DCF Frankfurt I-130 and Co. Sponsor?

[jr31012 1]

Hi,

We finally send out our I-130 petition to Frankfurt on the 14th this month and now we have some questions []

1. My husband is a dual citizen (american/german) and we try to find out if he has to send in tax returns for the sponsoring.He lives and works here in Germany for the last 7 years. We do know that all american citizens have to file taxes in the US, but maybe there is some exception for special cases. Is there a place we can call or ask questions about this?

His father is going to be the co. sponsor and we would like to know what paperwork we need from him for that besides the form? Tax Returns for how many years? pay checks ect?

2. What paperwork will be needed for the interview appointment? Is there a checklist for that, because I can not find it anywhere.

3. Has anybody filed lately for that kind of visa and how long did it take?

Thanks alot for your help.

[maeve808 5]

Yes, your husband (as your sponsor) will have to send his US tax returns (or tax transcripts) together with the Affidavit of Support (I-864) form, at least the one for the last year. I haven't heard of a special case or exception. As long as he made enough money to be above the filing threshold, he should have US tax returns from the past few years.

Yes, the co-sponsor will also have to show past tax returns and proof of current income.

This is the checklist for the application process (what documents you have to provide): http://photos.state.gov/libraries/frankfurt/9318/consular_pdf/Instructions%20for%20Immigrant%20Visa%20Applicants.pdf

For the interview you only have to bring your passport, the invitation letter and money to pay the fee.

The entire process took 4 months for us, but we took our time and could have had it all finished within 3 months.

Edited April 17, 2014 by maeve808

[schinx87 1]

Hi,

We finally send out our I-130 petition to Frankfurt on the 14th this month and now we have some questions [ ]

1. My husband is a dual citizen (american/german) and we try to find out if he has to send in tax returns for the sponsoring.He lives and works here in Germany for the last 7 years. We do know that all american citizens have to file taxes in the US, but maybe there is some exception for special cases. Is there a place we can call or ask questions about this?

His father is going to be the co. sponsor and we would like to know what paperwork we need from him for that besides the form? Tax Returns for how many years? pay checks ect?

2. What paperwork will be needed for the interview appointment? Is there a checklist for that, because I can not find it anywhere.

3. Has anybody filed lately for that kind of visa and how long did it take?

Thanks alot for your help.

Hey there

I can only agree with what Maeve808 has already mentioned. There aren't many exceptions that exist re: filing US taxes, other than earning no income at all (as far as I know). However, there are plenty of very knowledgeable U.S. CPAs located in Germany who could give you sound advice on that. I would ask ones that practice in Germany, as I have gotten plenty of incorrect information from CPAs in the states who are not familiar with this kind of tax law. I can highly recommend mine -- but send me a PM for his contact info.

The process went really fast, and has been unexpectedly delayed for while we're waiting for the original signed affidavit of our joint sponsor to arrive in the mail from the USA But so far, the process has been very quick (you'll see in my timeline below). We expect our mail on Tuesday or so and will most likely send package 3 in next week.