FILLING OUT THE I-864 AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT

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PREPARING THE I-864

As a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder) you can help certain relatives come to the United States so they can also seek permanent residency here. As part of this process, you will probably have to convince the U.S. government that you are financially able to support your relative(s) or reimbursing the government if they need public assistance. To do so, you must complete this form and file it with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Who should use this form?

Use Form I-864, Affidavit for Support, if you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident acting as a sponsor/petitioner or a joint sponsor (someone other than a family member).

You may also use this form if you are a lawful permanent resident or U.S. citizen who:

  • Filed an alien worker petition for the “intending immigrant” who is related to you
  • Has at least 5 percent ownership in a business that filed an alien worker petition for the “intending immigrant” that is related to you.

By filing it with USCIS, you are promising that you can and will provide financial support for the immigrant being sponsored for a specified period so that they need not rely on public assistance, and that you will reimburse any government agency that provides financial assistance to the immigrant being sponsored.

Following is a step-by-step guide to completing this form.

The following information is provided as a general guide to completing Form I-864, Affidavit for Support, and is not meant to be legal advice. Anyone in the United States who is sponsoring a  should consult an experienced, knowledgeable immigration attorney before completing this form.

Part 1. 👤 “ Basis For Filing Affidavit of Support ”

1. Sponsor’s Name

Write or type your real name here. Do not use any nicknames, aliases, and so on.

1a., b, c, d, e and f. Reason for, type of sponsorship

Mark the box that best describes your relationship with the person you are sponsoring and your reason for doing so. In most cases, you will probably mark box “1a.” Please note that if you check any other box, USCIS requires additional paperwork along with the form.

 Part 2.  👥 Information About the Principal Immigrant

1a., b., and c. Principal immigrant’s name

If you are sponsoring only one person, write or type his/her last, first, and middle names in the appropriate boxes. If you are sponsoring more than one person (the primary immigrant and additional relatives), write or type the primary immigrant’s last, first, and middle names in the appropriate boxes

2a. through i. Mailing address

Provide the mailing address for the primary immigrant you are sponsoring in the appropriate boxes. If he or she receives mail at an address other than where he or she lives, put the person’s name in box 2a.

3 through 7. Other information

For these questions, write or type the name of the country where the primary immigrant is a citizen, and write or type his or her real date of birth. He or she will only have an Alien Registration Number (A-Number) if he or she has had official communication from USCIS or a similar agency. He or she will only have a USCIS online account number if he or she has completed any forms or had similar interactions with the agency.

Part 3. 🔎Information About the Immigrant(s) You Are Sponsoring

1. through 3. Who are you sponsoring

Mark the first box to confirm that you are sponsoring the principal immigrant identified in the previous part. Mark box No. 2 if you are also sponsoring family members immigrating at the same time or within six months of the principal immigrant — but only if they are on the same visa petition. Mark box No. 3 if you are sponsoring family members who will be coming to the United States more than six months after the principal immigrant.

4a. through 28. Information about family members

Write or type the requested information, including full name, date of birth, and so on for each of the principal immigrant’s family members you are sponsoring.

29. Number of immigrants you are sponsoring

Write or type the total number of immigrants you are sponsoring on this form.

Part 4. 📄 Information About You (the sponsor)

1a., b., and c. Your full name

Write or type your last, first, and middle name here. Use your real name. Do not use any nicknames or aliases.

2a. through i. Your mailing address

Write or type the full address where you receive mail here. Be sure to include the street name and address, city, country, and zip/postal code. If you receive your mail at someone else’s house, put that person’s name in box No. 2a.

3. Do you get your mail at the same address where you live?

If you marked the box for “no,” you must provide your full, physical address in the next set of questions.

4a. through h. Where do you live? (Complete this section only if you answered “no” in question 3.)

Write or type your residential address. Include the street name and address, city, country, and zip/postal code.

5. through 14. Other information

Write or type your phone number, the name of the country where you reside (USA), and your real date of birth in the appropriate spaces. You should also write or type the name of the city state and country of birth, along with your U.S. Social Security Number. In this section, you must also verify that you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and answer questions about your military service (if you are a petitioner/sponsor).

Part 5. 📑 Sponsor’s Household Size

When completing this section it is very important that you do not include (count) the same person or people more than once.

1. Persons you are sponsoring in this affidavit

In this box, type or print the number of immigrants you are sponsoring on this form. It should be the same number you entered in box No. 29 in Part 3.

2 through 8. Persons not sponsored on this form

In Box No. 2, put the number “1” for yourself In Box No. 3, put the number “1” for your husband or wife if you are married. If you have children who are legally classified as “dependents,” write the number of dependent children in box No. 4. If you have any other relatives who are legally classified as dependents, write the number in box No. 5. If you have ever used this form, or the short version of this form to sponsor any other relatives who now have their Green Cards write the number of people for whom you have done so in box No. 6. If you have brothers, sisters, parents or adult children who live with you and are contributing income or assets to help sponsor the immigrant, indicate how many are doing so in box No. 7. Add the numbers in Boxes 1 through 7 to determine your household size and enter the total in box No. 8.

Part 6. 📑 Sponsor’s Income and Employment

1. Your employment

If you are currently working, write or type your title/position in the space provided here.

2. and 3

List the name of the company/companies that you work for in the spaces provided here.

4. If you are self-employed

Mark the box and write or type your title/position in the appropriate space.

5. If you are retired

Mark the box and provide the date of your retirement.

6. Unemployment

If you are not working at all (you are unemployed) mark the box and provide the date when you became unemployed.

7. How much do you make

Provide your own yearly income here.

8. through 19. Contributions from household members

List the name, relationship, and current income of anyone else in your household whose income will be used to sponsor the immigrant in addition to your own.

20. Current household income

Add the amounts entered in Part 6, boxes 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19, to determine your household income and write or type that amount in box 20.

21. Completion of Form I-864A

Indicate whether anyone identified in boxes 8, 11, 14, and 17 completed Form I-864A.

22. Exemption from completion of I864A

Check this box and enter the person’s name from boxes 8, 11, 14, or 17, if he or she is not required to complete form I-864A for the reasons stated.

23a. through 25.Federal tax information

Confirm that you have provided the required information from your three most recent federal tax returns and provide your total income as reported for each year. If you did not have to file a federal income tax return because you do not make enough money, mark box No. 25 and provide the documentation requested along with the Affidavit for Support.

Part 7. 📄Use of Assets to Supplement Income (optional)

You are only required to complete this part if you are using assets to supplement your personal income and/or household income for sponsorship purposes.

1 through 9. In boxes 1 through 4

Enter the financial information requested for each of your assets that will be used. In boxes 5a. through 8, provide the financial information requested if any of these people have assets that will be included for sponsorship purposes. Add the amounts from boxes 6 through 8 and enter that number in box No. 9.

10. Total value of assets

Add the amounts in box No. 4, 5b. and 9 and enter the amount here.

Part E. 📄 Declaration of Person Preparing Form if Other than Applicant, Spouse, Parent, or Child

Read everything in this part carefully before you sign and date this form. Once you have done so, print your name in the space provided.

1a. and b. Your ability to read and understand English, Use of an interpreter

If you read and understood everything on this form, and read and understood your answers to each question, mark box No. 1a. If an interpreter helped you by reading this form and your answers in your native language, and you understood everything, mark box No. 1b. and write the name of the language they used in the space provided.

2. Someone else, such as an attorney prepared this form based on the information you supplied

If you provided the information and someone out filled out the form for you, mark box No. 2 and write or type their name in the space provided.

3. through 5. Your (the sponsor’s) contact information

List your daytime phone number, cell phone number, and email address in the spaces provided.

6a., b. Signature and date

This is where you (the sponsor) should sign and date the form. This is extremely important because USCIS will not accept any form that is not signed.

Part 9. 🖋 Interpreter’s Contact Information, Certification and Signature

If you received help from an interpreter to complete the form, they must complete this section.

1a. and b. Information about the interpreter

The person’s first and last name should be entered here.

2. Business name

If the person who prepared this form has a business, write the name of the business here.

3a. through h. Mailing address

The full address where the interpreter receives mail should be written or typed here.

4. through 6. Additional contact information

Provide the interpreter’s work phone number, cell phone number, and e-mail in the appropriate spaces.

7a. and b. Signature and date

The preparer should sign and date the form in the spaces provided.

Part 10.❗️ Information About the Person Who Prepared this Form (Other than the Sponsor)

If anyone else, such as an attorney, completed this affidavit based on the information you provided, they must complete this section.

1a., b. Preparer’s name

Write or type the full name of the person who prepared this form in the spaces provided.

2. Business name

If the person who filled this form out for you as a business (such as a law firm) write or type the name here

3a. through h. Mailing address

Write or enter the address where the person who prepared the form for you gets their mail, in the appropriate boxes.

4. through 6. Contact information

Write or type the preparer’s work telephone number, cell phone number, and email address in the spaces provided.

7a., b. Preparer’s statement

The person who completed the form should check the appropriate box.

8a., b. Signature and date

The person who completed the form should sign and date the form in the spaces provided.

Part 11. ❗️ Additional Information

Use this page if you need more room to answer any of the questions on this form. Be sure to put your full name and A-Number (if you have one) in the appropriate boxes. Be sure to write or type the correct page number, part number, and item (box) number in the designated boxes before writing or typing the additional information.

Is there a shorter version of this form?

Yes, it is the I-864EZ and you can use it if you are only sponsoring one immigrant, are solely relying on your own income (not assets) to do so, and so on.

Can I use this form if I am not the main petitioner/sponsor?

Yes. If you are a joint sponsor, meaning you are someone outside of the household whose assets or income is being included to meet the criteria for sponsorship.

What are the financial requirements for the sponsor and his or her household?

The sponsor must provide financial information demonstrating that he or she, or his or her household earns enough money and/or has enough assets to support the immigrant. This amount is at least 125% of the amount designated by the federal government for someone living “in poverty.”

What am I “promising” by filling out and signing this form?

You are promising that you can and will support the immigrant you are sponsoring so that they will not require any type of government assistance, or that you will reimburse any government agency that provides financial support for them.

Your Title Goes How long do I have to keep the promise made on this form?

Until the immigrant you are sponsoring becomes a U.S. citizen or until he or she has worked in the United States for a period specified by law.

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