atothel

Hi all...

I've tried to research this as much as I can as we (hopefully - come on Cali) will be getting our NOA2 soon, and it will soon become an issue. Once we get the approval I'll be going thru the embassy in London.

Obviously my fiancee will be my main sponsor, but we will also be bringing her mother in as a co-sponsor for our application.

This is the part where I need your help if possible. I've saw several conflicting and confusing answers, and I was wondering if someone could give me some info and help with my questions on based on our situation.

General ones
1) London uses the I-134 form right?

2) What is our poverty limit / cut off line? We will be in a house of just 2 - me and my wife-to-be.

Specific ones
3) What additional info is required to support the entries on the I-134 / I-864 form? I've saw answers ranging from tax returns to bank letters to bank statements? Can anyone clarify what IS required (specifically if sponsor and co-sponsor are self-employed?)

4) Both my fiancee and her mother have recently set up their own businesses (within the last 4 months in my fiancee's case, and within the last 2 weeks in her mother's case). Both SHOULD do ok, but obviously there is no longterm back history or financial records for either business... how can it be proved that there WILL be enough money coming in to support the info entered on the I-134 / I-864 form?

5) Obviously every little helps - but will it be of any additional use if I can show that I have around £7000 in the bank to help with costs of living while I wait to get a job? Can that REALLY be taken into account or is the onus on the US citizen?

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide...

Noorah101

Hi,

1. The I-134 form is used for the K-1 visa, that's correct.

2. The poverty guideline your fiancee will use will be for 2 (herself and the alien fiance). The poverty guideline your co-sponsor will use will be for herself, however many people live in her household, plus the alien fiance. For example, if the co-sponsor is married and still has a child at home, she'll use the guideline income for 4 people.

Here's the link to the amounts, effective April 1, 2005. Don't forget to use 125% of the amount specified in this table. http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/05poverty.shtml

Sorry I can't help you with your other questions.

Best Wishes,
Rene

evoal2003

you have alot of questions here I will take the easy ones until someone more capable arrives.

1. correct

2. It is late $15,000 so work on $16,000 and you'll be ok.

3. I 184 is for AOS forget it. Tax returns is what you need. 3 years is what is asked, someone fill in on the smaller details, if you have money/savings in account show a letter to proove it! Remember you only need to show you will not be dependant on the state. Self employed just proove her income.

4. You need to proove previous income, read into that what you like.

5. Yes i suppose if it were in a joint accont in the US.

don't worry they re not as critical as yourself obsessed immigration brain is. lol We were all the same, so don't worry.

hope this helps
alan

Noorah101

Hi again,

I can also address this one. I do believe your assets (cash or liquidatable assets) can be used if they equal 5x the difference between the income of the sponsor and the poverty guideline. For example, if the sponsor falls $5,000 short of the poverty guideline, then you can show $25,000 of assets to make up for that difference. For some reason, I'm thinking 7,000 pounds isn't going to be enough. I"m sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong about the UKC being able to use his own assets on the I-134.

Best Wishes,
Rene

evoal2003

I showed some of my money, in L's account, they looked at nothing else. Just a comment, "we can see you will not starve".

alan

jasonabc

3 & 4 - you don't need the I-864 at K1 interview stage. That is needed when you apply for AOS in the States after you are married.

5 - absolutely. I had a similar amount to you in my bank account when I went for my K1 interview in London so brought proof of those funds to the interview instead of an I-134. The proof I handed over at the interview was simply a copy of my bank statement and a letter from the company I was using to transfer the funds over to the States. As it says on the US Embassy website - an I-134 is *NOT* compulsory at K1 interview. Actually it is one of three ways you can satisfy the financial part of the K1 interview. Your own funds is one, US employment is another and if those two are no good, then you need a sponsor and an I-134.

You can use the I-134 if you wish - although if you have that amount in your bank account I wouldn't bother with it as you are comfortably over the minimum amount the Embassy accept. The decision is of course - entirely yours... ;-)

Noorah101

How much is 7,000 pounds in US dollars? Unless it's 5x the difference they are lacking in meeting the minimum requirements, I don't see how it helps. What do you mean by "comfortably over the minimum amount the Embassy accepts"? What's that amount, and is it the same for everyone?

According to this site http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi, 7,000 GBP = less than 13,500 USD. That's not even close to what the OP would need to show in assets if he wasn't going to use the I-134 at all.

I'm not following you train of thought on this one, sorry....

Rene

jasonabc

the whole 5x income/poverty guidelines for assets etc etc etc is if you use personal assets when you file the I-864 - NOT for the I-134 at K1 interview stage. The US Embassy site itself says (of using your own funds at K1 interview stage):

"An applicant for a fiancé(e), Kii or V visa may generally satisfy the requirement of the law by the presentation of documentary evidence establishing that:

1. the applicant has, or will have in the U.S. personal funds sufficient to provide support for the applicant ... or sufficient to provide support until suitable employment is located;"

This can include:

"bank statement showing present balance of applicant's account"

Granted it doesn't give a minimum amount they will accept - so just to be on the safe side, before I went to my K1 interview I dropped them an email asking what this amount was and they replied back saying "if you can show upwards of a thousand pounds you should be ok" (their words). As I had round the mark of the OP in this thread I was comfortably over this level, so brought a copy of my bank statement showing this amount and a letter indicating how and when the funds were being transferred to the States (in this case - into my fiancee's US bank account) and these were accepted without question.

If the OP decides to use his own funds *at this stage* then he should just email the Embassy to double check their minimum funds acceptance level and if he's comfortably over (which it sounds like he is) then he can use those. He can use an I-134 as well if he wants - but he only has to worry about 5 times this and that and poverty levels and making up differences when he gets to AOS and decides to use assets then.

Noorah101

Wow, I never realized all that. Thanks.

Rene