Joint Affidavit of Suport?

[dinmilan 0]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here- my Italian husband and I just got married in Milan! I am a US citizen, and we are planning on coming to the US as soon as we can. Since I have been resident for more than a year in Italy, we want to file via DCF. I think I've got most of the paperwork under control, but I have a couple of questions.

-The biggest thing I'm worried about is the Affidavit of Support. I am young (in my mid-20s) and have lived and worked in Italy since I left college. Obviously, I have no residence in the US, and very little savings. Due to economic and personal problems last year my income was very low (below the US poverty line). However, my husband has a solid income (far above the poverty line) and is a homeowner (in Italy), and my US Citizen parents are willing to sign as a joint sponsor, because they have a house and good income there. Will this pose a problem for me? Is it still possible? Does anyone know how to go about filing in this way?

-My husband and I have a 12 year age difference- some people have told me that the consulate is suspicious if they see an age difference of more than 10 years. But we have years worth of photos, letters, family verification, even a joint bank account. Will this be a problem at the interview?

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer! I am starting to get nervous about the whole process. We have been banking on going to the US for a long time, but now looking at the process- it is more difficult than I imagined! I hope one day when I have experience I can return the favor :-)

Have a great weekend all!

[Christi85 86]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here- my Italian husband and I just got married in Milan! I am a US citizen, and we are planning on coming to the US as soon as we can. Since I have been resident for more than a year in Italy, we want to file via DCF. I think I've got most of the paperwork under control, but I have a couple of questions.

-The biggest thing I'm worried about is the Affidavit of Support. I am young (in my mid-20s) and have lived and worked in Italy since I left college. Obviously, I have no residence in the US, and very little savings. Due to economic and personal problems last year my income was very low (below the US poverty line). However, my husband has a solid income (far above the poverty line) and is a homeowner (in Italy), and my US Citizen parents are willing to sign as a joint sponsor, because they have a house and good income there. Will this pose a problem for me? Is it still possible? Does anyone know how to go about filing in this way?

-My husband and I have a 12 year age difference- some people have told me that the consulate is suspicious if they see an age difference of more than 10 years. But we have years worth of photos, letters, family verification, even a joint bank account. Will this be a problem at the interview?

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer! I am starting to get nervous about the whole process. We have been banking on going to the US for a long time, but now looking at the process- it is more difficult than I imagined! I hope one day when I have experience I can return the favor :-)

Have a great weekend all!

Hi and congrats on your wedding!

To answer your questions:

-You have to be your husband's sponsor even if you don't make enough, simply because you are the USC petitioner. Your husband's income can be used only if it is going to continue from the same source after you move to the US. His assets (if at least 3 times the 125% of the poverty line for your household - take a look at the form I-864P for poverty guidelines) can be included in the affidavit. However, those assets need to be liquidable within a year, therefore bank savings, bonds etc. are preferred. His house in Italy cannot be used as an asset unless he intends to sell it and he can prove it (e.g. show a value estimate from an agent, show that it is on the market for sale etc.). Ideally, he'd have sold it before the interview and he'd be able to present proof of the sale and the money he made from that.

Finally, if your parents are willing to co-sponsor your husband and qualify with their income or assets, then you have no problem.

All of the above can be found in the I-864 (affidavit of support) instructions, so I suggest taking a good look there.

-Re the age difference: sorry, I can't be of much help here, as I don't know how Milan sees such an age difference. The best thing would be to find out from other people who have gone through Milan, however I don't see why it would be seen as such a big problem. This is more often a red flag in countries that have a high percentage of visa fraud and Italy isn't one of them. It's also quite the opposite (when the USC is much older than their foreign husband or wife) that usually raises a red flag, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's good that you have proof of your bona fide marriage. If you're concerned that this may be an issue, keep working on gathering more evidence, just in case you're asked.

Edited January 24, 2011 by Christi85

[dinmilan 0]

Hi and congrats on your wedding!

To answer your questions:

-You have to be your husband's sponsor even if you don't make enough, simply because you are the USC petitioner. Your husband's income can be used only if it is going to continue from the same source after you move to the US. His assets (if at least 3 times the 125% of the poverty line for your household - take a look at the form I-864P for poverty guidelines) can be included in the affidavit. However, those assets need to be liquidable within a year, therefore bank savings, bonds etc. are preferred. His house in Italy cannot be used as an asset unless he intends to sell it and he can prove it (e.g. show a value estimate from an agent, show that it is on the market for sale etc.). Ideally, he'd have sold it before the interview and he'd be able to present proof of the sale and the money he made from that.

Finally, if your parents are willing to co-sponsor your husband and qualify with their income or assets, then you have no problem.

All of the above can be found in the I-864 (affidavit of support) instructions, so I suggest taking a good look there.

-Re the age difference: sorry, I can't be of much help here, as I don't know how Milan sees such an age difference. The best thing would be to find out from other people who have gone through Milan, however I don't see why it would be seen as such a big problem. This is more often a red flag in countries that have a high percentage of visa fraud and Italy isn't one of them. It's also quite the opposite (when the USC is much older than their foreign husband or wife) that usually raises a red flag, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's good that you have proof of your bona fide marriage. If you're concerned that this may be an issue, keep working on gathering more evidence, just in case you're asked.

Thank you so much for your helpful advice Christi!! That is great to know. I really appreciate it!