of an Immigrant Visa applicatoin (not a green card application).

I don't think there is any set length of time she needs to be working, as long as she currently is earning the correct level of income, and can prove it.

She doesn't need to earn 3x the poverty line. She needs to earn 25% more than the poverty level. Go to www.uscis.gov, Immigration Forms, I-864P, and look at the 125% column for your family size. That is the figure she needs to be earning annually.

The 3x figure comes from using assets instead of income.

Also, she is not the "main" sponsor. She is THE sponsor.

Rene

antrichard99

Thanks for the quick reply. So if she goes back in April and gets a job earning 125% above the poverty line then I could then send of the documnets for the next part of the application even if she has only just started a new position and could maybe only show a letter from the employee and perhaps 1 months wage slip.

Noorah101

You could do that. Of course, the longer she's worked there and created a work history, the better. Normally I would say in a case like this, have a Joint Sponsor lined up, just in case....since your wife will have a very short work history, and probably no tax returns to show previous earnings (if she has, that's even better).

But since you say you're having trouble finding a joint sponsor, then you might want to wait until she has a little longer work history, maybe 3 months? But I don't there's a definite time frame here...it's all up to the officer and what they feel like approving that day.

Rene

Rete

It is not 125% ABOVE the poverty guidelines but the poverty guideline plus 25%. So if the guideline is $17,000 for a family of two, she needs to earn $17,000 plus $4,250 for $21,250.

Not $38,250 that you wrote.

I believe the poverty guideline but 25% for a family of two is just over the $18,000 mark.

Also in the US pay periods are either weekly or twice monthly, not monthly as in many European countries.