I-864/Affidavit of Support Unique Situation Question(s)

[Zonador 0]

Hi and thanks for taking a look at this. I know this is our fault for not looking a bit deeper into the requirements for what to bring to the interview (which is in a week), but the checklist my wife was provided by the DCF office in London didn't make us feel it was applicable to us and that her income/savings alone would be enough evidence that she would not need support in the US.

 

That being said, we now realize we do need an I-864. However, due to being self-employed and having in the past several years spent a good portion of each year traveling, I won't qualify as her sponsor. 

 

My wife has her appointment next week and we will still submit the I-864 based on my income knowing that it won't qualify, in hopes that the CO will give her guidance as to what other avenues we may have to gain acceptance.

 

We know we can get a joint sponsor, but none of our family/friends would meet the criteria for various reasons as well.

 

Does anyone have any suggests on how to proceed? Other ways to prove she/we do not need the government in any way to take care of her/us?

 

Will it annoy the London office if she shows up without a qualifying I-864? Or should she reschedule her interview for a later date until we can figure out something else?

 

How long do we have to comply (typically) after they request better proof of sponsorship (assuming that's what they will do)?

 

Is there anyway to count her savings in a UK bank as sufficient support and/or our housing being provided on my family's land. We can/do live comfortably on much less than the what the government suggests is poverty level... seems like that should count for something.

 

Thank You for any replies, much appreciated!

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[f f 725]

see if the usc parents will be cosponsors? they look at just the numbers so there is no consideration for having housing provided. you as being the sponsor must submit a i864 even if you do not meet the requirements.

[Zonador 0]

 

1 hour ago, f f said:

see if the usc parents will be cosponsors? they look at just the numbers so there is no consideration for having housing provided. you as being the sponsor must submit a i864 even if you do not meet the requirements.

Thanks for the reply f f,

 

Unfortunately, neither of my parents would qualify as they are both retired with only social security income that doesn't meet the income requirements.

 

We do have a friend, also self employed, who makes enough and may be willing to go through the process. However, they are away and would not be able to attend to it until maybe October 2017. Do you know how long the embassy will give petitioners to provide requested documentation?

 

Our concern is that if my wife goes to the interview next week with an unqualified sponsors I-864 they may say something like, "Everything else is in order, just get us a joint sponsor within 2 weeks and you are good to go".  We would not be able to do that on such short notice. If we had 90 days then maybe we could find someone willing and have time to gather the documentation.

 

If anyone knows the amount of time they allow to gather more documentation, that would be a big help.

 

Thanks!

[Wuozopo 4,285]

London will not give you a deadline. You can work on it for months if needed. When you have what they need for a joint sponsor, you take their I-864, proof of income, proof of citizenship and your passport to a DX courier depot and they take it to the embassy.

 

If you read the instructions to the I-864, it explains how assets can be used to supplement income shortfall and maybe you won't need a joint sponsor. Her  money in a UK bank counts.

 

Mom and Dad can pool their income if that will be enough to cover a household of three (Mom, Dad, Immigrant). Social security counts as income...the gross amount, not just what appears on the tax return or gets deposited in the bank. They will have a yearly letter stating their SS total before deductions. That can be the proof (like an employer letter). Also maybe they have savings put away that pays interest or dividends. That is income shown on the tax return and statements. Maybe they have a savings account to use as assets. 

 

Read the details in the instructions. 

Edited July 19, 2017 by Wuozopo

[Zonador 0]

Thank You Wuozopo, very helpful and good info to hear about the time allowed to complete the documentation.

 

If you don't mind, a follow up question:

 

Do you know about the London office policy from your own experience?  Just curious how you have come to know that they have no deadline for submitting additional documentation/I-864 forms.

 

Also, I will go through the instructions on the I-864 closely and see what we may already have that counts toward income/assets.

 

Thanks Again for the advice!

 

[Wuozopo 4,285]

1 hour ago, Zonador said:

 

Do you know about the London office policy from your own experience?  Just curious how you have come to know that they have no deadline for submitting additional documentation/I-864 forms.

 

 

We have a UK forum on here. I have read maybe 30-35 thousand posts over the years. Seriously. 

So a lot of situations. Never once have I heard of anybody being given a time limit to get their stuff. Some people have brought the wrong police certificate from Australia or other country. It took them maybe 6 months to get it sorted.  And I am aware of people who have been told they will keep their petition open for a year to complete their visa interview.Not exactly the same thing, but an indication you won't expire in two weeks if you don't Interview successfully. 

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

 The problem with a long delay may be an expiring medical.

[f f 725]

another solution is for the usc to move to the us and get a job that covers it then thier spouse can get the visa approved and join them.

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

do you own enough tangible assets to meet the requirement in lieu of income? Real estate, stocks, bonds annuities?

[Zonador 0]

Thanks Guys for the continued thoughts/help!

 

We have decided to reschedule my wife's interview since we need more time to gather the documentation needed. We basically found that we can officially add her UK assets to the sponsorship and that should put us over the top (with the 5 times the difference rule applied). This is basically what we thought at the beginning but didn't realize how we should apply it... that was our fault for not being more bureaucratically minded about it all

 

Hopefully in the not too distant future, I'll be able to post the success (or rejection) of our petition (probably in September 2017) if it might be of help to others in a similar circumstance.

 

Cheers to everyone who provided their insights... Keep On Truckin!

[Wuozopo 4,285]

3 hours ago, Zonador said:

We basically found that we can officially add her UK assets to the sponsorship and that should put us over the top (with the 5 times the difference rule applied)

From the instructions:

 

In order to qualify based on the value of your assets, the total value of your assets must equal at least ve times the difference between your total household income and the current Federal Poverty Guidelines for your household size, however, if you are a U.S. citizen and you are sponsoring your spouse or minor child, the total value of your assets must only be equal to at least three times the difference