Downer

Hey guys....

so im trying to get a friend to be my co-sponsor because my wife doesn't make enough money above the poverty line but im not sure if its going to go through...

his IRS transcript says that in 2008 (its the only year he filed taxes) he earned 5,000 $ which is obviously below the poverty line but he has 30,000$ in his savings account. also, i have 13,000 dollars in my savings account. and from what i can see number 28 "assets of the principal sponsored immigrant" is where i could put my 13,000 down, right? can i put those down on my co-sponsors i864? is that enough money (his irs transcript, his savings and my savings) for the i864 to go through? he has no dependents whatsoever.

if my co-sponsor barely had any income, how much in savings would he have to have at his disposal in order to make up for that and be eligible to sponsor me? 100,000$? 200,000$? 300,000$?

thanks everyone for your help. very much appreciated.

Noorah101

I do not think you can mix your own savings along with the joint sponsor's income/savings. They are seperate.

I didn't look up the current poverty guideline for a family of 2 (the joint sponsor plus you), but you can go to www.uscis.gov, Immigration Forms, I-864P and see what is in the 125% column for a family of 2.

Whatever that number is, the joint sponosr's savings must equal 5x that number. So just as an example, if the 125% column for a family of 2 should be $19,000, then he would need to show $95,000 in savings to qualify.

His 2008 tax return shows $5,000 income, but what is his *current* income? That is what will count on the I-864....his current annual income, plus any assets.

So let's say he curently earns only $5,000 a year. If the minimum he needs to earn is $19,000, then that means he's lacking $14,000 in income. If he's going to use assets to make up the difference, the assets must be higher than $70,000 ($14,000 x 5).

Rene

Downer

also...the instructions on i864 say...

28. assets of the intending immigrant: You may use the assets of the intending immigrant regardless of where he or she resides. The intending immigrant must provide evidence of such assets with this form. Form I-864Ais not required to document the intending immigrant's assets.

Noorah101

That's true. Since you are married, your assets also are your wife's assets. If you have enough in assets (yours have to be 3x the amount you would have needed in income), then your wife can include those assets on her I-864.

Rene

Downer

but can i include my assets on my co-sponsors i864 as he's more likely to be eligible than my wife since she has a very low income!?

Noorah101

Not to my knowledge, no. You can only include your assets on your wife's I-864. Your joint sponsor has to qualify separately, without using your assets.

Rene

ian-mstm

No. You can only add your assets to your sponsor's assets... and your wife is your sponsor. By and large, the US government doesn't care about your income/assets unless they enhance your sponsor's income/assets... not the joint sponsor's.

Ian

jeffreyhy

D,

If your wife is earning below the poverty level, which isn't a whole lot of money, who's going to provide the real money that you two are going to need to live on when you get here? Will your $13,000 in savings - divided by 3 = $4,333 - cover the difference between your wife's income and 125% of the poverty level?

If not, it seems that you need a joint sponsor not only for immigration purposes but also for keeping you alive once you arrive in the USA. With that in mind, turning to your friend, more important than what he's earned in 2008 is how much he's earning - on an annualized basis - now. If he's currently earning below the poverty level how's he going to support both himself and you?

Regards, JEff