Joint Sponsor Question

[pssh]

Hi,

If joint sponsor is in the military, do they have to meet 100 or 125% poverty guideline?

Does it make a difference if they are $140 short?

Can finance car be counted as asset or amount paid on it so far?

Can intending immigrant's father's house be used as an asset as sponsor's income isnt much (hence seeking joint sponsor)

What military benefits count as income? (like free housing)

Joint sponsor just got married does it affect household size and income requirement? (as taxes were paid last year and joint sponsor was single)

[demedja]

The I-864P says it is 100%, but the person has to be on active duty (not just anyone in the military) and it applies only to the sponsor's spouse or child.

Yes, it makes a difference if you are even $1 short when it comes to that Affidavit of Support form. They are VERY strict about everything on that form. I learned that the long and hard way after having to do it over numerous times.

The information on pages 8 and 9 of the instructions for I-864 answers your questions about assets in detail so look there. You can use a car as an asset but you have to have more than one car to do this. If you are going to use your sponsor's father's house as an asset the sponsor's father must live with him/her and the dad would have to do form I-864A and attach it to the I-864 along with paperwork showing ownership, equity, etc. If it is your father who will be using his house as an asset then he would do another I-864 as a joint sponsor.

Regarding the joint sponsor's marriage, yes it changes the household size regardless of what was filed on the income tax forms last year. If the sponsor is married he or she must count his/her spouse as an additional member of the household (which, incidentally, also increases the minimum income requirement amount) even if they are currently estranged and don't live together. I found this out when my sister had to include her husband as a household member on my I-864 though they're separated and haven't lived together for more than 10 years. If you purposefully try to mislead them by hiding the fact that the person is now married they might find out later and use that as a reason to decline your AOS. What about you, do you have any assets that can be used? Under certain conditions, if you are in the US and you are working at a job that you will continue to have after you receive the green card, and you live in the same residence as the sponsor or joint sponsor, you may be able to use your income to meet the requirements. If you are still coming up short of the income requirements then ask another family member or friend who is a US citizen or LPR and whose income is above the threshold to do another I-864 for you as the joint sponsor.