Good evening (Alfred Hitchcock voice),

A lot of these Affidavit of Support forms from the USCIS website have the same title. I'm having trouble understanding what each forms purpose is, when they're appropriate (IR-1 or K3), and at which point in the process each is necessary.

• I-864 "Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Act" -- Is this what my sponsor (husband Paul) will fill out? When is this one necessary?

• I-864A -- Is this what Paul's joint sponsor (his daddy) fills out alongside Paul's own I-864 in the same situation?

• I-864EZ "Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Act" -- When is this one necessary? What does the EZ stand for?

• I-134 Affidavit of Support <--- No idea what this one's is for and when it's needed

I am tying to understand both IR-1 and K3 visa processes perfectly so I can decide if I should bother with K3 or just bite the bullet, save myself the hassle, and do the "easier" route with less filings of this and that. Can anyone clarify what these forms are for, and in which case (IR1, K3...) and at what point in the process they're needed? Oh, I read the guides. Many many times. I'm on this website probably 3 hours a day staring at 'em. I need a person who's done it to pretty much draw me a diagram of the process. I have tried literally to draw one for myself already, but it is of poor quality.

Help a kid!

And thanks to everyone who's already replied to our other posts! I think the I-130 application me and Paul "built" last week based on your suggestions is pretty good. Too bad it hasn't even reached USCIS yet (Mr. Postman couldn't find the designated Lockbox, apparently. Scared and confused, our poor package is being returned to sender. Bizarre.)

Hi,

I can only speak to the I-864 as this is what I am familiar with. This is the one your sponsor will fill out for you. The I-134 is for K visas and the I-864ez is used by people who have a very straight forward sponsorship, using income only - affidavit of support. The I-864A is a contract between a Sponsor and a Household member, does your Husband live with his Father? If not his Father will use the I-864.

Once you receive your NOA2 from USCIS your file will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (this is where the I-864 and DS-230 come in). No need to draw a diagram for this at least - it's already been done and is posted on VJ here: NVC flowchart - it is found under the Guides tab at the top of this page.

As for the K3 vs the IR1/CR1, they are both going to take around the same time - the K3 might be a tad faster. If you do the IR visa now all your paperwork is upfront as it is an immigrant visa. If you do the K3 you end up doing the bulk of the paperwork once you are already in the U.S. and have to adjust status.

I would really recommend you read the guides, the information is long and can be pretty boring, but no one can actually tell you all the ins and outs in a post.

Personally, unless you don't care how long it takes for you to work in the U.S., I would recommend the IR1/CR1. You will be interviewing at Montreal, so either way it will take a while for you to get an interview.

You should also read the instructions for the I-864, there is a lot of information you are going to need in there and it will also answer your questions above.

Good luck!

For now Paul does live with his father and step mom, but that will change next school year when he moves to either Florida, Kentucky, or Georgia to start his grad studies.

Alrighty, please do tell me if this is the correct procedure in a nutshell for IR-1 filing:

1. Finally manage to get I-130 filed, Paul gets a NOA1 (telling us they recieved it?)
2. When 130 is approved, I get a NOA2 (telling us it's done pending, right? Do I get the next set of forms along with NOA2? Or do I wait for my case to be transfered to the...)
3. National Visa Centre (do they send me next set of forms?)
4. Hurry up filling out their forms, PLUS now's the time to worry about I-864(A), right?

Did I get anything out of order, or miss something?

What if Paul moves out of his parents house right in the middle of our I-864 and I-864A forms pending? Will NVC get miffed that co-sponsor dad is not longer a 'household member', and that technically Paul's dad filled out the wrong form? This is nasty, nit-pickity little crumb of a question, but if anyone knows what happens then (if anything) I'm pretty concerned about it, since there's a good chance that's what'll end up happening.

Also, when does police certificates, medical exams, and fingerprinting come into play? Should I be figuring out how and where to book these myself, or will I get specific instructions from Them on EXACTLY when and where to go to get that stuff done? I hope I do. I would have no clue how to go about getting myself fingerprinted or how long the waiting list for medical exams is.

Does everyone need an FBI background check? Do I have to somehow apply for one, or will the organizaion take the liberty of doing that for me so I don't have to worry about it?

Ok, that's all for now. Thanks in advance to everyone who can supply me with some of these answers!

If you're going with the I/R, it is I-864 (also used for when applying AOS).

I-864A is for joint sponsors

I-864EZ is a shorter version intended for the relative you are sponsoring is the only person listed on
the Form I-130 petition & The income you are using to qualify is based entirely on
your salary or pension and is shown on one or more Forms
W-2 provided by your employer(s) or former employer(s).

I-134 are used for K visas. However when adjusting status, I-864 must used.

The NOA #2 means that the USCIS has approved your application. From there it goes to the NVC which will issue you a case #. The first thing you get will be choice of agent and bill for the affidavit of support (I-864 in it's variations). You will select the agent, normally the sponsor unless you are using a lawyer. The payment gets sent ($70). Next you will receive the letter with barcode for the affidavit. After that is completed and returned the next step will be a bill for the visa $380. After that is returned you will get the packet for the DS-230 which you would fill out plus their are instructions for different proofs they need (birth certificate, marriage certificate, police report, photocopy of passport). Once the NVC completes the case, they will forward it to the embassy and give you appoinment dates. This is the time for the medical, and at the interview you will be fingerprinted. To follow everything here's a link to Jame's shortcuts. Scroll down to version #2. Even if you don't use the shortcuts, you can see each step and possibly understand it better. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=117

I don't think you husband moving out of his parent's home will be a problem since he will still be a student. As for the FBI check, you must provide a police report for each area you have lived more than 6 months, and possibly a national clearance (I'm not familiar with Canadian requirements), but you can get more specific answers for that at the Canadian forum http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=93

Your husband doesn't need anything from the FBI but I'll bet the USCIS have run the both of you through some of the data bases available to them since they are a department of Homeland Security now.