This is regarding I-134 form question 7. I'm currently unemployed living in China (I tutor a lot but it doesn't really count). Last year I made over 40,000 and over 50,000 USD the year before. I took an educational years leave of absence but I have to reapply when I return to see if they need me at that time. It was a sales job. Well I have over 7,000 in a bank account and it has been there nearly 4 months and another 25,000 in IRA, 401k, and stocks. Should I just put student (I studied for a semester until Dec. 2006) or unemployed, then show my notarized tax returns for the last few years, a certified letter from bank showing funds, and certified letters for investment funds. Would that be enough?

Catch 22. Sometimes the financial papers aren't even asked for but when they are, it is current income that is most important. If you don't have it, then liquid assets can replace income on a 1 to 3 basis. That means to meet the 125% poverty guidelines you would need a little over $51k in liquid assets.

It's ok to list your occupation as student and US income as zero. Most people in your situation would just get a joint sponsor to provide the non-binding I-134 to get through the visa issue process, then use their income from a new job in the US to sponsor the status adjustment phase.

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Thank you for the help. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear but I'm glad to know it now rather than later.